Dissemination and Use of Time Use Data The New Zealand Experience

1. Dissemination and Use of Time Use Data The New Zealand Experience UNECE Gender Statistics Session Geneva, 18-20 October

2. Outline • Background • Dissemination strategy • Indicators • Uses of data • Conclusion

3. Background • New Zealand’s first national Time Use Survey 1998-99 • to provide information on patterns of time use of New Zealanders • Commissioned by Ministry of Women’s Affairs • raised awareness of unseen role played by women in families and community • measurement and valuation of unpaid activities – gap in official statistics • Methodology • 8,500 individuals 12 years and over • interviews spread over 12 month period • 3 data collection documents -household questionnaire (ownership of household, availability of appliances etc) - personal questionnaire (demographic, labour force, education, income etc) - 48 hour dairy (activities undertaken, simultaneous activities, location of theactivity) • 72 percent response rate

4. Dissemination of results • Media releases • Key findings • Labour market • Education • Health and welfare • Culture • 50 tables published on website • Analytical report ‘Around the Clock’ • Inclusion of results in other analytical reports e.g. ‘Older New Zealanders’ • Customised requests for data • Unit record data available in Data Laboratory • Seminars to promote the survey to researchers

5. Indicators • Unpaid work • time spent on unpaid work (e.g. shopping, housework, childcare, working for a voluntary organisation), whether a primary/simultaneous activity • Paid work • actual hours of paid work, work-related travel, work from home, work at non-standard times • Total work • time spent on paid and unpaid work combined, ratio of unpaid to paid work time, proportion of total time spent on work • Education • time spent on formal education, homework, time of day, education-related travel • helping with homework, unpaid work for educational institutions

6. Indicators • Welfare and health • time spent caring for other household members/people in other households, time spent working unpaid for community organisations • time spent health maintenance/personal care (e.g. sleeping, eating, personal hygiene), exercising, smoking, leisure activities, receiving health services • Culture & mass media • time spent on cultural activities (e.g. visiting museums, art galleries, performing arts etc), characteristics of individuals • time spent watching television, listening to the radio etc, location, time of day, whether a primary or secondary activity

7. Indicators • Social capital • time spent volunteering (formal participation), types of association people volunteer for, characteristics of volunteers • time spent helping others or providing informal care (informal participation) • social time with friends and family • Transportation • time spent travelling, reason for travel, mode of travel, times at which people travel

8. Uses of time use data • Valuation of unpaid work • further the measurements in national accounts • contribution to the economy from unpaid work and production of goods and services for ones own consumption • experimental work in estimating the value of unpaid household activities • estimated value of unpaid work was 39 percent of GDP • development of household satellite accounts • Work/life balance • extent to which NZ has moved to a 24 hour economy • extent to which requirement to work at unsocial times of the day/week are concentrated amongst particular groups of workers • amount of paid work that is done at workers’ homes • extent to which long hours of paid work mean less time with other family members

9. Conclusion • Time Use Surveys are multi-purpose collection instruments • data is relevant to almost every area of government policymaking • can enhance understanding of existing statistics, so that policy development can take place in a more informed environment