Children of the 2020s (COT20s)
The COT20s study aims to explore how children’s early life circumstances, home environments, and learning opportunities relate to their developmental and educational trajectories. Participants consist of children aged around 9 months old, born between September and November 2021, living in the United Kingdom (UK), and were recruited via linkage to the Child Benefits Register. In 2022, baseline interviews with primary and non-primary caregivers involved approximately 8,700 children. A second wave, conducted in 2023, has also been completed. Wave 3 is in progress, with two further waves planned to be completed in 2025 and 2026.
Study design
Cohort, Cohort - birth
Number of participants at first data collection
8,733 (participants)
Age at first data collection
9 months (participants)
Participant year of birth
2021 (participants)
Participant sex
All
Representative sample at baseline?
The population of families on the Child Benefits Register, living in the United Kingdom (UK), with a child approximately 9 months old.
Sample features
Country
Year of first data collection
2022
Primary Institutions
University College London (UCL)
Links
cls.ucl.ac.uk/cls-studies/children-of-the-2020s-study/
cls.ucl.ac.uk/new-data-release-children-of-the-2020s-study-wave-1/
Profile paper DOI
Funders
Department for Education (DfE)
Ongoing?
Yes
Data types collected
- Audio or visual recordings (e.g. of child behaviour, facial expressions)
- Computer, paper or task testing (e.g. cognitive testing, theory of mind doll task, attention computer tasks)
- Interview – face-to-face
- Interview – online
- Interview – phone
- Physical or biological assessment (e.g. blood, saliva, gait, grip strength, anthropometry)
- Secondary data
- Self-report questionnaire – paper or computer assisted
- None
- None
- Education data
- Healthcare data
Engagement
Keywords
