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
| Project | Theme | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mortality risk for ex-prisoners (Autumn/Winter 2025) | 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. |
| Examination of deaths associated with drugs, alcohol and/or suicide (Summer 2025) | 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. |
| Early versus later-life disability: Impacts on employment and health (Winter 2025/26) | 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. Of specific interest is how transitions in disability status are associated with changes in employment status, the impact of specific health conditions on employment, and profiling those who acquired a disability between 2011 and 2021 to understand the factors associated with remaining in or leaving employment. |
| Socioeconomic, health and housing outcomes for people from a minority ethnic background (Autumn 2025) | 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. |