TIME USE
PURPOSE
To obtain information about the way people allocate time to different kinds of activities, including cultural and leisure activities.
DESCRIPTION
The Time Use survey obtains information from a sample of usual residents living in private dwellings (houses, flats etc) in all States and Territories of Australia. The survey excludes people living in remote and sparsely settled parts of Australia (approximately 175,000 people). The exclusion of these people has only a minor impact on any aggregate estimates that are produced. All people aged 15 years or older are in scope of the survey with the following exceptions: certain non-Australian diplomatic personnel; overseas residents in Australia; and members of non-Australian defence forces (and their dependants) stationed in Australia.
Trained interviewers collect basic information about each selected household and each of its members aged 15 years or more from a responsible adult within the household. A household questionnaire is used to collect information on the demographic characteristics of residents in the household and their relationship to each other. An individual questionnaire is used to collect information on personal characteristics, such as income and labour force status. A diary is then left, for each person over 15 years, to be completed on two successive specified days.
The 1997 survey was conducted over four periods during 1997 in order to balance seasonal influences. After sample loss, over 4,550 households (8,600 persons) were selected at random for inclusion in the 1997 Time Use Survey. Fully completed questionnaires and diaries were obtained for 84.5% of all persons who were asked to respond.
GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE
Australia
FREQUENCY OF COLLECTION
Irregular
DATA ITEMS
Activities
Activities undertaken are coded in detail. At the broadest level, activities are grouped into four categories: necessary time (e.g. sleeping, eating); contracted time (e.g. employment, education); committed time (e.g. child care, domestic activities); and free time (e.g. social, recreation and leisure activities). At the most detailed level, there are over 200 separate activity categories. There are 82 detailed activities in the free time category, most of which are cultural or leisure activities. These include:
Attendance at movies
Attendance at concert
Attendance at theatre
Attendance at library
Attendance at museum, exhibition or art gallery
Attendance at zoo, animal park or botanic garden
Attendance at amusement park
Attendance at sports match
Attendance at racing event
Attendance at other mass event, e.g. fireworks display
Socialising
Organised sport
Informal sport
Exercise (excluding walking)
Walking (including for exercise)
Hiking or bushwalking
Fishing
Holiday travel, driving for pleasure
Card, paper, board games or crosswords
Games of chance or gambling
Home computer games or computing as a hobby
Arcade games
Hobbies and collections
Handwork and crafts
Arts
Performing or making music
Reading book
Reading magazine
Reading newspaper
TV watching or listening
Video watching
Listening to radio
Listening to CDs, records, tapes
Accessing the Internet
Attendance at art, craft or hobby courses
Relaxing
Drinking alcohol or social drinking
Interacting with pets or walking pets
Enjoying memorabilia
Some other activities not classified to free time (e.g. eating) might be regarded as leisure activities when the location of the activity, or who the activity was done with, are considered.
Primary and secondary activities
People can undertake more than one activity simultaneously. Primary activities are those described in the first diary column, headed ‘What was your main activity’. Secondary activities are those described in the third diary column, headed ‘What else were you doing at the same time’. The activity categories described above are used for both primary and secondary activities.
For whom activity was done
Records for whom each activity was done. Responses are coded to 19 categories, including:
Self
Children
Family - own household
Family - other household
Pet
Work
Community - sports
Community - arts
Community - other
Physical location of activity
One’s own house or residence
Someone else’s dwelling
Workplace if outside home
Public area e.g. street, town hall, public gardens, church
Commercial or service area e.g. bank, shop, office
Establishment for leisure, culture, sport activities
Eating and drinking locale (excluding work canteen etc.)
Educational establishment
Country, bush, beach
Spatial location of activity
Includes indoor, outdoor and in transit.
Mode of transport
For persons specifying a travel episode. Categories include:
Train
Bus
Ferry or tram
Car, van or truck: as driver
Car, van or truck: as passenger
Bicycle
Walking
Who the respondent was with
Friends only
Alone
Family (in household only)
Family (ex household only)
Family (in household and ex household)
Family and friends
Family and other
Other only
Any other combination
Characteristics of other persons present during activity episode
Details are also collected about:
Family relationship of other persons present
Presence, and type of, unrelated persons
Household status of other persons present
Age qualifier of other persons present
Health status of other persons present
Time stress
Feels rushed or pressed for time
Reasons for feeling rushed
Whether have spare time doesn't know what to do with
Reasons for having spare time
Household items
Records information about the existence or number of certain items in the household. Categories include:
Household has a video
Household has a pay TV subscription
Household has an answering machine
Household has a personal computer
Household has a modem
Number of TV sets in household
Number of vehicles in household
Household services
Records information about services used by the household in the last fortnight. Categories include:
Number of times household had a meal at a restaurant
Number of times household had takeaway food
Household used dry cleaning, ironing or laundry service
Household used cleaner or housework help
Household used gardener or lawn mowing service
Household, family and dwelling characteristics
These characteristics include:
Number of families in household
Number of persons in household
Number of dependants in household
Number of income earners in household
Number of children aged less than 15 in household
Person with disability in household
Person with severe/profound or moderate limitation in personal activity in household
Person who receives assistance because of disability and/or age in household
Child with disability
Child with severe/profound or moderate limitation in personal activity in household
Whether child receives more than usual assistance
Whether formal child care usually used
Whether informal child care usually used
Household structure
Family composition
Life cycle stages
Dwelling type
Geographic area
Australia, States, Territories, Capital city, Balance of major urban, Other urban, Rural.
Demographic characteristics of individuals
These characteristics include:
Age (recorded in single years - ten and five year groupings are available in standard output)
Sex
Marital status
Country of birth
Year of arrival in Australia (if not born in Australia)
Country of birth of mother
Country of birth of father
First language spoken
Main language spoken at home
Socioeconomic characteristics of individuals
These characteristics include:
Age left school
Highest level of secondary schooling completed
Post-school educational qualifications
Whether currently studying
Qualifications currently studying for
Labour force status
Full-time/part-time status
Status in employment
Whether held more than one job
Home-based employment
Sector of employment
Hours worked per week
Occupation, coded to the 9 ASCO major groups
Industry of employment, coded to the 17 ANZSIC divisions
Duration of unemployment
Desire to work
Main reasons not looking for work
Current main activity
Income
Principal source of income
Disability status
Type of assistance received because of disability and/or age
Principal carer of person living in household
Help provided to person not living in household
HISTORICAL DATA
The first national Time Use survey was conducted in 1992. Data from a pilot test conducted in Sydney in 1987 are also available. The 1997 survey was the second to be conducted. The next Time Use survey is currently planned for 2005-06.
DISSEMINATION
Publications
Australian Bureau of Statistics 1999, Information Paper: Time Use Survey, Australia - Confidentialised Unit Record File, Cat. no. 4151.0, ABS, Canberra. Price $10.00. Also available for 1992.
Australian Bureau of Statistics 1999, Time Use on Culture/Leisure Activities, 1997, Cat. no. 4173.0, ABS, Canberra. Price $2.00 (brochure). Also available for 1992.
Australian Bureau of Statistics 1998, How Australians Use Their Time, 1997, Cat. no. 4153.0, ABS, Canberra. Price $25.00. Also available for 1992.
Australian Bureau of Statistics 1998, Time Use Survey, Australia - User’s Guide, 1997, Cat. no. 4150.0, ABS, Canberra. Price $20.00. Also available for 1992.
Australian Bureau of Statistics 1987, Information Paper: Time Use Pilot Survey, Sydney, May-June 1987, Cat. no. 4111.1, ABS, Canberra. Price $15.00
Other
Australian Bureau of Statistics 1999, Time Use Survey, Australia: Confidentialised Unit Record File, 1997, Cat. no. 4152.0, ABS, Canberra. Price $8,000.00. Also available for 1992.
National Sport and Recreation Industry Database and Directory (NSRIDD).
CONTACT
In the first instance, refer to To obtain data or further information in the Introduction to this directory.
Assistant Director
Family and Community Statistics Section
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Locked Bag 10
BELCONNEN ACT 2616
Telephone: Canberra 02 6252 7880
Facsimile: Canberra 02 6252 8007
Email: client.services@abs.gov.au
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