Australia’s Time Use Survey


This is an important national survey that collects information about how Australians balance their time between work, family, leisure, caring and other activities.

Your participation is an opportunity to make a real difference. The information you provide will contribute to important decisions being made for your local area and the wider Australian community, such as decisions about employment, families, child care and volunteering in Australia. To find out more about this survey, please see our Frequently Asked Questions below.

For help completing your diary see our Online Diary Help Page or Paper Diary Help Page.


Ready to complete your survey now?

Click the button below to create your ABS Survey Account and complete your survey online.



About this survey

I've been chosen to be in the Time Use Survey – what is this?
This is an important national survey that collects information about how Australians balance their time between work, family, leisure, caring and other activities.


How is the information from this survey used and why is it important?
Your participation in this survey is an opportunity to make a real difference. Results are used by governments, researchers and community groups to better understand how Australians live and about the time pressures we experience. The information you provide will contribute to important decisions being made for your local area and the wider Australian community.

By taking part, you can ensure that your experiences and circumstances become part of the story of life in Australia today. Decisions about employment, families, child care and volunteering can be made by analysing data from this survey. The information you provide will help to shape policies and services which improve the lives of all Australians.


Why was my household selected?
Each year, we collect data about all aspects of life from thousands of households throughout Australia in order to better understand our population and future needs. Households from every state and territory are selected at random to participate in this survey.

Rather than survey the whole population, we use a scientific sampling process designed to collect data which builds a picture that includes people from all areas of Australia. All households have a chance of being selected for this important national survey.

Once a household has been selected, another household cannot be substituted in its place, as changing the random selection could mean some parts of the community are under or over represented.

It is important that all selected households complete the survey in order to make sure the results represent the whole community. This means that decisions made about services provided by government, local councils and community groups are made using the most accurate information.


How do I complete the survey?
Given the recent spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) we ask that all households selected complete the survey online.

If you are unable to respond online, please call us on 1800 246 878. For more information about the ABS response to Coronavirus (COVID-19) you can visit our Information for Survey Participants page by clicking here.

Your household will have received a letter informing you about your selection in this survey. There are two parts to this survey:

Part 1: Questions about your household
You will need to begin the survey online. Simply follow the instructions on the letter to create your ABS Survey Account, and complete the first part of the survey.

The questions in the first part of this survey focus on employment, childcare and health. To answer these questions, please choose someone from your household to be your representative. This should be the person best placed to answer these kinds of questions on behalf of everyone in the household, including providing the email address for each person who is 15 years or older.

Part 2: Filling out a time use diary
After your household representative has completed the first part of the survey, we then ask that everyone in the household who is aged 15 years or over to complete the second part of this survey, which is the time use diary. They will be asked to use the time use diary to record all of their activities over a two-day period.

If we don't hear anything from you before the due date (shown on the letter we sent), one of our interviewers may make contact to complete the survey with you and your household.


Who in my household will be required to participate?
For the first part of this survey, one household representative will be asked to provide general information about everyone in the household, including providing email address for each person who is 15 years or older. For the second part of the survey, we ask everyone in the household who is aged 15 years or older, to complete a time use diary and record all their activities over a two-day period.


Is the survey compulsory?
Ultimately, yes. The questions included in this survey are being asked under the authority of the Census and Statistics Act 1905, which has provisions to make surveys compulsory.

Under the Act, you are obliged to provide the information being requested, unless otherwise specified by your interviewer. All the information you provide will remain strictly confidential and is protected under the Act.

The ABS has a strong reputation for retaining confidentiality of data. Our privacy policy outlines how you can access and correct the personal details that you provide to us and our privacy complaints handling process. For the ABS privacy policy please see www.abs.gov.au/privacy


What kinds of questions will you ask?
This survey collects general information on everyone in the household and includes questions about employment, childcare and health. We then ask everyone in the household who is aged 15 years or over to complete a time use diary and record all their activities over a two-day period.


How do I know the person contacting me is from the ABS?
If your household has been selected to participate in this survey, you will have received a letter informing you about your selection.

For any personal visits, our staff will always identify themselves, show you their official ABS photo identification and clearly explain the information they are seeking and how it will be used.

You may receive calls from numbers that you are not familiar with, including mobile phone or “unknown” numbers. This is because many of our Interviewers are teleworkers and use ABS authorised mobile phones and office phones, connected to our highly secure networks, to conduct interviews over the phone.
Remember -The ABS will NEVER ask you to provide or confirm your bank details.

If you are concerned, you can call us on 1800 246 878 and we will verify your selection in the survey and the identity of the Interviewer who is contacting you.


What happens if there are people in my household who don't speak English?
Where possible, we can arrange for an ABS Interviewer who is fluent in the language of the householder to conduct the survey over the phone. You can call us on 1800 246 878 to arrange an interview. If there is someone in the household who can translate, and the respondent agrees, they can help the interviewer.


Will I be paid for my time?
No. There is no provision within the Census and Statistics Act 1905 to reimburse people for the cost of providing statistical information. In line with other national statistical organisations throughout the world, individuals, businesses and other organisations are asked to supply information for statistical purposes without compensation. It is only with the support of people like you that we can continue to produce the statistics that inform Australia's important decisions.


How will you keep my information safe, secure and confidential?
We take the security of the information you provide to us very seriously. Your information remains strictly confidential to the ABS and is not shared with other agencies. We use the information you provide to calculate statistics, which are released in ways that do not allow for the identification of individuals or households.

All ABS employees have signed a legally enforceable Undertaking of Fidelity and Security in which they agree to keep any information, including personal information which they may deal with in the course of their work, private and confidential. This agreement applies to ABS employees for the rest of their lives, even if they leave the ABS. The penalty for breaching this is two years imprisonment, a $26,640 fine, or both.

We comply with the Australian Privacy Principles. If you believe we have breached these principles, please see the information on how to lodge a complaint about privacy matters, contained within our privacy policy.


Will the information I provide be combined with other data?
The information you provide will be combined with the information from other respondents to produce vital statistics about Australian households.

We often combine data from two or more surveys because combining data helps fill the gaps — and saves you time. Combining data helps provide a clearer picture of Australia than what can be achieved by any one survey alone, and creates new insights about our society and the economy. By reusing existing data, we reduce the need for Australian households and businesses to provide more information.

Governments, researchers and community groups will use this vital data to better understand how Australians live and feel about different aspects of their lives. This will help design policies and services to improve the lives of Australians.


How can I provide feedback about my experience in the Time Use Survey?
If you have participated in this survey, or any of our other surveys, we want to hear about your experience. We value your feedback and will use it to improve how we work with our survey participants.

You can use our feedback form to provide us with feedback. For this survey, please select the option "Participation in an ABS Household Survey".


I'm having trouble completing the survey online – where can I find help?
Please see our Survey Account Help page for assistance with technical difficulties and answers to frequently asked questions on creating and using an ABS Survey Account.

You can also call us on 1800 246 878 and one of our team will be happy to assist you. If you would like help with completing the time use diary, see more information under ‘Where can I find more information about completing the diary?’ section.


I'm having trouble completing my diary – where can I find help?
For help or more information about completing the time use diary online, see the time use survey Online Diary Help page.

If you are completing a paper time use diary, and need help or more information please see the time use survey Paper Diary Help page.

If you are unsure which diary you and your household should be completing, please call us on 1800 246 878.


Who can I contact for more information?
For help or more information about this survey, please call us on 1800 246 878 during business hours. For help outside these hours, please leave a message with your contact details and we will return your call as soon as possible.