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 (Winter 2025/26) | 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. |
| Employment transitions in Northern Ireland, 2011-2021: The role of disability, health, household and socio-economic factors (Winter 2025/26) | Inequality and social inclusion | This work builds on previous research that presented high-level findings on Disability and employment transitions in Northern Ireland, 2011-2021. Using data from the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study (NILS), it provides a detailed profile of those moving into and out of employment, including the role of specific health conditions and changes in disability status over time. In addition, the research examines the individual, socio-economic, household and area-level factors associated with these employment transitions across the study period. |
| Socioeconomic, health and housing outcomes for people from a minority ethnic background (Spring 2026) | 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. |