2026 marks the 200th anniversary of University College London – the first university in London and home to NCDS. We’re excited that NCDS has been chosen to be part of the celebrations.

Using information from NCDS, researchers have found that attending a selective school such as a grammar or secondary modern rather than comprehensive had no long-term impact on your health and wellbeing, with only a few exceptions. 

New findings from NCDS show there is stark variation in how your generation has been able to prepare financially for later life with as many as one in six study members reporting not having a private pension or sizeable savings.

We’re excited to share news of a new scientific study that will build on this tradition of tracking people’s lives over time. 

Research findings from NCDS suggest that men benefit from an improvement in their quality of life if they retire in their 50s. Women are more likely to feel a boost in their quality of life if they switch from full-time to part-time work at this stage of life.

As the population gets older, more people are caring for elderly or dependent family members. NCDS is helping to show how caring responsibilities can affect employment. 

Thank you so much to the more than 8,000 of you who took part in the Life in Your Early 60s Survey between 2020 and 2024. We are so grateful for your participation. 

Researchers exploring what retirement is looking like for your generation have found that a third fewer of you were in the labour market at age 62 than at age 55.

More than 50 years ago, we asked you to write an essay imagining your life at age 25. Decades on, researchers are making fascinating and important discoveries from the content of these.

The age at which people start smoking can affect when they manage to give up.