QUALITY DECLARATION
INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT
Confidentialised Unit Record Files (CURFs) are released in accordance with the Statistics Determination section of the Census and Statistics Act 1905. This ensures survey participant confidentiality is maintained when microdata is released. More information on the confidentiality practices for CURFs can be found on the About CURF Microdata page.
For information on the legislative obligations of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), financing and governance arrangements, and scrutiny of ABS operations, please see ABS Institutional Environment.
RELEVANCE
Microdata from the Survey of Income and Housing (SIH) are available as a Basic and an Expanded CURF.
This data primarily covers measures of income, wealth and housing. These measures can be classified by household, income unit, person or loan characteristics.
A data item list is provided to present the level of detail for CURF data items. This file includes comparison between the 2013–14 Basic and Expanded CURF, and with previous CURFs. The data item list for the Basic and Expanded CURF is located within the Downloads tab of this product.
TIMELINESS
The SIH is conducted every two years. The 2013–14 SIH collected information over the period July 2013 to June 2014.
Initial results from the 2013–14 survey were released on 4th September 2015. Subsequent publications and outputs, including feature articles, are expected to be released in late 2015. The next SIH is currently being conducted for 2015–16 as part of the Household Income and Expenditure Survey.
ACCURACY
Microdata contains individual person level data (unit records). This is a much finer level of detail than the publication Household Income and Wealth, Australia, 2013–14 (cat. no. 6523.0) or Housing Occupancy and Costs, 2013–14 (4130.0). For the level of detail provided, please see the CURF data item list in the Downloads tab. For more information about the 2013–14 SIH, refer to the Survey of Income and Housing, User Guide, Australia, 2013–14 (cat. no. 6553.0).
Data confidentialisation is undertaken to maintain the privacy of survey respondents, while maximising the usefulness of the microdata. As a result, it may not be possible to exactly reconcile all statistics produced from the microdata with other published estimates. Further information on microdata confidentialisation can be found at the CURF confidentiality page.
COHERENCE
Each cycle of the SIH collects comparable information to allow for analysis of changes over time.
For more information on the changes to SIH over time, please refer to the Historical Information section in the Survey of Income and Housing, User Guide, Australia, 2013–14 (cat. no. 6553.0).
The Basic and Expanded CURF data item list can be found on the Downloads tab. This data item list includes variable comparisons with previous SIH CURFs, lists of new items, items no longer included, and a list of items which have had minor changes (e.g. changes to data item labels or categories).
Further information about the steps taken to confidentialise the microdata is available through the User Manual: Responsible Use of ABS CURFs, Sep 2009 (cat. no. 1406.0.55.003).
INTERPRETABILITY
Several products accompany the microdata to assist users in interpreting the data. Users can consult this guide (technical manual), the Explanatory Notes of Household Income and Wealth, Australia, 2013–14 (cat. no. 6523.0) and the Survey of Income and Housing, User Guide, Australia, 2013–14 (cat. no. 6553.0) for detailed information about SIH collection and contents.
ACCESSIBILITY
CURF access is available to approved users. Users intending to access SIH microdata should read How to apply for Microdata then apply for access through MiCRO. Users should also view the Microdata Entry Page.
CURF Access Modes and Levels of Detail contains general information on different types of CURF access. A full list of available microdata can be viewed via Expected and available Microdata. The SIH Basic CURF can be accessed on CD-ROM and through the Remote Access Data Laboratory (RADL). The Expanded CURF can be accessed through the RADL and ABS Data Laboratory (ABSDL). If questions remain please phone microdata access on (02) 6252 7714.
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