The longstanding culture in the social sciences of making data accessible is one to value | Impact of Social Sciences

"The launch of the UK Data Service signals a step-change in the way we use and reuse the products of our research. It is about making high-quality data (of all types) easy to get hold of, as easy as possible to use, and providing support for the use of such data. And, by providing an exemplar, it is also about encouraging and supporting others to set up ‘data stores’ that provide easy access to data either directly or through the UK Data Service. Doing this is not straightforward, taking the efforts of a large number of people and involving significant funds. So it is worth thinking about why it is important. I’m an active researcher, involved in running data collections (most notably the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, or ELSA) and in using data produced by others (for example, this will be a major element of the Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity, or CoDE). The UK Data Service is crucial to such research activities, as was its predecessor. The millions of pounds invested in data collections like ELSA are best used to generate data that a wide range of academic, policy and lay analysts can get their hands on. The ELSA data are being used to provide evidence on a wide range of issues — locally, nationally, internationally, short- and long-term — because they are accessible (as well as high quality). A recent IFS working paper exploring how the 2008-09 financial downturn affected older households in England is just one rich example ..."