Next Steps is a longitudinal cohort study following the lives of young people in England born in 1989-90. Previously known as the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE), Next Steps began in 2004 when cohort members were 14 years old with an original sample of 15,770 people.

Originally managed by the Department for Education, the study was designed to explore young people’s experiences through secondary school, and on to further education, training or the workplace. Cohort members were surveyed annually until 2010, and the next sweep after this was when they were aged 25, in 2015-16.

Next Steps has collected information about cohort members’ education and employment, economic circumstances, family life, physical and emotional health and wellbeing, social participation and attitudes. The Next Steps data has also been linked to National Pupil Database (NPD) records, which include the cohort members’ individual scores at Key Stage 2, 3 and 4 and more administrative linkages are planned. The study is now based at the Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS) and has become a multidisciplinary study providing invaluable insights into the different aspects of the lives of millennials.