Measuring living standards: developing quick expenditure questions

Description:

Researchers from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, NatCen Social Research and the University of Essex will present two pieces of work on measuring household living standards.

First, we will summarise the UK evidence that consumption is a superior measure of household living standards. This paper uses data from the UK household budget surveys (the Living Cost and Food Survey and its predecessors) to construct four decades of consistent micro-data on households’ income and consumption. Full summary.

Second, we will report on research (funded by the Nuffield Foundation) towards developing quick, reliable expenditure questions for general social surveys. That research involved a innovative mix of focus groups, cognitive testing and an experiment in the innovation panel of Understanding Society. Full summary.

On hand to discuss the results will be:

• Joanna D'Ardenne, NatCen Social Research
• Margaret Blake, NatCen Social Research
• Mike Brewer, Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex and Institute for Fiscal Studies
• Thomas Crossley , University of Essex and Institute for Fiscal Studies
• Cormac O’Dea, Institute for Fiscal Studies
• Zoe Oldfield, Institute for Fiscal Studies

The workshop will be of interest to those who fund, design and manage social science surveys, as well as those interested in the measurement of living standards more generally.

This event is funded by the Nuffield Foundation and the ESRC Centre for the Microeconomic Analysis of Public Policy at IFS. 

Cost:

Free

Website and registration:

http://www.ifs.org.uk/events/1013

Region:

Greater London

Keywords:

Survey and Questionnaire Design, Measurement Error, Small Area Estimation

Related publications and presentations:

Survey and Questionnaire Design
Measurement Error
Small Area Estimation

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