General Household Survey
Encyclopedia
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.
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). Additionally, the design was changed to a longitudinal survey in 2005-2006 because the European Union (EU) required all member states to collect extra data from a Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC).
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 include issues 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 Living Costs and Food Survey
, the Opinions (Omnibus) Survey
and the English Housing Survey.
, conducted annually, which uses a sample of 9,731 households in the 2006 survey. The data is primarily collected by face-to-face interviews as well as telephone interviews.
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....
conducted on an annual basis 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 collects data about 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...
. 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.
History
The 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 design has been 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”. This structure allows that different trailers can 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). Additionally, the design was changed to a longitudinal survey in 2005-2006 because the European Union (EU) required all member states to collect extra data from a Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC).
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 include issues 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
Labour Force Survey
Labour Force Surveys are statistical surveys conducted in a number of countries designed to capture data about the labour market. All European Union member states are required to conduct a Labour Force Survey annually. Labour Force Surveys are also carried out in some non-EU countries. They are...
, the Living Costs and Food Survey
Living Costs and Food Survey
The Living Costs and Food Survey is a survey carried out in the United Kingdom by the Office for National Statistics . It is carried out on a calendar year basis and collects information on expenditure of goods and services for private households...
, the Opinions (Omnibus) Survey
Opinions (Omnibus) Survey
The Omnibus Survey, now called the Opinions Survey, is a survey conducted monthly by the Office for National Statistics in Great Britain in order to collect information for different government departments as well as non-profit organisations in the academic and voluntary sector.-History:The...
and the English Housing Survey.
Methodology and scope
The GHS is a repeated cross-sectional studyCross-sectional study
Cross-sectional studies form a class of research methods that involve observation of all of a population, or a representative subset, at one specific point in time...
, conducted annually, which uses a sample of 9,731 households in the 2006 survey. The data is primarily collected by face-to-face interviews as well as telephone interviews.
Survey results
The results of the 2007 GHS as well as additional information concerning the survey can be found on the ONS website.Re-using the data
Users can obtain GHS data from the Economic and Social Data Service (ESDS) website.External links
- ONS, GHS 2007 Overview Report (latest edition, January 1, 2009)
- Economic and Social Data Service (ESDS) website