Due to the time, cost, and complexity of setting up access to the DCC, this would be a massive duplication of effort and make access effectively impossible for many researchers. Although accessing data via SERL still involves several steps such as becoming an ONS DEA accredited researcher and being approved by an independent Data Governance Board, the process is a lot simpler than starting from scratch. With the production of the Stats Reports and the Statistical Dataset (beginning in 2022), outputs from the SERL dataset have been simplified and made more easily accessible for a wider audience.
As the host of the SERL dataset, the UK japan rcs data Data Service has also been a key player in managing researcher access to the SERL data, processing applications, and ensuring data governance rules were adhered to.
With the infrastructure in place, participant recruitment began in August 2019 and by March 2021 – after 3 waves of recruitment – SERL had recruited over 13,000 GB households.
The first SERL dataset was made available in August 2020 with data from ~1700 participants recruited in the pilot wave. The second edition including the next wave of recruits contained 4800 households in total. October 2021 saw the release of the third edition which comprised the full 13,300 cohort.