The General Household Survey (GHS) is a survey conducted on an annual basis by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and collects data about private households in Great Britain. The aim of this survey is to provide government departments and organisation with information on a range of topics concerning private households for monitoring and policy purposes.[1]
History
editThe GHS has been carried out continuously since 1971 except for two breaks in 1997-1998 and in 1999-2000 when the survey was reviewed and redeveloped. From 2000 onwards, the survey design changed and the survey now has two different elements: The continuous survey, which remains unchanged over a five-year period, and extra modules called “trailers”[2]. This structure allows different trailers to be included each year, depending on what information the sponsoring government departments require.
In 2005, further changes were introduced and the time period in which the survey is conducted was changed from the financial year (April to March) to the calendar year (January to December). The design then changed to a longitudinal survey in 2005-2006 because the European Union (EU) required all member states to collect extra data from an extra module, the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC)[3].
The topics that are included in the questionnaire cover general information such as demographic information about household members, housing tenure, consumer durables including vehicle ownership and migration. The individual questionnaires, completed by all adults over 16 years of age resident in a household, also cover topics such as employment, pensions, education, health, smoking and drinking, family information and income.
The GHS is soon to be incorporated into the Integrated Household Survey (IHS) which also includes the Labour Force Survey, the Expenditure and Food Survey, the Opinions (Omnibus) Survey and the English Housing Survey[4].
Methodology and scope
editThe GHS is repeated annually, using a cross-sectional sample (with a longitudinal element from 2005 onwards). The data are primarily collected by face-to-face interviews, with some additional telephone interviews.
Survey results
editThe results of the latest GHS, as well as additional information concerning the survey can be found on the ONS website.
Re-using the data
editUsers can obtain GHS data from the Economic and Social Data Service (ESDS) website (registration is required).
References
edit- ^ Economic and Social Data Service (ESDS) GHS catalogue record entry, retrieved September 8, 2009
- ^ National Statistics website, “Living in Britain 2001”, About the General Household Survey, retrieved September 8, 2009
- ^ ESDS Government, GHS webpages, retrieved September 14, 2009
- ^ ESDS Government, IHS webpages, retrieved September 14, 2009
External Links
edit- ONS, GHS 2007 Overview Report (latest edition, January 1, 2009)
- Economic and Social Data Service (ESDS) website