Pilot
Surveys
Pilot
Surveys
Pilot
Surveys
About
We run smaller versions of the surveys as a pilot to test that the research will run smoothly and work effectively. This is a critical part of the Children of the 2020s study and will be invaluable in ensuring the study is as good as it can be. We will also be following up with these families as their child grows up.
If you are part of the pilot study, you will play a very important role in ensuring the study is run as effectively as possible. You will be invited to take part in each stage of the research before the main survey is launched. The data we collect from you will be used solely to inform the study design.
What happens to my data if I am part of the pilot surveys?
The purpose of collecting your data is to inform the design of the main study therefore analysis of this data will be done by the core research team to inform the study design. Although we also ask for permission to link your data to administrative records held by government departments and agencies, we do not do this for participants taking part in the pilot. The purpose of this was to test our procedures for seeking permission, ahead of the main survey.
Surveys
Age 9 months pilot survey
(Autumn 2021)
In the Age 9 months pilot survey, we asked for your permission to link government records held about you and your child to your data. Although we asked, we have not done this. The reason we asked was to test our procedures for seeking permission, ahead of the main survey.
If you took part in the Age 9 months pilot survey, you might also remember that we invited you to also take part in BabySteps. BabySteps is a free smartphone app, designed by scientists to help parents and caregivers track their child’s learning and development, and to capture precious memories through comments, photos and videos. The version of BabySteps that you were asked to download was a pilot version of the app and, as a result, not all features were available to you in the app. This version of the app is no longer functioning, and we kindly ask you to delete the app if it is still on your device.
Age 2 years pilot survey
(Spring 2023)
In the Age 2 years pilot survey, we were keen to test the process of introducing the BabySteps app via the online surveys. This meant we explaining the app and all its features, but we asked you, as a pilot participant, not to download or attempt to register on the app. This helped us make improvements to how we explain the app to make the main survey the best it can possibly be.
We also tested the process of completing the survey online or via telephone. This include ensuring that the online survey was working as it should and that there were no issues with accessing the survey via the password provided, as well as telephone interviews being conducted successfully with individuals who had yet to complete the survey online, or who did not have access to a smartphone, computer, or internet. This helped us make improvements to the process of contacting individuals to complete the survey via telephone, as well as the design of the online survey as a whole.
Age 3 years pilot survey
(Spring 2024)
In the Age 3 pilot survey, we ask for your permission to link government records held about you and your child to your data. Although we ask, we do not do this. The reason we ask is to test our procedures for seeking permission, ahead of the main survey. We are also keen to test the process of reminding you of the Children of the 2020s’ BabySteps app, have you downloaded and updated the correct version of the app, and have you complete a video task with your child via the app during the survey interview. This will help us make improvements to the app and ensure it works well in the main survey.
We are also keen to test some of the new tasks that we have designed for the 3-year-old(s) to do, such as listening to a short story, playing some games on a touchscreen, and naming different objects in a picture. This will help us make improvements to the process of introducing and completing the tasks and ensure that the data is captured accurately.
Future stages
We would like to ask you to take part again around the time your child turns 4 and 5 years old so we can see how your child is growing up. We will get back in touch with you when it is time to take part again. Please get in touch with us if your contact details change.
Key resources
Latest version of the pilot survey privacy notices:
- Pilot survey privacy notice (HTML and PDF)
Age 9 months pilot survey:
Age 2 years pilot survey:
Age 3 years pilot survey:
BabySteps for pilot participants: