My friend and colleague John Bynner, who has died aged 85, was a social scientist who championed Britain’s birth cohort studies and had a mission to put the evidence to the greater good.
John believed that data should inform policy to help people who are disadvantaged. His research on the penalties of the poor literacy and numeracy revealed in young adults by the cohort studies led to a national campaign. Skills for Life provided training to 14 million adults. His analysis showing the advantage of having savings on entering adulthood also inspired the Labour government to set up the Child Trust Fund, which opened savings accounts for 5 million children born between 2002 and 2011.
