Understanding social circumstances of the veteran population

In this project, ADR Scotland aims to highlight how administrative data can be used to better understand the social circumstances of former armed services personnel.

This study aims to provide an overview of the social circumstances of the service leaver population in Scotland and to compare and contrast their situation to a comparable group of people drawn from the general population – at the point of the 2011 Census.

Research aims

The research will:

• Evaluate the potential of linking currently available data to provide a basis for research into ex-armed forces personnel
• Contribute to the development of reusable data that will be made available to the wider academic community
• Contribute to the development of evidence informed policy.

The data

The project will use the following data sources:

• Ministry of Defence records
• 2011 Census.

“The wellbeing of veterans is central to our society. I am delighted that our expertise will enable insights into the circumstances and wellbeing of those who have served in the forces. Findings will provide government as well as non-government organisations with evidence that can enable more robust planning that can ensure critical needs are addressed.”

Dr Iain Atherton, Reader at Edinburgh Napier University and project lead

Project details

Project lead: Dr Iain Atherton

This project is funded by ADR Scotland via its core grant from the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) as an ADR UK partner.