Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The purpose of this survey was to ascertain answers to such questions as whether societies are becoming more or less equal, whether they are expanding or restricting opportunity for their citizens and whether they are offering the kinds of education that will enable nations to cope with the challenges of technological change. The aim was to study the trends, correlates and determinants of social mobility in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. The researchers state that they would welcome requests for access to these data.

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The main portion of the survey variables consists of a <i>life-history</i> profile giving data on every change in selected circumstances of respondents from birth to the present. These circumstances include the month and year of each change in residential, educational, occupational, and family building situations. Among other factors, the data includes both full-time and part-time employments together with details of employment status, people under control, size and type of industry, occupational description and income. In addition to the respondents' life histories the data comprises information about dates of birth and death, religion, highest educational attainment, total number of years in full-time education, amount of contact with the respondent, and details of present or last occupation for wife, parents, father and mother-in-law, paternal and maternal grandparents, siblings, and children. Additional data is recorded for the respondents' father, father-in-law, mother and paternal grandfather. Data is included on response to a range of attitude questions on work, job opportunities, ambition and achievement, anthoritarianism, religiosity, the legitimization of violence, and the Irish conflict. Data also exists on each respondent's membership in formal associations, voting behaviour, class identification, exposure to the media, religious participation, and anticipated number of children. For respondents in Northern Ireland, the data also includes attitudes towards religious integration, national identity, and how the respondent, his family, and his friends have been concretely affected by the violence in the province.

For Belfast, Dublin and Cork City, systematic sample. For remainder of country, geographic stratifi

Face-to-face interview