It provides a government research function delivering a research programme anchored on the NI Programme for Government (PfG). The ARU team continuously engage with departmental policy leads to take forward timely and policy-relevant research using themed datasets or linked research data.
Published research
Upcoming research
| Date | Project | Theme | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter 2024/2025 | Mortality risk for ex-prisoners | Crime and justice | This proof-of-concept research is being done in collaboration with NISRA Department of Justice (DoJ) colleagues. It builds on a bespoke, novel data linkage between DoJ ex-prisoner data and General Registrar Office deaths data to explore deaths of ex-prisoners released between April 2011 and March 2020 with a particular focus on the period immediately following release. |
| Autumn 2024/Winter 2025 | Examination of deaths associated with drugs, alcohol and/or suicide | Health and wellbeing | This research uses the Northern Ireland Mortality Study (NIMS) to examine suicide, drug-related and alcohol specific deaths in Northern Ireland from 2011 to 2022. The research explores the associations between individual, household and area-level characteristics and the type of death. |
| From Autumn 2025 | Early versus later-life disability: Impacts on employment and health | Inequality and social inclusion | This research uses the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study (NILS) to examine disability over time (2011 and 2021), focusing on differences in employment and health outcomes between early onset (<20 years) and adult-acquired (>=20 years) disability. The first in a series of policy briefs Disability and employment transitions in Northern Ireland was published in May 2025. Future briefs will examine the impact of specific health conditions (e.g. poor mental health, neurodivergence) on employment and will profile those who acquired a disability between 2011 and 2021, to understand the factors associated with remaining in or leaving employment. |
| Spring 2025 | Socioeconomic, health and housing outcomes for people from a minority ethnic background | Inequality and social inclusion | With the minority ethnic population in Northern Ireland continuing to increase according to Census 2021, it is important to improve understanding of the social and economic circumstances of these groups. This research uses the Census 2021 Comprehensive Microdata to investigate outcomes for people from a minority ethnic background in key areas, including health, housing and the labour market. |