Representation and inclusivity are central to how populations, communities and individuals are described in data. Definitions of self and identity in data evolve.

The UK Data Service brings together some of the most robust and complex quantitative and qualitative survey data produced by research institutions, governments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the UK and internationally. Research using these data has informed UK government policy in many areas, including assessing the impact of changes in the National Living Wage and the creation of national measures of poverty, as well as ‘the class ceiling: Social mobility and why it pays to be privileged’.

The producers of these data support the ways in which data remain robust in their representation. They also inform and guide such processes.

Researchers are expanding their focus on exploring how discourses of self and identity in data remain inclusive from the perspectives of those populations, communities and individuals.

Data collection methodologies develop. These methodologies are increasingly becoming perceived as significant and impactful research assets in their own right.