DATA ITEMS

The 2015-16 Household Expenditure Survey (HES) and Survey of Income and Housing (SIH) collected information using household and individual questionnaires.

The data item list includes record level items, populations and classification details. It contains the following fourteen worksheets:

• A Contents page with links to the different sections of the data item list
• Subject index, which includes both item descriptions and identifiers. It can be used to locate a variable by subject when the item name is not known
• Field index, showing item identifiers and numbers only. It is sorted alphabetically by item name, and presents a consolidated list of survey variables
• Household level data items, which provides a full listing of items that are output at Household level on the Basic CURF files
• Income unit level data items, which provides a full listing of items that are output at Income unit level on the Basic CURF files
• Person level data items, which provides a full listing of items that are output at Person level on the Basic CURF files
• Loans level data items, which provides a full listing of items that are output at Loans level on the Basic CURF files
• Expenditure (Household Expenditure Classification (HEC)) level data items, which provides a full listing of items that are output at expenditure level on the Basic CURF files (HES only)
• Expenditure (COICOP) level data items, which provides a full listing of items that are output at expenditure level on the Basic CURF files (HES only)
• Detailed categories for the Wealth classification
• Detailed categories for the Household Expenditure Classification (HEC)
• Detailed categories for the Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (COICOP)
• References to other classifications used in the SIH and HES CURF
• Contents of the CURF

The data item list is available on the Downloads tab and contains information about the Basic CURF data items, and a comparison to data items on the detailed microdata files.


Basic CURF

The Basic CURF contains information at Household, Income Unit, Person and Loan levels for HES and SIH, and the Expenditure and Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (COICOP) levels for HES.

Users intending to purchase the Basic CURF should ensure the 2015-16 SIH and HES CURF product suits their data needs. Please review the data item list to see the topics and the level of detail that is available for the Basic CURF.

For confidentiality and/or usability reasons, some data item values have been collapsed and/or restricted for use on the microdata products. Additionally, data may have been masked on the Basic CURF to prevent identification of persons.


Detailed Microdata

The Detailed microdata file available through DataLab contains information at Household, Income Unit, Person, Superannuation, Wealth, Child care and Loan levels for HES and SIH, and the Expenditure and Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (COICOP) levels for HES.

Users intending to use the Detailed Microdata product should ensure the 2015-16 SIH and HES product suits their data needs. Please review the data item list to see the topics and the level of detail that is available for the detailed microdata files.

For further information about how to access Detailed Microdata refer to The Responsible Use of ABS Microdata, User guide.



NOTES ON SPECIFIC DATA ITEMS

Many of the data items included on the CURF are self-explanatory. The Glossary in the Household Expenditure Survey and Survey of Income and Housing, User Guide, Australia, 2015-16 (cat. no. 6503.0) provides links to terms and definitions for most of the survey's data items. However, some items that require further explanation are defined below.


Identifiers

There are several identifiers on records at each level of the file.

Each household has a unique random identifier. This identifier appears on the household level (ABSHID), and is repeated on the income unit, person, loans, expenditure, and COICOP level records relating to that household.

Each family within the household is numbered sequentially. Non family members, single person households and persons in group households have a sequential "family number" commencing at 50. Family number (ABSFID) appears on the income unit level and the person level. The combination of household and family number uniquely identifies a family.

A family has one or more income units and each income unit within the family is numbered sequentially. Income unit number (ABSIID) appears on the income unit level and the person level. The combination of household, family and income unit number uniquely identifies an income unit.

An income unit has one or more persons and each person within the income unit is numbered sequentially. Person number (ABSPID) appears on the person level. The combination of household, family, income unit and person number uniquely identifies a person.

A household may have one or more loans and each loan within the household is numbered sequentially. Loan number (ABSLID) appears on the loans level. The combination of a household and loan number uniquely identifies a loan.

Expenditure units are identified by the expenditure number (ABSEID) and are classified according to the Household Expenditure Classification (COMCODE). COICOP units are identified by the COICOP number (ABSOID) and use the Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (COICOP). Each are associated with a household unit, so the combination of a household and expenditure number uniquely identifies an expenditure unit, and similarly for a COICOP unit.


Additional detail and data items on Basic CURF

A selection of data items and additional detail of high user interest on previous Expanded CURF are now available instead on the Basic CURF. These include:

• continuous age
• detailed occupation and industry codes
• detailed hours worked (individual hours) and duration of unemployment (individual weeks)
• separating NT and ACT
• detailed age and sex of children between the ages of 0 and 14 years, represented as counts on the income unit level

Imputation flags

Imputation flags exist for each module in the questionnaire, rather than for specific data items. A value of 1 indicates partial imputation where at least one question in the module was imputed. Referring to the contents of the questionnaire module can provide an indication of whether particular data items may have included imputed data. The number of flags with a value of 1 for a particular record provides an indication of the extent of imputation in that record. Imputation flag variable names generally start with "IMP".

The 2015-16 Basic CURF uses an additional imputation flag for the HOURALL module to indicate when modelling was used to treat a survey instrument issue for hours worked in a second job.


Multiple response data items

A number of topics in 2015-16 HES and SIH contain multiple response data items, including housing, child care, disability and superannuation. In these instances, respondents were able to select one or more response category within a question.

Using child care as an example, in these items the output data is multi-response in nature. Child care data items on the Basic CURF are:

Income unit level

• 'Types of formal child care income unit used in the last 4 weeks' (TYPFCIUA--TYPFCIUF)

Person level

• 'All reasons lack of child care prevents parent from working' (UNMET07A--UNMET07J)

These items capture multiple responses where a person provides more than one type of child care. The first response is captured in the first, or 'A', position (e.g. TYPFCIUA), and additional responses are in the second and then third and higher, or 'B' and 'C' and higher, positions (e.g. TYPFCIUB, TYPFCIUC). If only one response is possible, for example 'none of the above' then this response may also appear in the 'A' position. Where a data item does not apply, (e.g. an income unit does not use child care) then a value of 9 or 99 for 'Not applicable' will appear in the first position (e.g. TYPFCIUA). The 'Null response' (value of 0 or 00) is a default code and should be ignored. All of these categories should be used in analysis. For specific information on the number of item repeats and the category labels and values refer to the data item list available from the Downloads tab.


Miscellaneous

• The subpopulation of Boarder persons (Tenure Type TENUREP = 7) do not at present have a Landlord Type assigned, which would usually be either 'Person living in the same household - Parent/other relative' (LNDLDIP = 3) or 'Person living in the same household - Other unrelated person' (LNDLDIP = 4). This issue affects the 2015-16 and 2013-14 cycles.