1. Update on General Lifestyle Survey developments Steven Dunstan, Survey Manager, ONS Office for National Statistics, Government Buildings, Cardiff Road, Newport, NP10 8XG E-mail: socialsurveys@ons.gsi.gov.uk

2. Overview Survey background 2010 survey 2011 survey Survey outputs Future of GLF data collection –EU-SILC integration into FRS –Longitudinal EU-SILC survey –Current proposal for GLF –User consultation Discussion

3. Survey background Multi-purpose annual survey started in 1971 as General Household Survey (GHS). Longitudinal design from 2005 –4-yearly rotation –all adults 16+ originally sampled (OS) followed –all adults aged 16+ interviewed whether OS or not A module of the IHS Main users – ONS, Eurostat, NHS Information Centre, Department for Health, HMRC, DWP, academics

4. 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

5. Survey topics Household questionnaire Household information Accommodation Consumer durables Housing costs

6. Survey topics - continued Individual questionnaire Employment Pensions Health Childcare Smoking and Drinking Financial situation Income Family Information (marriages, cohabitations, fertility)

7. EU-SILC requirement - 2005 Longitudinal design Trailer modules Fieldwork period change in 2005/06: financial to calendar year Integrated Household Survey (IHS) - 2008 Core questions GLF specific questions Historic changes

8. EU-SILC contacts Data download –Eurostat website (http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/)http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/ Further information Andrew Barnard (Project Manager) email: andrew.barnard@ons.gov.ukandrew.barnard@ons.gov.uk

9. 2010 Survey Content broadly the same as 2009 2010 trailer module: Intra-Household Allocation of Resources –Responsibilities for income and expenditure –Allocation of income –Decision making Provisional publication date of January 2012

10. 2011 Survey Content broadly the same as 2010 2011 trailer module: Intergenerational transmission of disadvantages The 2010 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC2010) replaces SOC2000 Questions that record births to women have been updated Wellbeing questions included from April

11. Survey outputs Smoking and Drinking Among Adults GLF/GHS Overview Reports Topic based ONS publications (Social Trends, Regional Trends, Focus On…) Data files for the UK Data Archive

12. Useful links and contacts Report and appendices http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.a sp?vlnk=5756 General enquiries socialsurveys@ons.gov.uk

13. The future of GLF data collection

14. EU-SILC integration into FRS (1) 2010 Feasibility Study Could EU-Statistics on Income & Living Conditions (EU-SILC) be collected via the Family Resource Survey (FRS)? Benefits: Greater harmonisation between poverty indicators used by the UK and EU Efficiency of data collection and analysis (e.g. there is considerable duplication on the GLF and FRS) Cost savings

15. EU-SILC integration into FRS (2) Feasibility study findings Cross-sectional EU-SILC could be met with minimal changes to the FRS –Around 3/4 of EU-SILC variables could already be directly derived from FRS –FRS already includes all the core EU-SILC topic areas => additional EU-SILC variables fit reasonably well within existing questionnaire However… –FRS could not adopt the longitudinal design required for the EU-SILC Longitudinal component

16. Longitudinal EU-SILC survey ONS Longitudinal EU-SILC survey First year data collection (wave 1) met by the FRS Longitudinal component met by a telephone based ONS interview (wave 2 to 4) Restricted to EU-SILC topics Introduced in 2012

17. EU-SILC longitudinal sample design

18. Data consideration The EU-SILC telephone interview will not include non- EU-SILC topics. The non-EU-SILC components of GLF are: Family information Fertility Smoking Drinking Health conditions Use of health services

19. Current proposal for 2012 and beyond Current GLF EU-SILC -Economic status and employment -Income and benefits -Housing and material deprivation -General health -longstanding illness -limiting illness Non-EU-SILC -Family information -Fertility -Pensions -Smoking and drinking -Health conditions -Use of health services 2011 FRS (EU-SILC Wave 1) ONS telephone interview (EU-SILC W2+) 2012 Opinions / GLF (1) What modules / questions should be included and when? (2) One or all adults interviewed? (3) Sample size requirement

20. GLF and Opinions – a comparison GLFOpinions Face-to-face interviewing 12 month field period Households selected with a probability stratified 2 stage sample design Weighting – non-response / calibration adjustments ~ 60% wave 1 household response rate~ 60% household response rate Interview attempted with all adults (aged 16+)One adult aged 16+ selected at random ~15,000 adults in responding households 13,500 providing an interview in person Child bearing age ~ 3,800 (around 90% answer fertility questions) ~ 12,750 adult respondents all providing an interview Child bearing age ~ 3,400 As Opinions, but with: Income and benefits; housing and material deprivation; family information; fertility; pensions; drinking; health conditions; use of health services. Core variables: Basic demographics; household structure; tenure; ethnicity; general health and limiting illness; sources of income and gross amount; economic status; education; smoking client modules

21. User consultation http://www.ons.gov.uk/about/consultations/open -consultations/index.html glf.consultation@ons.gsi.gov.uk 12 week period - 11 February to 6 May

22. User feedback (1) What are the current uses / requirements of the GLF? What specific topics / questions are used? Are all the data required each year or could topics be collected less frequently? What precision is required (point estimates and estimates of change)? What is the purpose / value added? What are the most important topics / variables? How soon after collection are data required (timeliness)? What are the implications of stopping the GLF Survey?

23. User feedback (2) What are the alternatives to the GLF? What other data sources could be / are used (e.g. Country Health Surveys, administrative health data; other social surveys)? How could a new Opinions / GLF survey meet existing and future GLF requirements? What changes might be required? What are user views on current questionnaire content? Are all questions needed? Could certain topic questions be developed to better meet user needs and requirement?

24. General Lifestyle SurveyIHS COREEU- SILC Other sources Economic status questions, including employment Yes LFS, FRS, OPN Income questions (including benefits, pensions, investments) No (except a general question) YesFRS, LCF, HAS Housing and material deprivation (including, ownership of items, problems with the dwelling). Also questions on social exclusion, environmental problems, financial burden of housing costs and the repayment of debt, etc. NoYesEHS, FRS Social exclusion, environmental problems, financial burden (inc debt) NoYesFRS Education questionsYes LFS, OPN Number of hours of different types of child care NoYesFRS

25. General Lifestyle SurveyIHS COREEU- SILC Other sources General health, longstanding illness and limiting health problems Yes OPN Health conditions, children's health, contacts with GP, hospital (in patient, out patient; private, NHS, duration of visits) No Country Health Surveys, admin. Mortgage paymentsNoYesLCF, FRS Vehicle questions, including company cars.NoYesLCF, FRS smoking and drinking questionsNo (except smoking prevalence) NoCountry Health Surveys Family Information other than basic demographics - i.e. marriages, cohabitations, fertility No Understanding Society Pensions other than income/contribution - i.e. eligibility, membership, types of pension, employer/HMRC contribution, self-employed arrangements No FRS, HAS, LCF

26. For consideration Any proposals / plans must be affordable i.e. existing and future data requirements must be met with the available resource following the Government Spending Review The existing survey (2010/11 financial year) and future data collection and processing is dependent on funding from ONS and other departments / organisations.

27. Discussion