[GB] United Kingdom Time Use Survey

Full name of the series in original language

United Kingdom Time Use Survey

Abstract

The United Kingdom Time Use Survey (TUS) was conducted in 2000, on behalf of a funding consortium consisting of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Office for National Statistics (ONS) and several government departments. The main aim of survey was to measure the amount of time spent by the population on various activities. This was first time that a major survey of this type has been conducted in the UK and as such it provided an opportunity to inform a cross-section of policy areas as well as having interest for academia, social research centres and the advertising and retail sector. Previous studies have taken place before, namely the ESRC-funded Time Use Survey of 1987, and in 1995 OPCS (now the Office for National Statistics) carried out a 'simple' diary exercise within the Omnibus survey. The additional value gained from measuring time use in this study will result in a national time use database, that is available for analysis by government and academic users. Also, the Time Use Survey was designed, where possible, to provide results comparable with other European studies as part of a wider Harmonised European Time Use Survey.

There has been an increasing interest in time use studies and the information they produce. How we choose to spend our time is one of the main factors that shape our lives, and time use studies provide an opportunity to measure these choices and the routine of every day life. The way in which these choices affect time use has important implications for public policy, in particular in areas of employment, social security, childcare, labour market, health and education. The range of the TUS is very broad and its implications will be felt at both local and national level.

The key objectives of the United Kingdom Time Use Survey (TUS) were:

• to carry out a large-scale household survey featuring self-completion diaries to measure the amount of time spent by the UK population on various activities
• to build on the lessons learnt from the National Pilot Time Use Survey (not currently held by the UK Data Service) and other previous exercises
• to ensure that the TUS provides data for government departments' academic research requirements
• to carry out the TUS in a European framework with design and administration along the lines of the Eurostat specification, and to provide results comparable, as far as possible, with those envisaged by them, but with modifications taking account of UK government and academic needs
• to deposit a documented dataset in an understandable and accessible format with the UK Data Archive and the Office for National Statistics (ONS), for analysis by academic and government users respectively.

The main data collection instruments are a household questionnaire, individual questionnaire and self-completion diaries. Respondents are asked to complete two 24-hour diaries, which are broken down into ten minute slots. Topics covered in the questionnaires include employment, qualifications, care of dependents and children, leisure time activities and demographic details, such as age, gender, marital status, ethnicity and housing. Four data files are included in the dataset: diary, household, individual and worksheet files.

Geographic coverage

United Kingdom

Time method

Cross-section

Time period

2000 => 2001

Types of available microdata

Consistency type

Access mode

Update date

15/09/2021