AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS (ABS)
NAME OF COLLECTION
Family Characteristics Survey (FCS)
OVERVIEW
The Family Characteristics Survey (FCS) collects details on household and family composition, including demographic, labour force, and family structure information. It focuses on families with children aged 0 to 17 years. Data from the FCS are used to examine changes in family structure and child support issues for children in families whose parents have separated.
Data items are collected for households, families and individuals and cover a range of topics including family structure, relationships between family members, employment status, education, child support arrangements, visiting arrangements, income and demographics. Data items contained within these topics can be cross-classified with Data items relevant to migrants and ethnicity.
The full FCS was first conducted in 1997 and then repeated in 2003. However, from 2006/07 onwards it is being treated as having two components to be conducted at different frequencies. These are a core component to be conducted every three years and an extended component which, together with the core component, will be conducted every six years. The 2006/07 survey is limited to the core component only. The core component does not cover all the details of child support arrangements included in the full topic.
In 1997 and 2003 the FCS was conducted as part of the Monthly Population Survey. The most recent FCS was conducted in 2006-07 as part of the ABS Multi-Purpose Household Survey program (cat. no. 4100.0). Results from the 2006-07 survey are expected to be released in the first quarter of 2008.
Previous surveys, conducted as special social surveys, were conducted under the names of the 'Survey of Families in Australia' (1992) and the 'Family Survey' (1982).
DATA DETAIL
Data items relevant to migrants and ethnicity
- Country of birth
Note: This is collected for persons aged 15 years and over who are parents of children aged 0–17 years in the household, non-resident parents and non-resident parents in families with children aged 0–17 years, and is classified as:
- Born in Australia
- Born overseas
- Oceania and Antarctica
- North-West Europe
- Southern and Eastern Europe
- North Africa and the Middle East
- South-East Asia
- North-East Asia
- Southern and Central Asia
- Americas
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Other
- Year of arrival
- Arrived before 1971
- Arrived 1971–1980
- Arrived 1981–1990
- Arrived 1991–2000
- Arrived 2001 to survey date
Other data items collected
A full list of data items collected for the Family Characteristics Survey is available in
Family Characteristics, Australia, Jun 2003 (cat. no. 4442.0).
For further details on scope, geographic coverage, data availability and publications, methodology, classifications and concepts visit the
Family Characteristics Survey entry in the
Directory of Statistical Sources.
The most recent information on Confidentialised Unit Record Files are available on the
Family and Community Statistics Theme Page.
CONTACT DETAILS
For further information about these and related statistics, contact the
National Information and Referral Service.
Phone: 1300 135 070
Fax: 1300 135 211
Post: Client Services, ABS, GPO Box 796, Sydney 1041
Email:
client.services@abs.gov.au and you will be contacted within two working days.
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