Time-budget surveys

Abstract

The main purpose of a time-budget survey is to collect data which will show how much time is spent on different activities in the course of, say, a representative day, by different sections of the population and the distribution over the day of time used for different purposes. These data are needed for an analysis of productive, household and leisure activities covering many aspects of human life for which data are riot otherwise available from the usual social, demographic and related economic statistics. The analysis is facilitated because time is the basic unit of measurement and hence the data are amenable to a greater degree of disaggregation than the traditional concepts of participation and non-participation. Also, it becomes easy to understand the trade-off between one activity and another. The analysis leads to a better appreciation of questions of economic and social concern, e.g. nature of income earning activities particularly marginal and auxiliary activities utilization of labour, particularly of women and children; extent to which earning activities impinge on other demands on time j whether individuals have sufficient time for personal^ family care and social obligations; leisure time available and activities; whether individuals have to spend an inordinate amount of time in traveling to work, school market, recreational facilities and so on0 An understanding of such problems is valuable for planning and policy making to improve, levels of living and the quality of life of the people and provide the necessary public services and welfare facilities.