The Children of the 2020s Study
The Children of the 2020s (COT20s) study is a longitudinal national research study following the lives of children born in the 2020s over the course of their first five years.
The study has been commissioned and funded by the Department for Education (DfE). It is being led by University College London (UCL), and the independent research organisation Ipsos is collecting the data. The project also involves the University of Cambridge, Oxford and Birkbeck, University of London who are providing scientific advice and guidance.
The study looks at what it is like for children to grow up in the 2020s at a time of great change when the country is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and going through a cost of living crisis. It will follow the same group of children and their families for a number of years, gathering data at 9 months, 2 years, 3 years and 4 years of age. The study will collect data on children’s language, early development, family environment, health, mental health and early education.
The findings from wave 1 of the COT20s study have been published here:
Children of the 2020s: first survey of families at age 9 months - GOV.UK