Time Use Survey

1997 Time Use Survey

Households Research Database

information pack

on the

Time Use Survey

1997

Australia

A national study conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics

AU TU 97

Time Use Survey 1997 - Australia

In 1997 the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) conducted the second survey of time use in Australia. The first national Time Use Survey was conducted in 1992, which followed from a pilot test in Sydney in 1987. Time Use Survey’s obtain information about how people allocate time to different kinds of activities. The 1997 Time Use Survey (TUS), was conducted over four time periods in order to balance seasonal influences that affect time use patterns. TUS are the first comparative national data across time.

Type of Data Collected

The 1997 TUS examines how people in Australia allocate their time to different kinds of activities. It provides information on the time Australians spend on paid work, unpaid household work, parenting, leisure activities, fitness and health activities, travel and community participation. As time use surveys collect information about all activities people engage in during a specified period, the range of information they provide is very broad. The survey also provides information on caring for people with disabilities and frail older people, caring for children, community participation (including voluntary work), leisure activities, fitness and health activities, use of technology, and outsourcing of domestic tasks.

Objectives of Time Use Survey

The general aims of the 1997 Time Use Study are:

¨ To measure the daily activity patterns of people in Australia to establish the current Australian time use profile;

¨ To study the differences in patterns of paid work and unpaid household and community work by sex and other characteristics;

¨ To make comparisons with the 1992 survey to identify changes in patterns of time use.

Specifically, the survey was designed to identify:

¨ The issue of unpaid work in the household and the breakdown of this work between men and women and by life stage;

¨ Daily life patterns and support needs of various groups such as elderly persons, unemployed persons and persons with disabilities;

¨ Labour force issues such as the comparison of the hours of paid work for men and women and barriers to work force participation;

¨ Time spent on voluntary work;

¨ Patterns of leisure activity;

¨ Transport issues;

¨ The production of good and services not included in estimates of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Years Conducted And Periodicity

¨ In 1974 and 1987 pilot surveys with selected samples were conducted.

¨ The 1992 TUS was the first national survey of time use conducted in Australia.

¨ In 1997 a second national survey of time use in Australia was conducted.

Sample

After sample loss, over 4,550 households (8,600 persons) were selected at random for inclusion in the 1997 Time Use Survey. The sample designed ensured that within each State and Territory each person had an equal chance of selection.

Brief Description of Method

Trained ABS interviewers collected basic information about the household and each of its members aged 15 years or more from a responsible adult within the household. A diary was then left for each person over 15 years to be completed on two successive specified days. Fully completed questionnaires and diaries were obtained for 84.5% of all persons who were asked to respond.

Copies of the survey instruments are included in Appendix A.

The collection periods were as follows:

¨ Monday 27 January to Saturday 8 February 1997

¨ Monday 21 April to Saturday 3 May 1997

¨ Monday 23 June to Saturday 5 July 1997

¨ Monday 27 October to Saturday 8 November 1997

The survey was conducted on a multi-stage area sample of private dwellings (houses, flats etc).

Type of data collected

The 1997 Time Use Survey collected detailed person-level and household-level information as well as detailed time use data.

Changes to the 1997 survey

The main differences from the 1992 survey are:

¨ The introduction of a 'for whom' column to the diary

¨ An additional question which places labour force data from the diaries into the context of a working week;

¨ 'time stress' questions which aim to identify why people fell they are rushed or have too much time;

¨ collection of data on the presence of selected household durables and appliances in the household;

¨ collection of information on the ways in which people purchase time from others (i.e. meals out, takeaway food, child care and a number of other domestic services etc.);

¨ tertiary activities (e.g. the third of three activities being done concurrently) are no longer coded;

¨ the age and sex of children under 15 years are collected;

¨ details of the mode of communication and use of technology are collected;

¨ details about who people speak to on the phone are no longer collected

¨ a new activity classification was used

New activity classifications

The 1997 Time Use Activity Classification used nine major categories arranged to related to the below typology:

Necessary time 1. Personal care

Contracted time 2. Employment activities

3. Education activities

Committed time 4. Domestic activities

5. Child care activities

6. Purchasing activities

7. Voluntary work and care activities

Free time 8. Social and community interaction

9. Recreation and leisure

Brief Description of Structure of Data files

Access to the original ABS hierarchical data file containing a subset of variables at the household, person and person-day levels can be arranged for associates.

The episode level data file is uniquely identified by perdayid and contains 406,133 episode records.

The activity level data file is uniquely identified by perdayid. This file contains information about 14,315 diary days.

The person level data file is uniquely identified by personid and contains information for 7,260 persons. The household level data file contains 4,059 households and is identified by hhid.

Prior to any analysis a review of the documentation file is imperative for both experienced and novice researchers in the area. The documentation file contains a list of all the variables, including names and coding information, that appear in the above files.

Further Information

For further information please refer to:

Australian Bureau of Statistics (1998) How Australians use their time 1997, Cat No: 4153.0: ACT

Australian Bureau of Statistics (1998) Time Use Survey, Australia: User's Guide 1997, Cat No: 4150.0: ACT

Australian Bureau of Statistics (1999) Information Paper: Time Use Survey, Australia - Confidentialised Unit Record File 1997, Cat No: 4150.0: ACT

Access to the TUS unit record files

To access unit record and documentation files for the 1997 Time Use Survey, Research Associates must complete the attached Application to Access to the Australian Time Use Survey, 1997 form and return it to the Database Manager, at the following address:

Database Manager

Households Research Database

Department of Economics

University of Melbourne

VICTORIA 3010

AUSTRALIA

Tel: +61 03 8344 0807

Fax: +61 03 9349 4291

Mode of access to unit record files

Unit record files in the HRD collection can be zipped and posted to an email address, written to CD-ROM or accessed on computers at HRD research centers. Alternatively, the ABS has made available unit record files via secure internet based query systems, namely Remote Access Data Laboratories (RADL) and ABS Site Data Laboratories (ABSDL). Research Associates can submit syntax, either via the web or on ABS equipment, to the ABS and attain statistical output in return. RADL can be accessed either in basic format, which contains a similar level of detail as the CD-ROM, or in expanded format, containing greater level of detail than previously available.

Section 2 of the application form requires the applicant to indicate which mode of access is required.

Access to background documentation files

It is imperative to gain access to the original documentation file as this file contains variable names and coding information necessary for the analysis of any of the TUS unit record files. As a result, all Research Associates who order unit record data from the HRD will also receive the documentation file.

The original ABS documentation file has a reference code of AU TU 97 DOC .txt.

Other ABS publications, including the published results and the user guide, can also be accessed by completing Section 3A of the application form.

Format of unit record files

The TUS unit record files can be saved in various formats, including SPSS, ASCII, SAS or Excel.

Research Associates can select the format required on the application form in Section 3B.

Please contact the Database Manager if you require the unit record files in a format that is not specified on the application form.

Unit Record Files required

Research Associates who access unit record files either on CD-ROM or zipped to email, can order the files they require by completing Section 3C of the application form.

The following table outlines the unit record files that are available.

File / Description / Sample / HRD Reference Code
Complete file / Contains episode, person and household data at the episode level, includes weights / 406,133 episode records / AU TU 97 COM
Episode file / Contains episode data / 406,133 episode records / AU TU 97 EPI
Activity file / Contains activity level data, includes weights / 14,315 diary days / AU TU 97 ACT
Person File / Contains person level data / 7,260 persons / AU TU 97 PER
Household File / Contains household level data / 4,059 households / AU TU 97 HHD
Weight File (for SAS only) / Contains weights / AU TU 97 WGT

Please note that the Episode, Activity, Person and Household files can be merged using unique identifiers.

Sub sets of the files

Subsets of any of the above data files can be constructed for Research Associates. If you are interested in constructing individualised files for your research firstly review the documentation file, then contact the Database Manager, who will supply you with the appropriate aggregated file.

1997 Time Use Survey

Application for Access to the

1997 Australian Time Use Survey AU TU 97

1997 Time Use Survey