Table 2.
Life Course Characteristics of the NCDS and ELSA Samples
| Childhood characteristics in NCDS and ELSA | NCDS | ELSA | p* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomic group of father at age 16 (NCDS) or 14 (ELSA) | .674 | ||
| Non-manual childhood class (%) | 40 | 39 | |
| Manual or unclassified job (%) | 56.1 | 57.4 | |
| Retired, unemployed or sick (%) | 4 | 3.6 | |
| No hot water in house at age 10 (ELSA) 11 (NCDS) (%) | 3.2 | 16 | .000 |
| Childhood chronic health condition | 47.5 | 19.3 | .000 |
| Parents separated between birth and 16 (%) | 7.9 | 8.1 | .768 |
| Financial hardship at or before age 16 (%) | 16 | 5.2 | .000 |
| Whether in institutional care at or before age 16 (%) | 2.2 | 2.9 | .167 |
| Childhood characteristics in NCDS only | |||
| Maths test score at age 11—mean (SD) | 17.9 (10.3) | — | — |
| Reading test score at age 11—mean (SD) | 16.8 (6.1) | — | — |
| Design test score at age 11—mean (SD) | 8.5 (1.4) | — | — |
| BSAG score at age 11—mean (SD) | 7.6 (8.5) | — | — |
| Rutter score at age 11—mean (SD) | 6.2 (3.4) | — | — |
| Free school meals at age 11 (%) | 8.2 | — | — |
| Life course characteristics in NCDS and ELSA | |||
| No. of lifetime partners | .057 | ||
| 0 (%) | 5 | 5.2 | |
| 1 (%) | 59.7 | 62.2 | |
| 2 (%) | 23.7 | 24 | |
| 3+ (%) | 11.6 | 8.6 | |
| % working life employed | .000 | ||
| 0–50% | 13.8 | 11.5 | |
| 50–85% | 29.7 | 28.9 | |
| 85–99% | 27.6 | 23.8 | |
| 100% | 28.9 | 35.8 | |
| Number of natural children | .009 | ||
| 0 (%) | 15.8 | 16.1 | |
| 1 (%) | 13.2 | 12.4 | |
| 2 (%) | 41.4 | 37.6 | |
| 3 (%) | 19.3 | 20.1 | |
| 4 (%) | 10.3 | 13.9 | |
| N | 8,033 | 921 | |
*X2 test p-value comparing respondents in NCDS with ELSA.