Since the late 1970s the Economic and Social Research Institute has conduced research on recent school leavers in the Republic of Ireland on behalf of various government departments. The School Leavers’ Survey has been in existence since it first surveyed young people who left the second-level education system in the academic year 1978/1979. Since its inception, 24 surveys in all have been carried out either on a yearly or bi-yearly basis, until the most recent survey which surveyed young people who left the second-level education system in the academic year 2004/2005. The information contained in the School Leavers’ Survey serves as a nationally representative data source lending itself well as an instrument for educational policy-making. Its social and scientific value lies in increasing our knowledge of young peoples’ experiences while at school and their experiences of the transition from second-level education to labour force participation, education or economic inactivity. The public good function of the School Leavers’ Survey has been reflected in the publication of widely accessible national reports published each year. In addition, the analysis of data has always been collaborative, involving various Government Departments and Agencies for more specific and/or in-depth analyses of topics of enquiry. Furthermore, it is used in comparative European research alongside School Leavers’ Surveys from other European countries