Welcoming a new study to the family  

The information you’ve shared with us about your lives over the years has given an insight into your generation’s experiences and generated evidence for policymakers on important issues.  

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

Generation New Era will follow the lives of more than 30,000 babies born in 2026, during their early years, and potentially beyond. It is the first UK-wide study of its kind in a quarter of a century and will live under the same roof as NCDS, at the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies.  

The study will include families from right across the UK, and invitations will go out from next year. There will be a focus on hearing from fathers as well as mothers and from groups previously underrepresented in population research, giving a voice to as many communities in UK society as possible. 

Who knows – if you welcome a new grandchild into your life in 2026 or become a grandparent for the first time, your family might be invited to join the study! 

“In such a rapidly changing world, it is vital to have rich data on the lives of children and families, especially those from disadvantaged and less often heard groups. Standing on the shoulders of the UK’s famous birth cohort studies, which have tracked multiple generations of people over the past eight decades, Generation New Era will aim to shine a light on the biggest challenges facing our society today.” 

Professor Alissa Goodman, Co-director of the Generation New Era study  

NCDS belongs to a family of studies based at UCL, which each follows the lives of a different generation. The oldest of these began in 1946 and continues to this day: 

• 1946 National Survey of Health and Development 
• 1958 National Child Development Study 
• 1970 British Cohort Study 
• Next Steps 
• Millennium Cohort Study (born in 2000-02) 
• Generation New Era (born in 2026) 

Together, these studies have transformed how we understand society and have helped to improve lives across the UK and beyond. 

As a NCDS study member, we hope you’ll feel proud to see this new chapter begin. Generation New Era is the next step in our journey.