Family Resources Survey
Encyclopedia
The Family Resources Survey (FRS) is a survey
carried out by the Office for National Statistics
(ONS) and the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) on an annual basis, collecting information on the incomes and circumstances of private households in Great Britain
. It is sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions
(DWP).
, but the sample sizes proved insufficient for the needs of the DWP.
Beginning with a sample size of about 26,000 households, the number was reduced in 1997 to 24,000 households. After Northern Ireland was included in the sample and a 100% boost was introduced for Scotland, the sample size rose to 29,000 households in 2002 across the UK.
Further changes occurred in 1998 when certain parts of the questionnaire were dropped in order to reduce the length, and in 1999 a system of rotating blocks of questions was introduced to reduce respondent fatigue. The questions asked deal with topics such as the receipt of Social Security benefits, assets and savings, housing costs and income.
(PSM) in order to evaluate existing policies and costing policy options. Furthermore, the FRS supplies data which is incorporated in the analysis of patterns of benefit receipt and benefit forecasting. It is also used to analyze income using Households Below Average Income
(HBAI) methodology.
(ESDS) website.
Statistical survey
Survey methodology is the field that studies surveys, that is, the sample of individuals from a population with a view towards making statistical inferences about the population using the sample. Polls about public opinion, such as political beliefs, are reported in the news media in democracies....
carried out by the Office for National Statistics
Office for National Statistics
The Office for National Statistics is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.- Overview :...
(ONS) and the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) on an annual basis, collecting information on the incomes and circumstances of private households in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. It is sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions
Department for Work and Pensions
The Department for Work and Pensions is the largest government department in the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001 from the merger of the employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security and headed by the Secretary of State for Work and...
(DWP).
History
The survey was launched in 1992 to supply the DWP with the required information and it has been conducted annually since then. Before 1992, the Department had to rely on other government surveys, for example the Family Expenditure Survey and the General Household SurveyGeneral Household Survey
The General Household Survey is a survey conducted on an annual basis by the Office for National Statistics and collects data about private households in Great Britain...
, but the sample sizes proved insufficient for the needs of the DWP.
Beginning with a sample size of about 26,000 households, the number was reduced in 1997 to 24,000 households. After Northern Ireland was included in the sample and a 100% boost was introduced for Scotland, the sample size rose to 29,000 households in 2002 across the UK.
Further changes occurred in 1998 when certain parts of the questionnaire were dropped in order to reduce the length, and in 1999 a system of rotating blocks of questions was introduced to reduce respondent fatigue. The questions asked deal with topics such as the receipt of Social Security benefits, assets and savings, housing costs and income.
Methodology and scope
The interviews are carried out on a face-to-face basis and all adult residents in a household aged 16 and older are interviewed. The reference period is based on the financial year (April to March) and data is released annually, usually eight months after the end of the fieldwork period to which it refers.Survey results
The DWP uses the data from the FRS in its Policy Simulation ModelPolicy Simulation Model
The Policy Simulation Model is a static microsimulation model which encapsulates the tax and benefits system, and population, of Great Britain. It is based on survey data from the FRS, which is uprated to simulate the current year, together with a few years into the future.The model is built using...
(PSM) in order to evaluate existing policies and costing policy options. Furthermore, the FRS supplies data which is incorporated in the analysis of patterns of benefit receipt and benefit forecasting. It is also used to analyze income using Households Below Average Income
Households Below Average Income
Households below average income is an annual publication on poverty statistics in the United Kingdom. The data is based on the Family Resources Survey.Poverty is defined as having an equivalised household income below the 60% median line....
(HBAI) methodology.
Re-using the data
Registered users can obtain FRS data from the Economic and Social Data ServiceEconomic and Social Data Service
The Economic and Social Data Service is a national data archiving and dissemination service that was founded in January 2003. It is funded jointly by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Joint Information Systems Committee ....
(ESDS) website.