Event History Calendar: FAQs
What is the life history calendar for?
The life history calendar can help you complete the survey. It displays your age for each year from birth to today (top panel). As you answer questions about important events (e.g., children, partners, accommodation, work, displayed in the vertical panel on the left), key dates will appear in the calendar. This can help trigger memories of other events. Key national and world events (blue shaded boxes on the top panel) can also aid in recalling personal events.
How do I navigate the calendar?
Use the scroll bar underneath the calendar to view all the years, or the arrows on the sides if you’re on a mobile phone. The purple year on the top panel shows when you joined the ELSA study.
To view the details in each event category (such as children, partners or accommodation), use the – (minus) and + (plus) buttons to collapse or expand the events.
How do I change a date I entered incorrectly?
To change a date, expand the category in the vertical panel on the left where the event is recorded using the –/+ button. Select the event and use the edit button on the right-hand side of the event (horizontal-coloured blocks) to change the date without going back through the questionnaire. If no other details have changed, use the LAST ANSWERED question button to return to where you were in the questionnaire when you realized the mistake.
How do I add an event I missed?
We have provided a dedicated space at the end of the survey where you can tell us about events you may have missed or anything else that needs correction. Please do not make this correction via the calendar if the change involves more than a date change.
Why is the calendar not showing?
The calendar will only appear at questions that require you to enter a date of an event in your life. You can view the calendar at these questions or go back to a previously answered question in which the calendar appeared.
Can I enter event dates directly onto the calendar?
No, the calendar is simply used as a tool to help you organise and edit the dates of events you enter in the questionnaire. To enter the dates of events in your past you must go through and complete the questionnaire. Only if you later realise you made a mistake at a previous question and it is too far back to use the ‘back’ button then you can use the calendar to edit the event.