Explore the impact of ADR UK and other administrative data research conducted by our partners in the case studies below.
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This research responded to the 2017 Lammy Review which called for evidence into the causes of ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system. It revealed previously unseen disparities by analysing disaggregated ethnicity data for the first time, which led the Ministry of Justice to adopt this approach in published analysis. The research findings were cited in news articles and submitted as evidence in the Independent Sentencing Review and the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination.
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Research using the Public Health Research Database has provided new insights into groups most at risk of suicide. Individuals from most ethnic minority backgrounds experienced lower rates of suicide than the White British majority, with the exception of those identifying as being from a Mixed ethnicity background or as White Gypsy/Irish Travellers. Results have been shared with the National Suicide Prevention Advisory Group to support policy and priority setting.
This research used the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset to explore long-term outcomes for pupils suspended during secondary school. The findings received widespread media coverage; education unions echoed calls for early intervention and wider access to support services; and the Department for Education acknowledged the need to address broader factors influencing behaviour, such as mental health and family support.
Collaboration between researchers at the University of Edinburgh and Police Scotland during Covid-19 led to novel research using shared police data. The findings supported operational planning, informed formal scrutiny of policing in Scotland, evidenced hidden inequalities, and contributed to decision-making around future pandemic preparedness and policy.
The share of employees saving in a workplace pension rose significantly during the 2010s due to the introduction of automatic enrolment into workplace pensions. This policy reduced inequalities in pension participation by age and earnings. However, research carried out by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) found notable differences in workplace pension participation rates between ethnic groups in the UK, with important implications for future retirement incomes.
ADR UK Fellow, Dr Alice Wickersham, has explored changes in school performance and involvement in the criminal justice system. Her research draws on England-wide de-identified data from the National Pupil Database and Police National Computer, made available by the Ministry of Justice and Department for Education as an ADR UK flagship dataset.
Policymakers often need to respond quickly to unexpected shocks, such as financial crises, international emergencies or natural disasters, but traditional data collection methods and research can take months or years. This project builds a new toolbox, consisting of high-frequency linked microdata, to estimate firm responses to shocks in near real-time. It thereby enables policymakers to rapidly evaluate and adjust economic policy.
Virus Watch was a community cohort study of Covid-19, with around 60,000 participants across England and Wales. It ran from June 2020 until April 2025. Virus Watch aimed to provide evidence on which public health approaches are most effective in reducing transmission. It also investigated community incidence, symptoms, and transmission of Covid-19 in relation to population movement and behaviours.
Across two projects, researchers used linked administrative data to explore how mental ill health varies across occupations in Northern Ireland (NI), and examine the influence of family responsibilities and the Covid-19 pandemic. Findings were presented to members of the NI Mental Health Charter for employers and service providers, as well as incorporated into relevant training resources.
This project utilised Northern Ireland's unique National Registry of Self-Harm and Suicidal Ideation to address a critical gap in our understanding about emergency department presentations with suicidal or self-harm ideation and subsequent risk of death. The findings have informed clinical guidance documents and are feeding into policy discussions about suicide prevention strategies, including the All-Party Group on Suicide Prevention.
