General Social Survey

NAME OF ORGANISATION
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)

OVERVIEW

The 2002 General Social Survey (GSS) was the first survey of this type conducted by the ABS. The GSS is intended to be repeated every 4 years, with much of the content unchanged, to enable changes over time to be measured. There will also be a flexible component to enable the inclusion of contemporary and emerging issues in each survey cycle.

The introduction of the GSS is one of the outcomes of the ABS Household Survey Review. In the Review, ABS undertook extensive consultation with key government users at both State and Commonwealth level, and sought input from a wider group of stakeholders. The Review found considerable interest in a general social survey and support from many users. Users are recognising that many social phenomena are inter-related and social policy is becoming less sectoral as a consequence. As a result, surveys which allow inter-relationships between different aspects of people's lives to be explored are important.

The information collected includes details of health and disability, housing, education, labour force, transport, crime, and indicators of family and community involvement. A number of economic items (income and selected assets, liabilities and financial stress indicators), as well as demographic details, are also included. Three supplementary topics were also included in the 2002 GSS, collecting information on the extent of computer and internet access, attendance at cultural and sporting events, and participation in sport or other physical activity.

PURPOSE

The key objectives of the GSS are:

• to collect data from a range of areas of social concern, to allow information to be connected in ways not generally available, for use in developing broad-based social policy; and
• to provide national and state level estimates, recognising state/territory responsibilities in many areas of social concern.

The GSS provides a wide range of information about the same individuals, allowing the links between different aspects of peoples' lives to be examined. Little is known as to what extent individuals' relative standing in one area of social concern may be mirrored in other areas, and by including a range of variables and areas of social concern in the one vehicle the GSS makes it possible to measure the extent of multiple social disadvantage across these areas of social concern. Further, the GSS obtains strategic information about the factors that determine outcomes such as health, living standards or social cohesion through the inter-relationships between different aspects of peoples' lives. For example:

• the social context of crime victimisation;
• the relationship between the growing use of information technology and other areas of peoples' lives;
• the relationship of 'non-standard' (or precarious) employment with a range of social determinants and outcomes;
• the complex set of inter-relationships between individuals and their environments that influences health and well-being outcomes,such as financial stress and financial security;
• the material living standards that families achieve from the range of human and economic resources at their disposal; and
• the relationships between the strength of peoples' social networks and other areas of well-being.

The GSS also:

• provides overlap between question sets in the GSS and the more detailed Special Supplementary Surveys (SSSs) conducted by the ABS, to enable connections to be made;
• provides a foundation for, and a link with, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey;
• regularly provide a general picture of the social characteristics of Australia's adult population;
• compare the circumstances of a wide range of population groups; and
• measure changes over time.

While still relevant to the broad social concerns underlying the GSS, the main purpose of the supplementary topics in the 2002 GSS is to provide specific detailed information to policy makers.

SCOPE

The survey includes all usual residents aged 18 years and over living in private dwellings. Visitors to private dwellings are excluded, as are persons in institutions (such as hospitals and nursing homes) and special dwellings (such as hotels and boarding houses).

The following persons living in Australia, but not usually considered part of the resident population, are excluded from the scope of the survey:

• non-Australian diplomatic staff and non-Australian members of their households;
• members of non-Australian defence forces stationed in Australia and their dependents; and
• overseas visitors whose usual place of residence is outside Australia.

Non-Australians (other than those above) working in Australia; or in Australia as students or settlers, and their dependents, are included in the scope of the survey if they have lived, or intend to live, in Australia for a period of 12 months or more.

The survey is conducted in urban and rural areas only. The exclusion of people living in remote and sparsely settled areas only has a minor impact on aggregate national and State level estimates. For this reason, the survey results are weighted to include persons living in these areas. In the the Northern Territory, however, persons living in remote and sparsely settled areas account for over 20% of the population, and the survey results are not weighted to include persons living in sparsely populated areas.

DATA DETAIL

Conceptual framework

Not applicable

Main outputs
Most data from the GSS will be available at the person level for persons aged 18 years and over. Certain data will also be compiled in relation to income units and households.

Core topics:

Demographic/core Age Sex Social marital status Registered marital status Family type Household type Relationship in household Number and age of people in household State or Territory of usual residence Capital city/balance of State Accessibility/Remoteness Index for Australia (ARIA) Socio-Economic Indexes For Areas (SEIFA) Country of birth Year of arrival Main language other than English spoken at home Proficiency in spoken English Health Self assessed health status Disability status Housing Tenure type (household) Landlord type (household) Rent/mortgage payments (household) Education Highest educational attainment Field of study Full-time/part-time study for qualification Type of educational institution Work Labour force status Number of employed persons in household Retirement status Occupation Multiple job holder Hours usually worked Full time/part time status Status in employment Leave entitlements in main job Expected future duration in current job

Income Income (personal, income unit and household) Main source of income (personal, income unit and household) Type of government pension/allowance Time on government support Financial stress Unable to borrow in an emergency (household) Cash flow problems (household) Dissaving (household) Assets and liabilities Value of home (household) Value of mortgage against home (household) Equity in home (household) Selected investments (household) Consumer debt (household) Information technology Use of a computer at home Frequency of internet access Type of internet activity Government services accessed via internet Transport Access to motor vehicles Perceived level of difficulty with transport Travel time to work Family and community Support for children outside household Support for others outside household Contact with family/friends Social activities Stressors Ability to ask for small favours Support in time of crisis Voluntary work Crime Victim of violent crime (assault) Victim of property crime (household) Feelings of safety at home

Supplementary topics:

Information technology Household use of IT at home Household access to technologies Access to a computer at home Access to the Internet at home Frequency of Internet access at home Intention to have Internet access at home Personal use of IT Use of a computer at home/work/other locations Type of computer activity Use of the Internet at home/work/other locations Type of Internet activity Technologies used to work from home Frequency of Internet access at home/work/ other locations Financial services accessed via telephone

Culture and recreation Culture/Leisure activities and venues Cultural/leisure activities or venues attended Frequency of attendance at specified cultural/leisure activity or venue Sporting events Sporting events attended Frequency of attendance at specified sporting event Physical recreation activities Participation in physical activity for exercise/recreation/sport Capacity in which participated in each activity Frequency of participation in each activity

The GSS will use standard ABS data items and classifications where appropriate. Major classifications to be used include:

Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED);

Australian Standard Classification of Occupations (ASCO);

Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC); and

Standard Australian Classification of Languages (ASCL).

Other concepts (summary)

Not applicable

GEOGRAPHIC DETAIL
Australia
New South Wales
Victoria
Queensland
South Australia
Western Australia
Tasmania
Northern Territory
ACT
Part of State Metropolitan
Part of State Extra-Metropolitan

Comments and/or Other Regions

The sample is drawn from urban and rural areas in all States and Territories; remote or sparsely settled areas are excluded. The sample is distributed among States/Territories in a way intended to allow the production of reliable State/Territory estimates.

Subject to data quality considerations, data may be made available for some categories of the Accessibility and Remoteness Index for Australia (ARIA).

COLLECTION FREQUENCY
4 Yearly

Frequency comments

COLLECTION HISTORY

Although the 2002 survey was the first GSS, some of the information collected had previously been included in a range of more specific ABS surveys. These include:

Household Expenditure Survey;

Survey of Income and Housing Costs;

Australian Housing Survey;

Survey of Disability Ageing and Carers;

Survey of Education, Training and Information Technology;

National Health Survey;

Voluntary Work Survey;

Crime and Safety Survey;

Survey of Employment Arrangements and Superannuation;

Labour Force Survey;

Survey of Attendance at Selected Culture/Leisure Venues; and

Survey of Sports Attendance.

DATA AVAILABILITY
Yes

Data availability comments