FOI Ref: FOI/2021/2893

You asked

Please supply the following information in an Excel-downloadable format:

  1. The current proportion of the UK population with an undergraduate degree or higher, and the same information at annual intervals going back in time as far as the data will allow.
  2. Based on the current 2010 constituency boundaries, the proportion of the population of every constituency in the UK which has an undergraduate degree or higher, and the same information at annual intervals going back in time as far as the data will allow.

We said

Thank you for your request.

Unfortunately, we do not hold analysis showing the proportion of the UK population with an undergraduate degree or higher annually by constituency. In order to provide this, we would need to create bespoke analysis. Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Public Authorities are not obligated to create information in order to respond to FOI requests.

However, the information you have requested, or something similar, may be available via our customer services team of ONS Social Services division.  

This team provides an ad hoc analysis service, including - of relevance in this instance - tabulations of Labour force (LFS) and Annual Population Survey (APS) data, both of which contain question variables relating to proportions of the population with degrees.

This service is subject to legal frameworks, disclosure control, resources and agreements of costs, where appropriate.  

Details of the variables included in these datasets can be viewed in the LFS User Guides https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/methodologies/labourforcesurveyuserguidance

If you would like to enquire about our service then please contact socialsurveys@ons.gov.uk

If you are able to do your own cross-tabulations you could purchase an anonymised LFS or APS dataset from the UK Data Service.  Details on costs and how to download the data can be found on their website:

Advice for commercial users - http://ukdataservice.ac.uk/get-data/how-to-access/registration.aspx#/tab-commercial-users

Charges -  http://ukdataservice.ac.uk/get-data/how-to-access/charges.aspx