Higher qualifications,first-birth timing,and further childbearing in England and Wales

This article examines how strong the association is between the obtaining of higher educational qualifications and later entry to motherhood, and how these are associated with levels and pace of second and subsequent childbearing. Data from the ONS Longitudinal Study are used to estimate these associations for women born in England and Wales between 1954 and 1958. Average age of entry to motherhood is found to be five years later for women with higher qualifications than for those without. Increasing age of motherhood is always associated with a lower likelihood of going on to have another child, but the decline with age is less pronounced for women with a higher qualification. Moreover, for any given age of childbearing, mothers with a higher qualification are more likely than those without to have another child, and are more likely to do so quickly.     

Population review of England and Wales, 2001

This article describes the main features of the population of England and Wales in 2001. Where 2001 figures have not yet been produced, data for the latest available year are given.     

Population review of 1998: England and Wales

This article outlines the main features of the population of England and Wales in 1998. Where 1998 figures have not yet been produced, data for the latest available year are given.     

The 2011 Census: a proposed design for England and Wales

This article sets out the proposed design for a 2011 Census in England and Wales, as part of the ONS's proposed future population statistics system. The design draws on experiences from the 2001 Census and changes in available technology, and takes account of the many comments received from respondents to a Discussion Paper published in October 2003 and of views expressed at a joint ONS/RSS Conference on 11-12 November 2003. The article highlights the statistical and operational strategic aims for the 2011 Census, the major changes proposed from the 2001 approach, and gives an indication of the benefits and risks. It is important to note that this design remains a proposal at present, the elements of which will be subject to further research building on comments received during consultation and a detailed testing programme over the coming years.     

Stability and change in ethnic groups in England and Wales

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) Longitudinal Study (LS) is an exceptional resource for exploring dynamic processes in individuals' lives for a representative sample of the population of England and Wales and across a thirty year period, including how those processes vary by ethnic group. However, analyses tend to assume a certain stability in the meaning of the ethnic group being studied: the insights into ethnic group differentiation are premised on the fact that the group has the same meaning over time. Here we show how the LS allows us to challenge such notions of group stability. This has practical implications for the ways we measure and conceive of Britain's minority ethnic groups. We illustrate this point with two examples: one exploring the change in ethnic group identification by the same individuals between 1991 and 2001, and the second exploring how loss to follow up is differentially experienced according to ethnic group. We provide some suggestions on the implications of this ethnic group instability for other research.     

Migration trends at older ages in England and Wales

Information on the behaviour and characteristics of our rapidly growing older population is of increasing importance to policy makers, who want to ensure a good quality of life for our elderly. This article uses data from the Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study (1971-2001) to illustrate trends in migration at older ages. It shows how the propensity to migrate differs by age, sex, marital status, living arrangements, economic resources and health in later life, amongst people aged 50 and over in England and Wales. Results show that moves at older ages are associated with changes in health and living arrangements, but also that these associations are inter-related with other factors such as age.     

Geography for the 2001 Census in England and Wales

This article provides an overview of 2001 Census geography systems in England and Wales, concentrating primarily on the creation of output geography. It is important to note that there are significant differences between the systems being implemented in England and Wales and those which apply to Northern Ireland and Scotland. The Northern Ireland system is broadly similar to that described here, whereas the entire data infrastructure and output area design process in Scotland are different.     

Population review of 1999: England and Wales

This article outlines the main features of the population of England and Wales in 1999. Where 1999 figures have not yet been produced, data for the latest available year are given.     

The proportion of adoptees who have received their birth records in England and Wales

Over 70 thousand adults who were adopted in out-of-family adoptions have received their original birth records from ONS since The Children Act, 1975 (Section 26) first enabled them to do so. This article describes how estimates of these adoptees have been made by their year of birth and year of receiving their birth record. It then analyses the trends, with particular reference to the theory that adoption can cause deep-seated psychological problems, setting them within the historical context of adoption in this century.     

Population review of 2004 and 2005: England and Wales

This article outlines the main features of the population of England and Wales in 2005. Where 2005 figures have not yet been published, data for 2004 are given.     

The age difference at marriage in England and Wales: a century of patterns and trends

In the last 100 years the mean age difference at marriage in England and Wales has fluctuated in the range 2-3 years, but without exhibiting any long-run trend. Nevertheless, an age gap of 2-3 years is not typical. A 1-year gap is the most common in recent years and there is a good deal of variation between couples. Marriage partners are closer in age than would be predicted if men and women were matched at random by age. There is little evidence that the age difference is governed by strong social norms. Some explanations for diversity and change in the age difference are discussed.     

New estimates of trends in births by birth order in England and Wales

A greater understanding of past, present and future trends in fertility can be gained from analysing trends in birth order; that is whether a birth is a first, second, third or higher order birth. However, under current legislation, birth order information is not collected at registration for births outside marriage and birth order recorded within marriage is not the true birth order. This article presents revised and updated estimates of true birth order. It discusses the construction of the new estimates and presents analysis relating the births by true birth order to the population of women by parity on both a period (fertility in a particular year) and cohort (fertility of women born in a particular year) basis. The new true birth order figures are also compared to the previous set of estimates.     

Rebasing the annual mid-year population estimates for England and Wales

The ONS produces mid-year population estimates annually, which are based on updating from the most recent census. Therefore, whenever results become available from a census, a new base is created for the population estimates. This has implications for historic series, which need to be revised to be consistent with both the past and the most recent census. This article describes the methodology that will be used for this rebasing of the mid-year population estimates following the availability of results from the 2001 Census. Census results also provide a unique opportunity to assess the accuracy of the population estimates that are based on the previous census and this article also describes the approach that will be taken to the assessment of accuracy.     

Short-term international migration trends in England and Wales from 2004 to 2009

Short-term migration estimates for England and Wales are the latest addition to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) migration statistics. This article discusses definitions of short-term migration and the methodology that is used to produce the estimates. Some of the estimates and the changes in the estimates over time are then discussed. The article includes previously unpublished short-term migration statistics and therefore helps to give a more complete picture of the size and characteristics of short-term international migration for England and Wales than has previously been possible. ONS have identified a clear user requirement for short-term migration estimates at local authority (LA) level. Consequently, attention is also paid to the progress that has been made and future work that is planned to distribute England and Wales short-term migration estimates to LA level.     

Family building intentions in England and Wales: trends,outcomes and interpretations

This article presents and analyses women's childbearing intentions collected in the General Household Survey (GHS). Data from the 21 surveys from 1979 to 2001 show that over that period there has been a fall in women's intended numbers of births. However the latest data (from the 1998, 2000 and 2001 surveys) show that the average number of children intended is still around two, somewhat higher than the average number of children current fertility rates suggest women will have. The questions of whether this difference can be interpreted as possible unmet need for children, whether past intentions have been good predictors of fertility, and how current intentions may be used to inform projections assumptions are discussed. In relation to the last question, fertility intentions by ethnic group are also presented.     

Changes in the distribution of marital age differences in England and Wales, 1963 to 1998

Assumptions about the 'typical' age gap between spouses underlie much social policy (e.g. the five-year difference in men's and women's state pension ages). In order to test the basis for these assumptions, detailed marriage registration statistics were obtained for 1963 and 1998, for England and Wales. Age differences between spouses were calculated and analysed by year, age at marriage and previous marital status. The median age gap hardly changed between 1963 and 1998 but this concealed considerable increase in the proportion of marriages where the man was younger than the woman or--to a lesser extent--where the man was six or more years older.