The General Lifestyle Module/Survey (The General Household Survey) Steven Dunstan, Survey Manager, ONS Riaz Ali, Senior Research Officer, ONS Office for National Statistics, Government Buildings, Cardiff Road, Newport, NP10 8XG

Overview Survey background Recent changes –EU-SILC –Integrated Household Survey Survey design –Sample design –Keep In Touch Exercise Recent developments –Sexual Identity question –Drinking questions –Trailer modules Survey outputs

Survey background Multi-purpose annual survey started in 1971 as General Household Survey (GHS). Current sponsors: Dept for Work and Pensions (DWP) Scottish Government HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Information Centre for health and social care (IC - independent arm of Dept of Health) Eurostat Survey run every year since 1971, except 1997 and 1999 when stopped for review and redesign.

Survey background Household questionnaire Household information Accommodation Consumer durables Housing costs Migration, citizenship, national identity and ethnicity

Survey background Individual questionnaire Employment Pensions Health Childcare Smoking and Drinking Financial situation Income

EU-SILC requirements Longitudinal design Income section Trailer modules Integrated Household Survey (IHS) Core questions GLF specific questions Fieldwork period change in 2005/06: financial to calendar year Survey changes

EU-SILC In 2005 the EU made it a legal obligation for Member States (MS) to collect additional statistics on income and living conditions. Comparable and timely statistics on income and living conditions. Cross-sectional data: Income, poverty, social exclusion and living conditions Longitudinal data: Income, labour market participation, non-monetary indicators of social exclusion

EU-SILC Outputs The Laeken indicators SILC-based Laeken indicators include: Risk of poverty thresholds At-risk-of-poverty rate (by age, gender, activity status, household type, tenure status, work intensity) Dispersion around the poverty threshold Risk of poverty before and after social transfers

Percentage of the total population at risk of poverty for EU countries, 2006

EU-SILC contacts Data download –Eurostat website ( Further information Andrew Barnard (Project Manager)

Integrated Household Survey General Lifestyle Survey (GLF) is the new administrative name for the General Household Survey. GLF is part of the Integrated Household Survey (IHS). IHS is a new survey integrating 6 household surveys, including the GHS – now called the GLF.

Sample design Four-year sample rotation – households can remain within the sample for up to 4 years. ReplicationYear 1 (2005) Year 2 (2006) Year 3 (2007) Year 4 (2008) Year 5 (2009) 11 st Dropped 21 st 2 nd Dropped 31 st 2 nd 3 rd Dropped 41 st 2 nd 3 rd 4 th Dropped 51 st 2 nd 3 rd 4 th 61 st 2 nd 3 rd 71 st 2 nd 81 st

KITE - Keep In Touch Exercise Administered by ONS Telephone Unit 9 months after an interview (3 months before re-interview) Following named individuals who agreed to re-interview Checks contact details are up-to-date Individual advance letters sent out

Recent developments Sexual identity question Drinking questions 12 month drinking questions reinstated Average size of a wine glass EU-SILC trailer modules Financial exclusion and debt (2008) Material deprivation (2009)

Sexual identity question Questions piloted on GLF in 2008 Split sample experiment (Apr-Sept) No significant evidence of lower response Included on IHS/GLF from 2009 Prevalence estimates Measures of socio-economic characteristics of the LGB population Measures of disadvantage equality/sexual-identity/default.asp

Drinking questions Questions on drinking habits over last 12 months reinstated from 2008 Question on average size of a wine glass from ompendia/drinkingmethodologyfinal.pdf

EU-SILC trailer modules Financial Exclusion and Over Indebtedness (2008) Expose levels of access to financial services Assess the impact of financial exclusion on access to other services. Evaluate access to credit. Identify the level of and characteristics of debt. Material Deprivation (2009) Housing, environment, financial stress and durables Basic needs, unmet needs, leisure and social activities Children items

Survey outputs Smoking and Drinking Among Adults GHS Overview Report Topic based ONS publications (Social Trends, Regional Trends, Focus On…) Data files for the ESDS archive (UK Data Archive)

Useful links and contacts Report and appendices Drinking methodology ompendia/drinkingmethodologyfinal.pdf General enquiries