Centre for Longitudinal Studies in Ireland

Established April 4th 2012

Science Gallery, Pearse Street, Dublin

Opened by President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins

The CLSI is home to Ireland's growing longitudinal studies community. The central objective of the CLSI is to increase understanding of the importance of longitudinal research and to facilitate the development of the capacity in Ireland to carry out longitudinal research using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies.

The Centre for Longitudinal Studies in Ireland has been established:

To increase awareness of the importance of longitudinal research for academia, practice and policy in Ireland.
To further understanding in Ireland of the conceptual basis of longitudinal and life-course research.
To facilitate the development of the capacity in Ireland to carry out longitudinal research using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
To promote the best international standards and practices in longitudinal research in Ireland.

Investment in Longitudinal Data

Since 2007, several landmark studies have been initiated which are providing unprecedented levels of detail on the lives of Irish people. Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) is following close to 20,000 children from two age cohorts (one from nine months and the second from nine years). The Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing (TILDA) is following over 8,000 individuals aged 50+. The Children's School Lives (CSL) study is tracking the school experiences of nearly 5,000 children as they enter and transfer out of primary schooling.

As well as centrally funded ground-breaking projects, longitudinal data from smaller studies are continually coming on stream. The unifying feature of all these studies is the extent to which they are recording information on the same groups of respondents over their life course. Individually and together, these studies represent the largest social survey investment in the history of the state and will provide invaluable data for understanding social change and improving Irish public policy in the years to come.