Poland 1986 - Documentation

Table of Contents

• A. GENERAL INFORMATION
• B. POPULATION AND SAMPLE SIZE, SAMPLING METHODS
• C. MEASURES OF DATA QUALITY
• D. DATA COLLECTION AND ACQUISITION
• E. WEIGHTING PROCEDURES
• F. DETERMINATION OF SURVEY UNIT MEMBERSHIP
• G. CHILDREN AND SPOUSES
• H. AVAILABILITY OF BASIC SOCIAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
• I. AVAILABILITY OF LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION
• J. AVAILABILITY OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
• K. SOURCES AND AMOUNTS OF CASH INCOME
• L. TAXES
• M. BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MAIN PUBLICATIONS

 

A. GENERAL INFORMATION back

Official name of the survey:
Badania Budzetow Gospodarstw Domowych

LIS name:
Polish Household Budget Survey

Administrative unit responsible for the survey:
Central Statistical Office (Glownyurad Statystyczny) - Department of Social and Demographic Surveys.

Funding for the survey was provided for by the Government budget.
The data collected in this survey has been mainly used by the Polish Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, the Ministry of Health, the Central Planning Commission, etc..

The main focus of the survey was the budget of the Polish households. One tried to get more information on the level and sources of income of the Polish households, the patterns of their consumer expenditures and their living conditions.-

The process of data collection for the 1986 Polish Household BudgetSurvey was begun in January 1986 and was completed in December1986.

A bibliography of the most important publications based on the Polish Household Budget Survey is provided in the bibliography in Section M.

 B POPULATION AND SAMPLE SIZE, SAMPLING METHODS back

A two stage stratified (rotation panel) systematic random sample design (self-weighting) was employed in the Polish Household Budget Survey. In the first stage the frame consisted of the census enumeration list for different statistical regions (containing at least 250 dwellings) which were selected with a probability proportional to the number of dwellings, after being stratified by ownership. The second stage consisted out of two phases of selection. In the first phase the sampling frame consisted of dwellings in statistical regions, selected in the first stage) 150 dwellings were selected for each region. In the second phase the frame consisted of a list of households (living in the selected dwellings) ordered according to certain characteristics, like the household size, the main source of income, the level of income and acreage (in rural areas). Four subsamples of households were selected from each sampling unit (one for each quarter of the year) each of which consisted of 6 households. Four to be surveyed quarterly over four years (through the same 3 consecutive months) and two to be surveyed for one quarter and replaced in the next year. Altogether 48 households were selected from each census enumeration region for one whole 'round' of rotation (4 years).

Excluded from the survey were households headed by persons employed in the police (militia) and the military (4-5% of the population), the non-farm self-employed (4%) and the nomenclature of the Polish Communist party and the administrative hierarchy (0.7-0.9%). This was the same sample that was made available to LIS.

In total 25,632 households were selected for the 1986 survey ((450 census enumeration regions * 2 subsamples * households * 4 quarters)= 21,600 'regular' households + 4,032 households (extension in rural regions). In total 25,157 households were interviewed, including 'substitutes', although the Polish C.S.O.mentions in its publications a final counting of 24,970 households.

The survey with 25,157 households was made available to L.I.S.

C. MEASURES OF DATA QUALITY back

There was some deficiency in the survey coverage, because of the fact that the non-farm self-employed, the police and the military and the Polish nomenclature were excluded from the sample.

Furthermore, cash property income and in-kind benefits were not included and too large aggregates of cash benefits were being used.

There was also a rather high rate of non-response (about 30% of the original sample, were substituted by 'identical' households from a reserve list). Also, the idea of self-weighting was not fully realized, as far as four independent subsamples (each of them containing 450 statistical units) were not entered into the survey.

D. DATA COLLECTION AND ADMINISTRATION back

The "diary" method of filling out a 'budget notebook' through three consecutive months was used. The interviewer must receive the approval of the selected 12 households (6 households in 2 designed statistical units) in each quarter of the year (altogether one interviewer works with 48 households during one year). The interviewer is obliged to visit the household at least twice a month and has a completing and updating interview at the end of the year.

The 'budget notebook' is typically filled in by the spouse or by another responsible adult person. There is no requirement to answer the questions for himself/herself.

The respondents were not asked to consult or use pay records, etc., but wages and salaries were verified in the employer's office.

E. WEIGHTING PROCEDURE back

 No survey weights have been assigned.

F. DETERMINATION OF SURVEY UNIT MEMBERSHIP back

The basic units of aggregation of the Polish Household Budget Survey are households.

Were considered as a household:

1. single/unrelated person;
2. two or more persons which are related to each other and also unrelated people living together and (at least partly) sharing their incomes.

Two or more families living together but not sharing their incomes are treated as different households. Persons absent due to work-related reasons are considered members of a household as far as they contribute to the household budget. Children attending school and living in dormitories or boarding-schools, persons in military service/installations, in prison, nursing homes, etc., are not considered as members of the household. Persons sharing a house/apartment are considered as members of separate households. Servants/ domestic personal are neither considered as members of the household they are working for, nor as a separate household. Also students temporarily living in the household are not considered as members.

G. CHILDREN AND SPOUSES back

Children are defined as dependent persons under age 17 or up to 25 if (the latter) are attending school and are not working. Disabled persons, regardless of their age, are also considered as being children if the disability occurred before they reached the age of 16.

The survey does not provide any information to distinguish between children of the unit head (or spouse) and children of some other household member or someone living outside the household.

H. AVAILABILITY OF BASIC SOCIAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION back  

Table PL86.1
Basic Social and Demographic Information (available on public use unit record file)

I. AVAILABILITY OF LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION back

Labor force status information is available for this survey. No groups were excluded at the time of interview through filter questions relating to the employment status of the respondent, although only income recipients were requested to provide answers to the income schedule. The labor market information which is available in the survey is summarized in Table PL86.2

Table PL86.2
Labour Market Information

J. AVAILABILITY OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION back

The geographic location is based on the residence of the respondent household (across of the dwelling). The smallest units for publication of income data are 49 'voievod'-ships /administrative regions. Information is also available by grouped 'voievod'-ships (north, north-east, south, south-east, central, central-east, central-west and capital-central). There is also some information about the size of city/community in which the household lives.

K. SOURCES AND AMOUNTS OF CASH INCOME back

To record the sources and amounts of income received a reference period of one month was used. The amounts received are usual amounts. Income sources and amounts were recorded for each household member.

L. TAXES back

There is no information on taxes available in this survey.

M. BIBLIOGRAPHY OF IMPORTANT PUBLICATIONS back

• Annuals: "The Household Budgets", C.S.O.-Poland.
• Chapter "Household Budgets" in every issue of annuals Polish "Statistical Yearbook", C.S.O.-Poland.