Microdata: Time Use

The interview questionnaire listed the most frequently reported languages and countries; interviewers were instructed to select the appropriate box, or, if the reported language or country was not among those listed, to record the name of the language or country for subsequent office coding. Languages were classified according to the Australian Standard Classification of Languages (ASCL), 2005-06 (Cat. no. 1267.0). Country of birth was classified according to the Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC), 1998 (Cat. no. 1269.0). 

In the Time Use Survey, occupation relates to the main job held by employed respondents at the time of interview. Occupation was office coded based on a description of the kind of work performed, as reported by respondents and recorded by interviewers. Occupation was coded to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO), 2006 (Cat. no. 1220.0). 

Industry of employment was coded to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006 (Cat. no. 1292.0). 

Based on information recorded on the household form, all usual residents of each sampled dwelling were grouped into family units and classified according to their position within the family. This information was then transferred to each individual questionnaire.

Up to two simultaneous activities were captured (e.g. the main activity and a secondary activity). The main coding principle, confirmed in user consultation, was to remain as close to the respondent's reporting as possible. In practice this meant that: 

• the respondent's decision about whether an activity was main or secondary was accepted, except in the circumstances specified below;
• a respondent's combination of activities was accepted if seen as possible; and
• omitted activities were only imputed under the conditions listed below.

Certain activities were seen as overriding, or natural main activities because they created the environment in which other things happened. Travelling, for instance, limits the range of things that can be done, and was kept as a main activity. Socialising or entertainment that involved going to a venue was treated as an overriding activity. Paid work and education were coded globally, that is, there was no breakdown of different kinds of activities within these areas. Activities that occurred at work or school, but were not related to work or school, however, were coded as main activities. Sleeping was normally a main activity but could be secondary to travel.

As one of the main purposes of the survey is to measure the time spent on unpaid work certain activities were seen as 'priority activities'. That is, in most cases, even if the activities were recorded as secondary activities in the diary they were coded as a primary activity so that they could be captured as part of unpaid work. This is because most analysis only uses the primary activities when determining a measure of unpaid work. The priority activities were any activities that involved domestic work, child care (except passive child minding), caring for adults, doing favours or voluntary work. Activities that occurred simultaneously with these activities were recorded as secondary unless they were one of the overriding activities listed above. 

Certain activities, particularly the passive care of children or adults requiring monitoring, were not consistently reported. Because the diaries and questionnaires contain information that suggests these activities might be happening even where they are not reported, and because the caring activities are of interest to many users, consideration was given to imputing episodes of care. This did not happen, in the interests of accuracy and of remaining faithful to the respondent's reporting. However, the supporting information was captured in the 'who with' codes for household members, which can provide measures of time spent with children under 12, people who are sick or have disabilities, and older people. Caution should be applied to treating these items as proxies for caring items - only a small proportion of people with disabilities or people aged 60 and over are in need of care. However, combinations of some of these with other items might suggest constraints on the way in which time can be used. 

Many activities are likely to have been omitted from the diaries. Constant background activities, for instance, such as passive child care, and others such as smoking and drinking could be under-reported. Whether or when this happens is unknown. There are cases however where reported activities imply or suggest activities that are not reported, and provide the time at which they are likely to have happened. The most common of these is travel. For example, a person is at home and then is at work, or shopping, without an intervening travel episode. The methods for dealing with this were, in order: 

• to check for comparable travel episodes elsewhere in the diary;
• to check for similar travel in another diary in the household;
• to use any available knowledge of the areas concerned; or
• to impute travel time, usually ten minutes; this would normally be taken from the beginning of the new activity, unless this began at a standard starting time, for work or school for instance.

The other common case relates to eating. Respondents sometimes wrote 'made a cup of tea' or 'got lunch' without specifically mentioning drinking or eating. If there was little doubt that eating was implied, the activity was imputed, and the time split between preparing and eating. If it was possible that the preparation was for someone else, then it was coded as reported.

Where nothing was reported for a stretch of time, the main activity was coded as 'undescribed', unless it was clear that the previous activity was continuing. Diaries with episodes of undescribed time were examined, and the undescribed time reconstructed where possible by reference to the other diary day or other diaries from the household. 

The final average measure of time with an undescribed main activity episode is 7 minutes or 0.49% of the day. 

Information collected in column 5 of the diary (Who was with you at home or with you away from home?) describes: 

• who was with the person when they were at home. This referred to all present in the house and grounds, whether belonging to the household or not; and
• those for whom the person is responsible, as well as those involved in the same activity when away from home (e.g. at a picnic, the person helping the respondent prepare the food, the others conversing with them and the associated children nearby).

Information collected from this column referred to the other people present, it did not include the respondent. Family refers to all relatives. There is a distinction between family living within the household and family from another household. The relevant household and family type data items described the family structure within the household. Age status and health status were also coded for household members only. The age group of the household members was identified from the household form. Health status was obtained from information in the diary as well as information from the questionnaire about whether the household members had a disability. Disability was recorded only where the other person present had a long-term restricting condition or impairment reported on the questionnaire. Short-term sickness or injury was only reported when the diary information indicated this.

'Weighting' is the process of adjusting results from a sample survey to infer results for the total population. To do this, a 'weight' is allocated to each sample unit, e.g. person-day, person or household. The weight is a value which indicates how many population units are represented by the sample unit. 

The 2006 Time Use Survey was conducted over four 13-day collection periods and population distributions appropriate to each period were used in the weighting process. Significant changes in the weighting methodology from that used in the 1997 Time Use Survey have been instituted to: 

• calculate more appropriate initial selection weights;
• better deal with differences in non-response and sampling fractions for each State and Territory by region; and
• utilise a finer level estimated distribution of the person and person-day populations.

Person-day weights

Person-day estimates obtained from the Time Use Survey were derived using a complex ratio estimation procedure. Estimates from the survey were obtained by weighting person-day responses to represent the in-scope population of the survey. Calculation of weights for person-days was carried out in two steps, the first being the calculation of the initial weight, and the second being the calibration to population benchmarks.

An initial weight was calculated for each person-day as the inverse of the person-day's probability of selection. The weight is a function of the probability of selection of the person with an adjustment applied for day type (weekday/Saturday/Sunday). 

Households were selected for the survey by selecting CDs within each State by region (Capital City / Balance of State) stratum by a method known as probability proportional to size. The selected CDs were then systematically randomly allocated to collection periods such that each State by region had an equal number of CDs in each period. Blocks were then selected within CDs, and households within blocks. The selection method was designed to achieve, as far as practicable, a known and equal chance of selection for each household within each State by region stratum. 

As CDs were allocated equally across collection periods, the probability of a CD and thus a household being selected in a particular period was not dependent upon the period. Therefore, the probability of a household being selected in any of the four enumeration periods was the same within each State by region stratum. 

All in-scope persons in a selected household were surveyed, therefore, the probability a person was selected for the survey is the same as the probability their household was selected, and a person's initial weight is the same as their household's initial weight. Each selected person was asked to respond for two diary days, therefore the person level initial weight was divided by two to get the person-day unadjusted initial weight. 

To ensure sufficient sample was collected for each day type (weekday/Saturday/Sunday), CDs (and thus households and persons) were assigned dates such that approximately 1/9 of the survey diary days were allocated to each of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and 2/9 of the survey diary days were allocated to each of Saturday and Sunday. However, the sample was to be weighted up to the in-scope person-day population such that weekdays would comprise 5/7 of the population, and Saturday and Sunday 1/7 each. Therefore, the final person-day initial weight was calculated by dividing the person-day unadjusted initial weight by the proportion of the day type assigned to the sample, and multiplied by the appropriate fraction for that day type. 

The final person-day weights were determined by adjusting the initial weights so the estimated population distribution simultaneously conformed to two sets of population benchmarks. 

Person weights and household weights

Person and household estimates obtained from the Time Use Survey were also derived using a complex ratio estimation procedure. Person and household estimates from the survey were obtained by weighting person level and household level responses, respectively, to represent the in-scope population of the survey. Calculation of weights for persons and households was carried out in two steps, the first being the calculation of the initial weight, and the second being the calibration to population and household benchmarks, respectively. 

As all in-scope persons in a selected household were surveyed, a person's initial weight is equal to their household's initial weight. A household's probability of selection and initial weight, and therefore a person's initial weight was defined previously in the Person-day weight section. 

The final person weights were determined by adjusting the initial weights so the estimated population distribution simultaneously conformed to two sets of population benchmarks. Similarly, the final household weights were determined by adjusting the initial weights so the estimated household distribution simultaneously conformed to two sets of resident household distribution benchmarks. 

For the person-day and person benchmarking, two sets of population distributions (benchmarks) were used for each collection period of the Time Use Survey. Similarly, for the household benchmarking, two sets of household benchmarks were used for each collection period. 

Person-day benchmarks

The first set of person-day benchmarks was at the State by region (Capital City/Balance of State or Territory) by sex level and was obtained by averaging population distribution estimates on each side of the time use collection periods. The averaged values were then divided by four, so that the benchmarks for each collection period summed to a quarter of the in scope population for that period. Therefore, the sum of the benchmarks over all four collection periods is an estimate of the total in scope population for the 2006 survey. 

The second set of benchmarks was at the sex by age group by employment status by day type level. These benchmarks were obtained by applying employment status proportion estimates (employed/not employed) to appropriate population estimates on each side of the Time Use Survey collection periods and then averaging the two resulting estimated population distributions for each period. Again, the averaged values were divided by four, so that the benchmarks for each collection period summed to a quarter of the in scope population for that period. Finally, the benchmarks were split by day type to ensure the final weighted sample would represent the appropriate population-day distribution. Each sex by age group by employment status population count was multiplied by 5/7, 1/7 and 1/7 to calculate the weekday, Saturday and Sunday benchmark estimates respectively. 

The benchmarks used in the final weights for TUS 2006 were: 

• number of persons aged 15 years and over -
  • at State by region (Capital City/Balance of State or Territory) by sex
  • at sex by age group by employment status by day type
    • age groups are defined as 15-19, 20-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75+
    • employment status is defined as employed or unemployed (Note that employment status is not calculated for persons aged 65 years or older as the estimated proportion employed is small, with a large associated standard error. Therefore a third code is defined: aged 65 years or older)
    • day type is defined as weekday/Saturday/Sunday

Person benchmarks

The first set of person level benchmarks are the same as those used for the person-day benchmarking. The second set of person benchmarks use sex by age group by employment status as for the second set of the person-day benchmarks, but without the split by day type.

Household benchmarks

The first set of benchmarks was at the State by region level, and the second at the household composition (number of adults and children) level. Both sets were obtained by averaging resident household estimates available for periods just before and just after each of the four 2006 Time Use Survey enumeration periods. These averages were then divided by four, so that the benchmarks for each collection period summed to a quarter of the in scope household population for that period. The sum of the benchmarks over all four collection periods is an estimate of the total population of households for the 2006 survey. 

The benchmarks used in the final weights for TUS 2006 were: 

• at state by region; and
• household composition.

Sample pages at the beginning of the diary demonstrated how to record the activities showing start and finish times and giving an idea of the level of detail required. There was considerable variation, however, in the descriptions provided by respondents. This variation showed in the level of detail and in the number of activities provided. One person might report 'reading,' another 'reading a newspaper'. One might give details about peeling vegetables, cutting meat and making a cake, where another might write 'getting dinner' or 'cooking', and another might just say 'housework'. The descriptions were coded at the level of detail provided by the respondent according to the relevant descriptions.

The number of episodes recorded on the file ultimately depended on: 

• the definition adopted for an episode; and
• the level of detail of the activity classification.

Where there is a separate code for the detail provided, a separate episode was recorded.

Cooking and washing up are separate codes in the 1992, 1997, and 2006 Activity Classification, whereas in the 1987 pilot survey they were coded to 'meal preparation and cleanup'. On the other hand, where people reported making beds, dusting and vacuuming as a sequence, all of these were coded to one activity code, and therefore, if no other changes occurred, to one episode because the activity code is the same for all these activities. The most notable suppression of detail relates to employment related activities and educational activities, where all such activities were globally coded. The activity classification is not designed to capture specific types of employment related or educational activities. 

The number of episodes per day is used as one indicator of data quality. In addition, analysis of domestic work, particularly where children are present, might examine the number of episodes and the number of simultaneous activities to point to the denser and more interrupted nature of this kind of work. For both of these purposes it is essential to recognise the limitations imposed by the structural features described above. 

In particular, it is not valid to compare the number of episodes of paid work with the number of episodes of any other activity. As a consequence, it is not valid to compare the number of episodes per hour carried out by someone whose major activity is paid work with the number of episodes undertaken by someone whose main activity is domestic work, unless the paid work time is excluded. 

One fundamental difficulty with classifying activities is that one activity can be: several activities at once; or described at a number of levels. 

An example of the first is walking, rather than driving, to the shops, and taking the dog along. This activity combines travel for shopping, exercise and pet care in one activity episode. If the respondent reported all of this in one column entry, in this kind of case the activity emphasised by the respondent would be coded as a primary activity and the others as secondary activities. 

The second issue is more difficult. An activity can be named in many different ways, to reflect different aspects of time use. 

The addition of a 'Who did you do this for?' ('for whom') column in the 1997 survey (and also used in the 2006 survey) provides direct information on the purpose of an activity. Activities which can be recorded as 'helping ', 'caring' or 'unpaid community services' are not always reported at the 'intent or purpose' level. In fact they consist of, and are usually described in terms of, a wide range of specific acts; visiting, cooking, nursing, lending books, washing clothes, moving furniture, organising fundraising and so on. The existence of the 'for whom' column allows the coding of the nature of the activity rather than the purpose. 

Where the information provided was not enough to determine the nature of the activity then these episodes were classified directly to the voluntary work, helping or caring codes. 

The 'quality' level of the activity did not appear as readily in the way people described their activities. 'Gardening', 'cooking' and 'clothes-making' are activities included in the sections of the classification that are aggregated as unpaid work. These activities can be perceived by the people doing them as leisure rather than work activities, or as both. The 'for whom' column in the diary can be used to identify whether the activity is a leisure activity or being done for some other purpose. Therefore, the identification of voluntary work activities has been made easier. 

A positive side effect of the introduction of the 'for whom' column is that the coding of paid work activities is also more accurate. For example, if a respondent went to the bank, this would be coded to purchasing services, or if they were doing paperwork it would be coded to household management. If the respondent says that they did these activities for work, then it would be accurately coded as an employment-related activity.

How Australians Use Their Time, 2006 (Cat. no. 4153.0) 

Release date: 21 February 2008 

This publication presents some interesting findings about Australians' use of time and how this is changing. It provides an opportunity to compare the results of three national time use surveys: 1992, 1997 and 2006. The publication presents an Australian profile of average time use and focuses on how various groups in society allocate their time. Insight is provided into issues such as unpaid work, paid work and family caring, time spent on education and leisure, and time spent alone or with others. 

This is available from the ABS website free of charge. 

Time Use Survey, Australia - Confidentialised Unit Record File, 2006 (Cat. no. 4152.0.55.001) 

Release date: 21 February 2008 

A data file containing confidentialised variables from the master file at the unit record level (household, family, person and activity levels). This file provides purchasers with the opportunity to satisfy their detailed data needs. Technical details of the format of the file are provided in Chapter 7 (Using the CURF) of this publication. A listing all the data items is available in electronic format from the ABS website. 

For clients wanting to produce their own tabulations and conduct manipulations of survey estimates a file containing unit records relating to almost all the survey respondents can be supplied. To protect the confidentiality of individual persons and households some data items are removed from the file and the level of detail for some items is reduced. 

Two microdata files are available from these surveys: 

• a basic CURF available on CD-ROM or through the Remote Access Data Laboratory (RADL); and
• an expanded CURF accessible only through the RADL

The expanded CURF contains more detailed data for some variables than the basic CURF, as well as some additional variables. The RADL is a secure on-line data query service that clients can access via the ABS website. Because the CURFs are kept within the ABS environment, the ABS is able to release more detailed data via the RADL than can be made available on CD-ROM.

Clients interested in finding out more about the CURFs should contact the Microdata Access Strategies section by emailing microdata.access@abs.gov.au or by phoning (02) 6252 7714. 

The published data are only a small portion of the data collected in the surveys. The ABS offers specialised consultancy services to assist clients with more complex statistical information needs. Clients may wish to have the unit record data analysed according to their own needs, or require tailored tables incorporating data items and populations as requested by them. A wide range of data items are available - the detailed list of possible data items is provided in Appendix 2. 

Tables and other analytic outputs can be made available electronically or in printed form. However, as the level of detail or disaggregation increases with detailed requests, the number of contributors to data cells decreases. This may result in some requested information not being able to be released due to confidentiality or sampling variability constraints. All specialist consultancy services attract a service charge, and clients will be provided with a quote before information is supplied. For further information, contact National Information and Referral Service 1300 135 070. For clients with specific requirements, customised tables can be produced. 

How Australian Use Their Time, 1997 (Cat. no. 4153.0) 

Released: December 1998 

This publication presents some interesting findings about Australians' use of time and how this is changing. The publication presents an Australian profile of average time use and focuses on how various groups in society allocate their time. Insight is provided into issues such as unpaid work, paid work and family caring, and time spent on education and leisure. 

Time Use Survey, Australia - User's Guide, 1997 (Cat. no. 4150.0) 

Released: December 1998 

An essential reference tool for understanding data released from the 1997 Time Use Survey. This publication contains information about the concepts and methods used in sampling, data collection and processing for the above survey, including details of the classifications used. The survey presents a different perspective on topics such as paid work, leisure and parenting, allows measurement of household work and the sharing of domestic responsibilities, and examines activity profiles by life stages and socio-economic status. 

Time Use Survey, Australia - Confidentialised Unit Record File, 1997 (Cat. no. 4152.0) 

Released: February 1999 

A data file on CD-ROM containing variables from the master file at the unit record level (household, family, person and person-day levels). To protect the confidentiality of persons and households, some data items have been removed and the level of detail for some items has been reduced. This file provides purchasers with the opportunity to satisfy their detailed data needs. A paper containing technical details of the format of the file and listing all the data items is included with the unit record file. 

Information Paper: Time Use Survey, Australia - Confidentialised Unit Record File, 1997 (cat. no. 4151.0) 

Released: February 1999 

This paper contains information on the data available on the unit record file, conditions of issue and order details. 

How Australians Use Their Time, 1992 (Cat. no. 4153.0) 

Released: February 1994 

This publication contains selected tables at the national level analysing the allocation of time to activities in Australia from the 1992 Time Use Survey. It contains data on the time spent in paid work, unpaid household work and shopping, caring for children and frail, sick and disabled people, community participation, education, leisure and personal maintenance, by usual residents of private households aged 15 years and above. Tables present activities for men and women and examine how various sub-groups of the population distribute their time among broad groupings of activities. 

Time Use Survey, Australia - User's Guide, 1992 (Cat. no. 4150.0) 

Released: November 1993 

An essential reference tool for understanding data released from the 1992 Time Use Survey. This publication contains information about the concepts and methods used in sampling, data collection and processing for the above survey, including details of the classifications used. The survey presents a different perspective on topics such as paid work, leisure and parenting, allows measurement of household work and the sharing of domestic responsibilities, and examines activity profiles by life stages and socio-economic status. 

Information Paper: Time Use Survey, Australia - Unit Record File, 1992 

Released: January 1995 

This publication contains technical details of the tape format and record structure, data items, conditions of issue and order details. 

Time Use Survey, Australia - Confidentialised Unit Record File, 1992 (Cat. no. 4152.0) 

Released: January 1995 

A data file on floppy disks, magnetic tape or CD-ROM containing variables from the 1992 master file at the unit record level (household, person and person-day levels). Deletion of some variables and aggregation of categories in other variables ensures that confidentiality of individual respondents is maintained. Provides purchasers with the opportunity to satisfy detailed and extensive data needs. 

Occasional Paper: Recent Changes in Unpaid Work, 1995 (Cat. no. 4154.0) 

Released: May 1995 

This publication describes some important changes occurring within Australian households. The paper deals chiefly with those activities in which households take raw materials and domestic capital, and through their own labour produce goods and services of greater value. Much of the output of these activities is consumed by the household itself. For the purposes of the paper, the household production just described is called unpaid work. 

Occasional Paper: Unpaid Work and the Australian Economy, 1997 (Cat. no. 5240.0) 

Released: October 2000 

Discusses the issues involved in measuring unpaid household work and volunteer and community work. It also shows a range of experimental estimates of the value of total unpaid work in 1997, based on data from the 1997 Time Use Survey. 

Time Use on Culture/Leisure Activities, 1997 (Cat. no. 4173.0) 

Released: April 1999 

This brochure contains a selection of national data on time spent by persons aged 15 years and over, on culture/leisure activities based on the 1997 Time Use Survey.

The main changes which could impact on all data items were: 

• the final sample size for the 2006 TUS was increased from 1997 to improve the coverage of weekend diary days;
• the scope of the survey was changed slightly. In 1997 visitors to the selected dwelling were considered to be within scope if they lived in a private dwelling and had not been at their usual dwelling for any part of the enumeration period. In 2006 all visitors to the selected dwelling were out of scope. In 2006 all people living in special dwellings such as hotels, hospitals or aged care establishments were also excluded;
• the allowable time for uncodeable activities within a diary increased in 2006. In 1997 across all records this averaged to 5 minutes per day and in 2006 it averaged to 7 minutes per day;
• an extra weight was added to the file in 2006. This is the person weight;
• in 1997 the population distributions (benchmarks) for each quarter of the Time Use Survey were obtained by averaging population estimates from two Labour Force Surveys on each side of the Time Use collection periods. Household benchmarks for the Time Use Survey were derived from independent estimates of the resident population for June 1997. In 2006 the two sets of population distributions (benchmarks) were used for person-day and person benchmarking for each collection period of the Time Use Survey. Similarly, for the household benchmarking, two sets of household benchmarks were used for each collection period;
• in 2006 wages and salaries information was imputed using donor records. No imputation was undertaken in 1997; and
• RSEs were calculated differently in 2006 to 1997. In 1997 a statistical model was produced that related the size of the estimates with their corresponding RSEs, and this information was displayed via a 'SE table'. For 2006, RSEs have been calculated for each estimate using the grouped jacknife method and are published individually.

There were also changes to specific data items. As TUS is run infrequently, these changes are too substantial to list individually. CURF users who are undertaking comparison with previous TUS CURFs should take care to compare items they are using for analysis by using the previous supporting information and data item lists in User Guides and CURF related publications for previous TUS releases. A brief summary of the types of changes, along with some examples, is presented below.

Items not on both the 1997 and 2006 TUS CURFs:

The 2006 CURFs have a large number of items that were not provided on the 1997 CURFs. For example, both CURFs have the person level item 'Occupation' although the 2006 CURFs provide further household information with additional items 'Occupation of household reference person' and 'Occupation of spouse of household reference person'. The 2006 CURFs also output a number of items on the use of Internet technology at both the household and person level which were not on the 1997 CURFs. New items, 'Flag for households with imputed wages or salary' and 'Flag for person with imputed wages or salary', also did not exist in 1997 as no imputation was performed on the data. On the 1997 CURFs, the Activity level items, 'Nature of activity' and 'Purpose of activity' were coded by primary and secondary activity, but are now items in their own right for the 2006 CURFs. A new item 'Activity priority' has been added which is used to classify the activity as either primary or secondary. 

Many of the new items on the 2006 CURFs have replaced what used to be single output items on the 1997 CURFs. For example, in 1997 the item 'Regular cash income sources' was collected and output as a single item, while in 2006 the same item has been broken up into multiple output items e.g. 'Whether received regular government pensions or allowance', 'Whether received regular child support or maintenance' and so on. The multiple items add more detail to the output and allow for cross comparisons between each other as well. Most of the multi-response items that were collected and output in 1997 as single multi-response items have been split into separate singular items for 2006. 

The 2006 CURFs have a 'Family' level which has resulted in additional family level items which were not available in 1997. Many of these new items were output at the household level in 1997 but have been output at the family level for 2006. For example, 'Sex of first youngest child under 15' has been replaced with 'Sex of first youngest child aged 14 and under in family' and 'Whether formal child care usually used' has been replaced with 'Whether family usually uses formal child care'. 

A small number of items that were on the 1997 CURFs have been removed from the 2006 CURFs, such as income items 'Annual regular cash income' and 'Annual business cash income', and household items 'Household structure' and 'Number of dependents in household'. Any information that may have been lost from the removal of these items has been made up with the new items added to the 2006 CURFs. For example, while the 2006 CURFs do not output 'Household structure' and 'Number of dependents in household', they output at the person level 'Relationship in household' and at the family level 'Number of dependent children in family'. 

Other data item changes:

There are also some minor differences between items on the 1997 CURFs and the 2006 CURFs. The items are conceptually the same but have a different level of detail, different topcode or different category on either the basic or expanded CURFs. This is due to either changes in standards or in survey specific collection and output decisions. Some examples of these types of minor changes are provided below: 

• there are several items which have changed from having labelled output categories in 1997 to 'Yes/No' output categories in 2006 - e.g. 'Household has a microwave oven' and 'Household has a dishwasher';
• there are items which have different ranges or categories for the data in 2006. For example, in 1997, 'Duration of unemployment' was ranged '1-26 weeks', '26-103 weeks' and '104 weeks or more'. In 2006, this has changed to comply with current standards and has been ranged from 'Under 4 weeks', '4 weeks and under 13 weeks', '13 weeks and under 26 weeks', '26 weeks and under 52 weeks' and '52 weeks and over'; and
• other items have had different topcodes applied in 2006. For example, 'Age' was topcoded at '75 years and over' in 1997, while in 2006 the data item name has been changed to 'Age of person' and is now topcoded at '85 years or over'.

The basic CURF is available either on CD-ROM or through the RADL, in several different formats (SAS, SPSS, STATA). The names of the basic CURF files are listed below: 

SAS files:

These files contain the data for the basic CURF in SAS for Windows format: 

• TUS06BH.SAS7BDAT contains the Household level data
• TUS06BF.SAS7BDAT contains the Family level data
• TUS06BP.SAS7BDAT contains the Person level data
• TUS06BD.SAS7BDAT contains the Day level data
• TUS06BE.SAS7BDAT contains the Episode level data
• TUS06BA.SAS7BDAT contains the Activity level data

SPSS files:

These files contain the data for the basic CURF in SPSS for Windows format:

• TUS06BH.SAV contains the Household level data
• TUS06BF.SAV contains the Family level data
• TUS06BP.SAV contains the Person level data
• TUS06BD.SAV contains the Day level data
• TUS06BE.SAV contains the Episode level data
• TUS06BA.SAV contains the Activity level data

STATA files:

These files contain the data for the basic CURF in STATA format:

• TUS06BH.DTA contains the Household level data
• TUS06BF.DTA contains the Family level data
• TUS06BP.DTA contains the Person level data
• TUS06BD.DTA contains the Day level data
• TUS06BE.DTA contains the Episode level data
• TUS06BA.DTA contains the Activity level data

Information files:

• README.TXT This is a text file describing the contents of the CURF.
• RESPONSIBLE ACCESS TO ABS CURFs TRAINING MANUAL_MAR05.PDF This is an acrobat file explaining the CURF users' role and obligations when using confidentialised data.
• Time Use Survey, Australia - Users' Guide, 2006 (Cat. no. 4150.0)
• How Australians Use Their Time, 2006 (Cat. no. 4153.0)
• ABS CONDITIONS OF SALE.PDF This file describes ABS conditions of sale.
• COPYRITE1.BAT This file describes copyright obligations for CURF users.
• IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CURF USERS_300903.PDF This file directs users to the ABS website for more and up to date information on what is available from the ABS.
• 4153_CURF_DATA_ITEM_LISTING_TUS06.XLS This file contains documentation of the TUS06 data items including data item labels, code values and category labels.
• FREQUENCIES_TUS06BH.TXT This file contains documentation of the Household level data. Data item code values and category labels are provided with weighted and unweighted household frequencies of each value. This file is in plain text format.
• FREQUENCIES_TUS06BF.TXT This file contains documentation of the Family level data. Data item code values and category labels are provided with weighted and unweighted family frequencies of each value. This file is in plain text format.
• FREQUENCIES_TUS06BP.TXT This file contains documentation of the Person level data. Data item code values and category labels are provided with weighted and unweighted person frequencies of each value. This file is in plain text format.
• FREQUENCIES_TUS06BD.TXT This file contains documentation of the Day level data. Data item code values and category labels are provided with weighted and unweighted day frequencies of each value. This file is in plain text format.
• FREQUENCIES_TUS06BE.TXT This file contains documentation of the Episode level data. Data item code values and category labels are provided with weighted and unweighted episode frequencies of each value. This file is in plain text format.
• FREQUENCIES_TUS06BA.TXT This file contains documentation of the Activity level data. Data item code values and category labels are provided with weighted and unweighted activity frequencies of each value. This file is in plain text format.

These files contain the raw confidentialised survey data in a comma separated file (CSV) format, and are available only on CD-ROM:

• TUS06B.CSV contains the raw data for the Basic CURF
• TUS06B.SAS - This SAS program can be used to translate data from the CSV format to SAS. It also creates the formats library and attributes the formats to relevant variables. This file is for use with other analysis packages and describes the CSV file data. Relevant changes will need to be made to reflect the load statement for your analysis package.

The test files mirror the actual data files, but have random data and random identifiers. These files are on the RADL website and can be downloaded so users can use these to trouble shoot their code prior to submitting RADL jobs.

SAS files:

These files contain the test data for the basic CURF in SAS for Windows format: 

• TUS06BH.SAS7BDAT contains the Household level data
• TUS06BF.SAS7BDAT contains the Family level data
• TUS06BP.SAS7BDAT contains the Person level data
• TUS06BD.SAS7BDAT contains the Day level data
• TUS06BE.SAS7BDAT contains the Episode level data
• TUS06BA.SAS7BDAT contains the Activity level data
• FORMATS.SAS7BDAT is the format file which provides labels for associated codes in the SAS version of the 2006 TUS basic CURF.

SPSS files:

These files contain the test data for the basic CURF in SPSS format:

• TUS06BH.SAV contains the Household level data
• TUS06BF.SAV contains the Family level data
• TUS06BP.SAV contains the Person level data
• TUS06BD.SAV contains the Day level data
• TUS06BE.SAV contains the Episode level data
• TUS06BA.SAV contains the Activity level data

STATA files:

These files contain the test data for the basic CURF in STATA format:

• TUS06BH.DTA contains the Household level data
• TUS06BF.DTA contains the Family level data
• TUS06BP.DTA contains the Person level data
• TUS06BD.DTA contains the Day level data
• TUS06BA.DTA contains the Episode level data
• TUS06BE.DTA contains the Activity level data

The expanded CURF contains more detailed data than the basic CURF and is only available via the RADL. It is available in several different formats (SAS, SPSS, STATA). The names of the expanded CURF files are listed below:

SAS files:

These files contain the data for the expanded CURF in SAS for Windows format: 

• TUS06EH.SAS7BDAT contains the Household level data
• TUS06EF.SAS7BDAT contains the Family level data
• TUS06EP.SAS7BDAT contains the Person level data
• TUS06ED.SAS7BDAT contains the Day level data
• TUS06EE.SAS7BDAT contains the Episode level data
• TUS06EA.SAS7BDAT contains the Activity level data

SPSS files:

These files contain the data for the expanded CURF in SPSS for Windows format:

• TUS06EH.SAV contains the Household level data
• TUS06EF.SAV contains the Family level data
• TUS06EP.SAV contains the Person level data
• TUS06ED.SAV contains the Day level data
• TUS06EE.SAV contains the Episode level data
• TUS06EA.SAV contains the Activity level data

STATA files:

These files contain the data for the expanded CURF in STATA format:

• TUS06EH.DTA contains the Household level data
• TUS06EF.DTA contains the Family level data
• TUS06EP.DTA contains the Person level data
• TUS06ED.DTA contains the Day level data
• TUS06EE.DTA contains the Episode level
• TUS06EA.DTA contains the Activity level data

The test files mirror the actual data files, but have random data and random identifiers. These files are on the RADL website and can be downloaded so users can use these to trouble shoot their code prior to submitting RADL jobs.

SAS files:

These files contain the test data for the expanded CURF in SAS for Windows format: 

• TUS06EH.SAS7BDAT contains the Household level data
• TUS06EF.SAS7BDAT contains the Family level data
• TUS06EP.SAS7BDAT contains the Person level data
• TUS06ED.SAS7BDAT contains the Day level data
• TUS06EE.SAS7BDAT contains the Episode level data
• TUS06EA.SAS7BDAT contains the Activity level data

SPSS files:

These files contain the test data for the expanded CURF in SPSS for Windows format:

• TUS06EH.SAV contains the Household level data
• TUS06EF.SAV contains the Family level data
• TUS06EP.SAV contains the Person level data
• TUS06ED.SAV contains the Day level data
• TUS06EE.SAV contains the Episode level data
• TUS06EA.SAV contains the Activity level data

STATA files:

These files contain the test data for the expanded CURF in STATA format:

• TUS06EH.DTA contains the Household level data
• TUS06EF.DTA contains the Family level data
• TUS06EP.DTA contains the Person level data
• TUS06ED.DTA contains the Day level data
• TUS06EE.DTA contains the Episode level data
• TUS06EA.DTA contains the Activity level data

Information Files

• FORMATS.SAS7BCAT This file is a SAS library containing formats.
• README.TXT This is a text file describing the contents of the CURF.
• Time Use Survey, Australia - Users' Guide, 2006 (Cat. no. 4150.0)
• How Australians Use Their Time, 2006 (Cat. no. 4153.0)
• ABS CONDITIONS OF SALE.PDF This file describes ABS conditions of sale.
• COPYRITE1.BAT This file describes copyright obligations for CURF users.
• IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CURF USERS_300903.PDF This file directs users to the ABS website for more and up to date information on what is available from the ABS.
• 4150.0 TUS 2006 CURF Data items.XLS This file contains documentation of the TUS06 data items including data item labels, code values and category labels.
• FREQUENCIES_TUS06EH.TXT This file contains documentation of the Household level data. Data item code values and category labels are provided with weighted and unweighted household frequencies of each value. This file is in plain text format.
• FREQUENCIES_TUS06EF.TXT This file contains documentation of the Family level data. Data item code values and category labels are provided with weighted and unweighted family frequencies of each value. This file is in plain text format.
• FREQUENCIES_TUS06EP.TXT This file contains documentation of the Person level data. Data item code values and category labels are provided with weighted and unweighted person frequencies of each value. This file is in plain text format.
• FREQUENCIES_TUS06ED.TXT This file contains documentation of the Day level data. Data item code values and category labels are provided with weighted and unweighted day frequencies of each value. This file is in plain text format.
• FREQUENCIES_TUS06EE.TXT This file contains documentation of the Episode level data. Data item code values and category labels are provided with weighted and unweighted episode frequencies of each value. This file is in plain text format.
• FREQUENCIES_TUS06EA.TXT This file contains documentation of the Activity level data. Data item code values and category labels are provided with weighted and unweighted activity frequencies of each value. This file is in plain text format.

The 2006 TUS data item list, titled '4150.0 TUS 2006 Data items.XLS' is available as an Excel spreadsheet from the Data downloads section of this product. 

The 2006 TUS CURF data item list, titled '4150.0 TUS 2006 CURF Data items.XLS' is available as an Excel spreadsheet from the Data downloads section of this product.

The 2006 TUS questionnaire, titled '4150.0 TUS 2006 Questionnaire.pdf' is available from the Survey material section of this product. 

The 2006 TUS prompt cards, titled '4150.0 TUS 2006 Prompt cards.pdf' is available from the Survey material section of this product. 

The 2006 TUS diary, titled '4150.0 TUS 2006 Diary.pdf' is available from the Survey material section of this product.

Activities 

The description of particular tasks that were being done during a person's day. 

Activity episode 

Describes all the things which related to a particular activity; for whom, what else was being done, physical and spatial location, mode of transport used, communication or technology used during the activity and who else was there, at any particular time. A change in any of these elements identified a new activity episode. 

Activity priority 

Any activity recorded in the diary is coded to a different activity type depending on whether it was described in the first diary column 'What was your main activity' or in the third diary column 'What else were you doing at the same time'. If it was described as a main activity it is stored on the computer file as the item Primary Activity. If the description occurred in diary column 3, it was stored as the item Secondary Activity. 

All persons 

Refers to the whole population of the particular group being examined, for instance, the whole population of Australians, or of males, or of women in full-time employment. There are only a few activities that everybody does every day. Most activities are done by different numbers of people. In order to compare times between different countries or groups of people, the time spent on activities by the people who reported doing them was distributed over the whole population, and presented as average time spent by all persons. 

Assistance received 

Persons 60 years or older and persons with a restriction which has lasted or is likely to last 6 months or more were asked if they receive help with a range of tasks. These include: 

• meal preparation;
• laundry and linen;
• light housework;
• heavy housework;
• home maintenance;
• gardening/mowing; and
• transport.

Assistance to child with a disability

Assistance is identified for a child aged under 15 years who receives more than usual assistance with the following tasks: 

• bathing or showering;
• dressing or undressing;
• eating or feeding;
• using the toilet;
• bladder or bowel control;
• moving around at home;
• moving around away from home; and
• understanding or being understood in own language.

The intention was to identify households which included children (and adults) with limitations in personal activity, who required more intensive care than usually provided. The presence of people needing care is likely to have an effect on the activity patterns of many or all of the people in that household. Detailed information about people with disabilities and their level of limitation is collected regularly by the ABS, most recently in the Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (Cat. no. 4430.0)

Average time spent 

The time spent by each person on a particular activity in a day was added to the time spent on that activity by everyone else. For 'average time spent by all persons', divide the total time spent on an activity, by the whole population (see All persons). For 'average time spent by participants' divide the total time spent on an activity by the number of persons engaged in that activity (see Participants). In an 'All persons' average time table, the time spent on activities by a particular population, for example 'males', can be added together. The time spent on activities by participants cannot be added together, as the average time calculation is based on a different population for each activity. 

Carer 

A carer is a person in the household specified as the provider of assistance to a person with a disability; or a person who identifies him/herself as the provider of assistance to a person with a long-term illness or disability living in another household. 

Caring for adults 

This activity category included physical care and emotional support as well as any other activities done for anyone outside the household who was sick, frail or who had a disability. 

Child 

A person of any age who is a natural, adopted, step, or foster son or daughter of a couple or lone parent, usually resident in the same household. A child is also any individual under 15, usually resident in the household, who forms a parent-child relationship with another member in the household. This includes otherwise related children and unrelated children under 15. In these cases in order to be classified as a child, the person can have no child or partner of their own usually resident in the household. For the purpose of asking about the presence of a child with disabilities in the household, a child is defined as aged under 15 years; for questions about use of child care, the relevant age is under 13 years. 

Child care activities

A major activity classification group which relates to all activities done for children aged under 15 years. It contains activities such as the physical and emotional care of children, teaching, reprimanding, playing with and talking to children. It also includes minding children and visiting child care establishments or schools. 

Commercial or service area 

Includes banks, shops, offices and hospitals. 

Committed time 

Describes activities to which a person has committed him/herself because of previous acts or behaviours or community participation such as having children, setting up a household or doing voluntary work. The consequent housework, care of children, shopping or provision of help to others are committed activities. In most cases, services could be bought to provide the same activity (e.g. an exchange could be made of time for money). The activity classifications of domestic work, child care, purchasing goods and services, and voluntary work and care are all included in this time category. 

Communication/technology 

This was recorded when a person reported any type of communication or use of technology. It is used to describe how a person is communicating with others (e.g. in person, by phone) or the technology that they are using during the activity. 

Concordance of activities 

A concordance has been derived on activities to allow for comparison of data from 1992 with 1997 and 2006. 

Confidentiality 

The maintenance of privacy of information that has been provided by individual respondents, and assurance that information about individual respondents cannot be derived from published survey results. 

Contracted time 

Includes paid work and regular education. Activities within this category have explicit contracts which control the periods of time in which they are performed. These activities, therefore, constrain the distibution of other activities over the rest of the day. The activity classification of employment related activities and education activities are included in this time category. 

Core activity limitation 

Limitation in one of the three core activity areas namely self-care, mobility and communication, because of a long term health condition. 

Couple 

A couple refers to two usual residents, both aged at least 15 years, who are either married to each other or living in a de facto relationship with each other. 

Couple family with dependent children 

See family types. 

Dependent child 

All persons aged under 15 years; and persons aged 15-24 years who are full-time students, have a parent in the household and do not have a partner or child of their own in the household. 

Disability status 

Whether has a disability, the level of core-activity limitation, and whether has a schooling or employment restriction. A disability or long-term health condition exists if a limitation, restriction, impairment, disease or disorder, had lasted, or was likely to last for at least six months, and which restricted everyday activities. 

It is classified by whether or not a person has a specific limitation or restriction. Specific limitation or restriction is further classified by whether the limitation or restriction is a limitation in core activities or a schooling/employment restriction only. 

There are four levels of core activity limitation (profound, severe, moderate, and mild) which are based on whether a person needs help, has difficulty, or uses aids or equipment with any of the core activities (self care, mobility or communication). A person's overall level of core activity limitation is determined by their highest level of limitation in these activities. 

The four levels are: 

• profound - always needs help/supervision with core activities
• severe - does not always need help with core activities
• moderate - has difficulty with core activities
• mild - uses aids to assist with core activities.

Persons are classified as having only a schooling/employment restriction if they have no core activity limitation and are aged 15 to 20 years and have difficulty with education, or are less than 65 years and have difficulty with employment.

Domestic activities 

A major activity classification group (See Total housework and Total other household work). 

Duration of unemployment 

The elapsed period to the end of the reference week since the time a person began looking for work, or since a person last worked for two weeks or more, whichever is the shorter. 

Eating and drinking locale 

Includes pubs, cafes, restaurants and food courts. Excludes canteens or eating areas in the workplace. 

Education activities 

A major activity classification group relates to formal education and training such as attending school, university and technical college courses, job related training (including time spent at professional conferences), studying and breaks at the place of education. As for 1997, but unlike in 1992, eating lunch or morning or afternoon tea at a school or other place of education is not included in Educational activities. 

Educational institution 

Includes preschools, schools, universities, TAFE, technical colleges, colleges etc. 

Employment related activities 

A major activity classification group which includes activities carried out in paid employment, or unpaid work in a family business or farm; job search activities such as travel to work or in the course of job search, and time spent in the workplace during work breaks. Looking at job advertisements in a newspaper, has been coded as job search. As for 1997, it does not include eating lunch or coffee breaks etc. In cases where respondents who were not in the labour force according to their interview, reported doing clerical and related work at home, and their spouse was self-employed, these activities were coded as unpaid work in a family business. 

Employed persons 

Persons aged 15 years and over who, during the week before the interview: 

• worked one hour or more for pay, profit, commission, payment in kind in a job or business, or on a farm (includes employees, employers and own account workers)
• worked one hour or more, without pay in a family business or on a family farm
• had a job, business, or farm but was not at work because of holidays, sickness or other reason.

Equivalised gross weekly household income

Total household income that has been adjusted for the number of adults and children in the household using an equivalence scale. For a lone person household, it is equal to income received. For a household comprising more than one person, equivalised income is an indicator of the household income that would be required by a lone person household in order to enjoy the same level of economic wellbeing as the household in question. 

Family 

Two or more persons, one of whom is at least 15 years of age, who are related by blood, marriage (registered or de facto), adoption, step or fostering; and who are usually resident in the same household. The basis of a family is formed by identifying the presence of a couple relationship, lone parent-child relationship or other blood relationship. Some households will, therefore, contain more than one family. For the purposes of the Time Use diary, family members who are usually resident in the same household are referred to as 'in household' family while family members who live outside of the household are referred to as family 'living elsewhere'. 

Family types 

Families are classified to one of the following categories: 

• Couple only - two persons in a registered or de facto marriage who usually live in the same household.
• Couple family with dependent children - a family consisting of a couple with at least one dependent child. The family may also include non-dependent children, other relatives and unrelated individuals.
• One parent family with dependent children - a family comprising a lone parent with at least one dependent child. The family may also include non-dependent children, other relatives and unrelated individuals.
• Other families:
  • one couple with their non-dependent children only
  • one couple, with or without non-dependent children or other relatives, plus unrelated individuals
  • a lone parent with his/her non-dependent children, with or without other relatives and unrelated individuals
  • two or more related individuals where the relationship is not a couple relationship or a parent-child relationship (e.g. two brothers).

Formal child care

Formal child care refers to regulated care away from the child's home for children 12 years and under. This includes: 

• before and after school care centres;
• long day care centres;
• family day care;
• preschool and kindergarten centres;
• occasional care centres; and
• other formal care.

For whom

In column two of the diary, persons reported for whom they were doing the main activity. This information was used to gain details on the purpose of the activity performed. The 'for whom' code was used to identify voluntary work, caring activities and helping activities. 

Free time 

The amount of time left when committed, contracted and necessary time have been taken out of a person's day. Social and community interaction and recreation and leisure activities are included in this time category. 

Full-time education 

Education classified by an educational institution as being full-time. 

Full-time student 

A student classified by an educational institution as being full-time. 

Full-time/part-time status 

For employed persons, full-time/part-time status is determined by the actual hours worked in the reference week or, as in this survey, the usual number of hours worked in a week in all jobs. For unemployed persons, it is the respondent's perception of whether the work sought is full-time or part-time. Full-time work is defined as 35 hours or more per week. 

Group household 

A household consisting of two or more unrelated persons where all persons are aged 15 years and over. There are no reported couple relationships, parent-child relationships or other blood relationships in these households. 

Helping, doing favours 

This category includes any activity that is performed for people outside the household who are not sick and do not have a disability. 

Household 

One or more persons, at least one of whom is at least 15 years of age, usually resident in the same private dwelling. 

Household items 

Persons were asked if particular household items were present in their household. These items included the number of televisions, motor vehicles and whether they had a computer, dishwasher or a clothes dryer in their household. 

Hours usually worked each week 

Hours usually worked each week is the amount of time a person usually spends at work each week as reported on the personal questionnaire, not the time diary. The time includes all paid and unpaid overtime but excludes time off. 

Impairment 

An impairment is a physical, psychological, intellectual or sensory loss of function. See 'Person with a disability' for list of impairments and restrictions used by the ABS to identify disability. 

Income 

Regular and recurring cash receipts including money received from: 

• wages and salaries (whether from an employer or own incorporated enterprise), including income provided as part of a salary sacrifice arrangement
• profit/loss from own unincorporated business (including partnerships)
• investment income (interest, rent, dividends, royalties)
• government pensions and allowances
• private cash transfers (e.g. superannuation, regular workers' compensation, income from annuities, child support, and other transfers from other households).

Gross income is the sum of the income from all these sources before income tax or the Medicare levy are deducted. See also Equivalised gross weekly household income.

Index of relative socio-economic disadvantage 

Persons area of residence ranked according to the 2001 Census-based Index of Disadvantage. Greater disadvantage is at the low end of the scale. 

Informal child care 

Informal child care refers to non-regulated care for a child under 12 years, in either the child's home or elsewhere. Care may be charged for or provided free of charge. It includes care provided by: 

• child's (step)brother or (step)sister;
• child's grandparents;
• child's other relative; and
• other people.

Labour force status

Classifies all persons aged 15 years or over as employed, unemployed or not in the labour force (according to the relevant definitions), during the specified reference week. 

Leisure, culture or sport establishment 

Includes indoor sports centres, museums, cinemas and theatres, public swimming pools, gyms etc. 

Location 

Location refers to where the person was when an activity was taking place. This includes a person's physical location e.g. at home, at work or in a street; and spatial location e.g. indoors, outdoors, or in transit. 

Lone parent 

A person who has no spouse or partner present in the household but who has a parent-child relationship with at least one dependent or non-dependent child usually resident in the household. 

Lone person household 

A household consisting of a person living alone. See also Non-family households. 

Major activity groups 

There are nine major activity groups within the activity classification. These are at the one digit code level. They are: personal care activities; employment related activities; education activities; domestic activities; child care activities; purchasing goods and services; voluntary work and care activities; social participation; and recreation and leisure. 

Main activity 

The person's description of an activity in the first diary column is designated as their main activity. In many countries, only one activity is collected for a time slot. Thus main activity tables are required for some comparability between countries. For many time periods, only one (the main) activity is described by respondents. 

Main English-speaking countries 

The list of Main English Speaking countries provided here is not an attempt to classify countries on the basis of whether or not English is the predominant or official language of each country. It is a list of the main countries from which Australia receives, or has received significant numbers of settlers from overseas who are likely to speak English. These countries comprise the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Canada, United States, New Zealand and South Africa. 

Masking 

Adjustment of variable values, for individual records, for the purpose of avoiding a possible breach of confidentiality. 

Microdata 

Unit record level statistical data. 

Mode of transport 

Mode of transport refers to the way in which people were travelling when they reported travel, e.g. driving or being driven in a car, walking, riding a bike, in a bus or train. 

Nature of activity 

Describes what people are actually doing regardless of the purpose. 

Necessary time 

Includes activities which serve basic physiological needs such as sleeping, eating, personal care, health and hygiene. These activities are identified in the activity classification as personal care activities. 

Non-dependent child 

Persons aged 15 years and over who: 

• do not have a spouse or offspring of their own in the household
• have a parent in the household
• are not full-time students aged 15-24 years.

Non-family household

A household that consists of unrelated persons only. Non-family households are classified to one of the following categories: 

• Group household - a household consisting of two or more unrelated persons where all persons are aged 15 years and over. There are no reported couple relationships, parent-child relationships or other blood relationships in these households.
• Lone person household - a household consisting of a person living alone.

Non-school qualifications

Non-school qualifications are awarded for educational attainments other than those of pre-primary, primary or secondary education. They include qualifications at the Post Graduate Degree Level, Master Degree Level, Graduate Diploma and Graduate Certificate Level, Bachelor Degree Level, Advanced Diploma and Diploma Level, and Certificates I, II, III and IV levels. Non-school qualifications may be attained concurrently with school qualifications. 

Not employed 

A combination of those people not in the labour force and unemployed. See Not in the labour force and Unemployed. 

Not in the labour force 

Persons not in the categories employed or unemployed as defined. 

Occupation 

Occupation is coded according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO), 2005 (Cat. no. 1221.0) from the respondents' descriptions of the kind of work they perform. 

Older people 

People aged 65 and over. 

One parent family 

A family which consists of a lone parent with at least one dependent or non-dependent child (regardless of age) who is also usually resident in the household. The family may also include any number of other dependent children, non-dependent children and other related individuals. 

Other family member 

A related individual who is not the spouse, child, parent or ancestor of any usual resident. 

Other free time 

An aggregation of activities such as relaxing, resting, thinking, worrying, drinking alcohol, smoking, enjoying memorabilia and interacting with pets. 

Participants 

Defined in respect of a particular activity, participants are those respondents who reported some time spent on that activity on a diary day. 

Participation rate 

The proportion of the whole population who reported on at least one of their diary days that they were taking part in a particular activity. Whole population refers to the population used for a table, or for part of a table. For example, where a table shows a disaggregation by sex, the male participation rate reflects the proportion of total males. Activity participation rates compare usefully between different populations within the table, but they do not present a similar proportion to the proportion of the population who report taking part in an activity during a longer reference period. 

For activities that take place on every day of the week, such as sleeping, the participation rate will be similar to a weekly rate. For activities that take place at regular intervals, such as sports events at weekends, the relevant weekday or weekend participation rate will be more realistic than the participation rate for the whole week. For irregular and occasional activities the participation rate cannot be used as an accurate representation of the population taking part in the activity. In this case the participation rate is likely to be either an overcount or an undercount of the real value because the activity occurs at irregular periods of time which may or may not have occurred during the time when the survey was conducted. 

Part-time education 

Education classified by an educational institution as being part-time. 

Part-time student 

A student classified by an educational institution as being part-time. 

Person with a disability 

A person of any age with one or more of the following impairments or restrictions which has lasted or is expected to last 6 months or more: 

• loss of sight;
• loss of hearing;
• speech difficulties;
• blackouts, fits or loss of consciousness;
• difficulty learning or understanding things;
• incomplete use of arms or fingers;
• difficulty gripping or holding things;
• incomplete use of feet or legs;
• nerves or emotional conditions which require treatment;
• restriction in physical activities or in doing physical work (e.g. back problems, arthritis);
• any disfigurement or deformity;
• needs/requires help or supervision in doing things due to a mental illness or condition;
• long-term effects as a result of a head injury, stroke or other brain damage;
• treatment or medication for a long-term condition or ailment and is still restricted by that condition; or
• any other long-term condition such as asthma, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, dementia etc. which is restricting.

Person with severe or profound limitation in personal activity

A person with a severe or profound limitation in personal activity is one who requires personal assistance with personal care, mobility or communication tasks. See 'Assistance to child with a disability' for list of tasks. 

Personal care activities 

A major activity classification group which includes activities such as sleeping, personal hygiene, health care and eating and drinking. 

Personal hygeine 

Includes getting up, getting ready, bathing, using the toilet and grooming. 

Personal medical care

Includes taking medications, vitamins, applying dressings or ointments, and exercising for specific conditions. 

Perturbation 

Adjustment of estimates to disguise individual values without affecting the statistical validity of aggregate data. 

Primary activity 

See Activity priority. 

Primary carer 

A primary carer provides the most assistance with the activities of self-care, mobility, or communication to another person who is either a co-resident or living elsewhere. The help or supervision has to be provided on a regular, unpaid, informal basis, because of the person's long-term health condition, or disability, and must be ongoing or likely to be ongoing for at least six months. 

Principal source of cash income 

Principal source of cash income refers to that source from which the greatest amount of cash income is received. 

Private dwelling

A residential structure which is self-contained, owned or rented by the occupants, and intended solely for residential use. A private dwelling can be a flat, part of a house, or even a room; but can also be a house attached to, or rooms above, shops or offices; an occupied caravan in a long-stay caravan park or boat in a marina; a houseboat, or a tent if it is standing on its own block of land. A caravan situated on a residential allotment is also classed as a private dwelling. 

Public place 

Includes streets, town halls, public gardens and churches. 

Purchasing goods and services 

A major activity classification group which includes activities such as purchasing consumer and durable goods, buying repair services and administrative services. 

Purpose of activity 

The reason why the person is doing what they are doing. For example, if someone is cooking for volunteer firemen, the purpose of the activity would be unpaid voluntary work. The nature of the activity is cooking. Purpose data is provided from the 'for whom' column. 

Quintiles 

Groupings that result from ranking all households or persons in the population in ascending order according to some characteristic such as their household income and then dividing the population into five equal groups, each comprising 20% of the estimated population. 

Recreation and leisure activities 

A major activity classification group which includes activities such as playing sport, walking, participating in games or hobbies, reading and watching television. Also included is other free time such as relaxing, thinking, smoking and drinking alcohol. 

Remoteness 

Within the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC), 2001 (Cat. no. 1216.0) the Remoteness classification comprises five categories each of which identifies a (non-contiguous) region in Australia having a particular degree of remoteness. The categories range from ‘Major Cities of Australia’ to ‘Very Remote Australia’. The degree of remoteness of each Collection District (CD) was determined using the Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA). CDs have then been grouped into the appropriate category of Remoteness to form non-contiguous areas within each state. 

Sample loss 

Defined as those dwellings from which no interviews or diaries were obtained for reasons other than non-response. This occurred in cases where all persons in the household were excluded on scope or coverage, the dwelling was vacant, or the dwelling was under construction, converted to non-dwelling use, derelict or listed in error.

School 

Any recognised primary or secondary school, or secondary college. These include formal classes, correspondence and home tuition. 

Secondary activity 

See Activity priority. 

Section of state 

This geographical classification uses population counts to define Collection Districts (CDs) as urban or rural and to provide, in aggregate, statistics for urban concentrations and for bounded localities and balance areas. Section of State represents an aggregation of non-contiguous geographical areas of a particular urban/rural type. The Sections of State defined include Major Urban (population clusters of 100,000 or more), Other Urban (population clusters of 1,000 to 99,999), Rural Locality (200 to 999), Rural Balance (remainder of State/Territory) and Migratory, and in aggregate cover the whole of Australia. 

Self-assessed health status 

Respondent's perception of their current health status. 

Social and community interaction 

A major activity classification group which includes activities relating to social interaction participation such as attending a concert, a library or amusement park. Also included are attending sports events, participating in religious ceremonies and community participation such as attendance at meetings. 

Socio-economic status of area 

Person's area of residence ranked according to the 2001 Census-based Index of Disadvantage. Greater disadvantage is at the low end of the scale. 

Status in employment 

Status in employment is a person's classification as being either an employee, employer, own account worker, or contributing family worker in respect to their main job. 

Status of student 

Whether a student undertakes study full-time or part-time. 

Support for adults 

An aggregate covering both the physical and emotional care for adults and helping or doing favours. 

Time saving services 

Persons were asked whether their household used services such as house cleaning services, clothes care or laundry services and gardening services. They were also asked how many times, in the previous two weeks, anyone in their household had a takeaway meal or had eaten a meal in a restaurant. 

Time stress questions 

Persons were asked to fill in questions at the start of their diary. These questions asked for the person's perception on how often they felt rushed or pressed for time or whether they had time they didn't know what to do with. They were also asked the reasons why they felt this way. 

Time use diary 

The time use diary was used to collect information about people's daily activities. The diary was set out in columns requiring the respondent to enter what activity they were doing, who the activity was done for, if they were doing anything else at the same time, where they were and who they were with. 

Topcoding 

Reduction of all high values to a specified maximum value. 

Total cash income 

The sum of amounts of cash income from wages, salary, all government pensions and allowances, interest, dividends, superannuation, profit/loss from own business or rental property, and any other regular source reported for the applicable reference period in response to one or more questions, calculated as a weekly equivalent. 

Total housework 

The activity group Domestic activities has been further divided into two sub-groups, 'Total housework' and 'Total other household work'. Total housework includes food preparation, service and clean-up; washing, ironing and clothes care; and other housework such as indoor cleaning and tidying activities. The reason for this division is that previous time use studies have shown men's domestic work is mostly identified in 'Total other household work', and women's domestic work is mostly identified in 'Total housework'. 

Total other household work 

Includes domestic management, home and car maintenance and improvement, pet care and care of the grounds. Associated travel is not included. 

Travel associated with activities 

Whenever a respondent reported an episode of travelling in their diary, the travel was assigned to a particular activity group such as purchasing goods and services, depending on the activity following the travel episode, such as shopping at the mall or the preceding activity in the case of travelling home after shopping. 

Types of time 

The four types of time are: 

• Necessary time includes activities which serve basic physiological needs such as sleeping, eating, personal care, health and hygiene;
• Contracted time includes paid work and regular education. Activities within this category have explicit contracts which control the periods of time in which they are performed;
• Committed time describes activities to which a person has committed him/herself because of previous acts or behaviours or community participation such as having children, setting up a household or doing voluntary work. The consequent housework, care of children, shopping or provision of help to others are committed activities. In most cases, services could be bought to provide the same activity (e.g. an exchange could be made of time for money); and
• Free time is the amount of time left when the previous three types of time have been taken out of a person's day. Social and community interaction and recreation and leisure activities are included in this category.

Undescribed

This category is used where a characteristic for an activity, such as specific physical location, was not specified by the respondent in the diary entry. 

Unemployed 

Persons aged 15 years and over who were not employed during the week before the interview and had actively looked for full-time or part-time work at any time in the four weeks before the interview and: 

• were available for work in the week before the interview, or
• were waiting to start a new job within four weeks from the interview and would have started in the week before the interview if the job had been available then.

Unpaid voluntary work

Activities which are performed for community organisations without pay. 

Unpaid work in a family business or farm 

Worked for one hour or more without pay in a family business or on a farm. Also includes reported episodes where diary schedule does not indicate employment and there is no earned income but the respondent was clearly doing clerical or other work for (usually the spouse's) business. It also includes activities such as when the respondent reported 'pottering on the farm'. 

Usual resident (UR) 

A person who lives in a private dwelling and regards it as his/her own or main home. 

Voluntary work and care 

A major activity classification group which includes physical and emotional caring activities for adults, unpaid work for organisations and assisting family, friends, neighbours and others. 

Weekday/weekend 

Monday to Friday are regarded as weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays as weekends. All persons were asked to complete a diary for two days, either or both of which could be weekdays or weekends. The seven days were spread through the whole population as evenly as possible. The type of day (weekday/Saturday/Sunday) was used in the weighting procedure for time estimates and the underlying populations, and is outlined in the Survey methodology section of this publication. 

Who with 

Other people present when an activity was taking place. In this survey, other people taking part in the activity are not identifiable. The emphasis was on all people within the area for which a person might be responsible. This means everyone at a person's home when that person reported being at home, and all the people accompanying him/her away from home. It is more likely that activities away from home are shared with the family or friends reported present. When the respondent is home, he/she may be reading, someone else watching television, a baby may be asleep and other children playing in the back yard; yet if the respondent is the only adult present there may be a monitoring role in respect of all these other people. For details of the 'who with' items classification, see the Data item list in Appendix 2. 

Work breaks 

Includes taking a break for OHAS exercises, waiting for a job to start, equipment to arrive etc. 

Young people 

Persons aged 15 to 24 years.

The following symbols and abbreviations are used in this publication: