UK Baby Study Begins as Thousands of Welsh Families Are Invited 2026

Key Points

• This week will see families across Wales being approached to join Generation New Era, the UK-wide cohort study following 30,000 babies born in 2026.
• Meetings with parents are scheduled to begin this week in Wales.
• In Wales, around 4,500 babies’ parents – approximately a third of all children born in Wales this year – will be asked to join the study.
• An invitation to participate can be expected from when your child is between nine and 10 months old, with the interviews continuing throughout the UK in the coming year.
• Generation New Era is run by the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies and is directed in Wales by Professor Lucy Griffiths of Swansea University Medical School.
• Generation New Era has been described as the first UK-wide study of this kind in 25 years and the largest ever.
• It is supported by UK Research and Innovation’s Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
• The study will examine children’s development and health, parents’ health, family life, socio-environmental factors, inequalities, disadvantages, and diversity.
• The study will involve larger samples from Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to provide policy evidence for each UK nation.
• There had already been a pilot study in 2026 which used identical questionnaires.

Wales (Wales Times) November 07, 2026 — University has announced that thousands of Welsh families are being invited to join Generation New Era, a landmark UK-wide study that will follow 30,000 babies born in 2026 as they grow up. The study is being led by the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies and begins its first interviews with parents across Wales this week.

According to Swansea University, Generation New Era is the first study of its kind in 25 years and is described as the largest ever UK-wide birth cohort study. It aims to build an up-to-date understanding of children’s development, family life and the circumstances that help children thrive.

The study will follow babies born across the UK during 2026, capturing information about their early lives at a time of social, economic and technological change. The UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies says the first wave of data collection begins in November 2026, when participating children are aged nine to 10 months.

How many Welsh families will take part?

In Wales, the parents of approximately 4,500 babies are expected to be invited. Swansea University says this represents around one third of all babies born in Wales in 2026.

Parents will receive a letter when their babies are around nine to 10 months old. Interviews will then take place across the UK over the coming year, with the first phase involving face-to-face interviews with mothers and fathers.

The UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies states that the survey will include parents who do not live with their baby, including those who have little contact with the child.

Why is Wales receiving a larger sample?

The study has been designed with substantial sample boosts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure that researchers can produce policy evidence for each of the four UK countries.

Swansea University reports that one quarter of babies born in Scotland, one third in Wales and around half of all babies born in Northern Ireland will be invited to participate. The target first-wave sample in Wales is 4,500 babies, a size intended to allow research questions specific to Wales to be addressed now and in the future.

What will the study ask families?

Generation New Era will ask questions on a range of subjects developed with input from parents and the public, expert researchers and policymakers.

The research themes include:

• Babies’ development and health
• Parental health
• Family and home life
• Social and environmental influences
• Inequality, disadvantage and diversity
• Other subjects relevant to children’s early lives

According to the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies, the study will collect information about families’ economic and social environments, as well as children’s health, wellbeing and development. A second sweep of data collection is planned when the children are three years old.

What did Professor Lucy Griffiths say?

Professor Lucy Griffiths, of Swansea University Medical School and the study lead for Wales, said longitudinal studies have played an important role in understanding how children develop and how their environments shape their lives.

As reported by Swansea University, Professor Griffiths said: “It’s fantastic that so many families from Wales will be invited to take part in Generation New Era. Their experiences and insights will provide a rich source of information for research, contributing to new evidence that informs policies and services for children, families and communities across the UK.”

Her comments underline the study’s stated purpose: to generate evidence that can inform public policy and services for children and families.

What did a Welsh parent say?

A Welsh parent who took part in the earlier pilot study said her family felt like “a small part of something big”.

As reported by Swansea University, she said: “It’s exciting that we could help form new understanding of this generation and the lives they will lead. It’s cool to think that at the next follow up survey, we’ll be able to remember back to when she was this little and be amazed at how much she has changed.”

She also said that, as a new parent, she was constantly trying to decide what would be best for her daughter, including choices about food, play and childcare. She said having scientific evidence to help the next generation of parents and professionals would be beneficial.

How is the study funded?

Generation New Era is funded by the UKRI Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

UCL previously announced that the study received a £42.8 million investment. The funding is intended to provide evidence to answer scientific and policy questions and to inform decisions about early years and childcare services.

The study is the newest in a long tradition of UK birth cohort studies based at UCL. Earlier cohorts include the 1958 National Child Development Study, the 1970 British Cohort Study and the Millennium Cohort Study.

What happens next?

Interviews with parents across Wales begin this week and are expected to continue across the UK over the coming year. Families will be invited as their babies reach around nine to 10 months of age.

The study’s first sweep will collect information from parents, while later stages are planned as the children grow older. The UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies says the second sweep is scheduled for when the children are three years old.

Background of the development

Generation New Era was formerly known as the Early Life Cohort. It is designed to follow around 30,000 babies born between 1 January and 31 December 2026, during their early years and potentially beyond.

The study was announced in September 2025, when UCL said it would be the first new UK-wide study of child development in a generation. It was described as a £42.8 million investment intended to provide evidence for early years and childcare policy.

A pilot study was held earlier in 2026 using the same questions as the main study. One Welsh parent who participated said the experience showed how families could contribute to a broader understanding of the generation’s lives.

Prediction: How can this affect Welsh families?

For families in Wales, the study may lead to stronger evidence about the issues that affect children’s early development, parental wellbeing, family finances, childcare and access to services. Because Wales has a larger sample than its population share would otherwise require, the findings may be able to support Wales-specific policy decisions as well as UK-wide research.

If large numbers of Welsh parents participate, researchers may be better placed to identify how factors such as housing, income, health, neighbourhoods and family circumstances relate to children’s early development. The study’s stated aim is to inform policies and services for children, families and communities, meaning its eventual findings could be used by policymakers, health services, local authorities and early-years organisations.

For parents invited to take part, the immediate effect is an opportunity to contribute to a long-term research project. The longer-term effect will depend on the evidence produced and how policymakers choose to use it, but the study is designed to provide data that could shape future decisions affecting families with young children across Wales and the wider UK.