Northern Ireland Expenditure & Food Survey (EFS)

1. Northern Ireland Expenditure & Food Survey (EFS) ESDS Seminar ‘Focus on Consumption’ 7th November 2007

2. Introduction & Background • Expenditure & Food Survey • Amalgamation of the Family Expenditure Survey (FES) and National Food Survey (NFS) • First run in 2001/02 • FES • Began in GB in 1957 • Extended to NI in 1967 • NFS • Began in GB in 1950 • Extended to NI in 1996

3. The EFS - responsibilities • The EFS is classified as a ‘National Statistic’ • The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have overall responsibility for the EFS on a UK level • ONS carry out the fieldwork in GB • NISRA (Central Survey Unit) are responsible for: • NI fieldwork • Actioning questionnaire changes • to ensure the questionnaire is applicable to NI

4. Questionnaire Development • ONS are responsible for maintaining the ‘Blaise’ version of the questionnaire • CSU develop NI specific questions and corresponding Blaise code • Forwarded to ONS for inclusion in the relevant section of main questionnaire • Examples of NI specific questions include • Rates Block • Religious Denomination • Nationality • Ethnicity • Examples of NI specific question changes include • References to NI Housing Executive/Social Security Agency/Co-ownership

5. The Sample Design • Great Britain • 12,000 households sampled each year • Multi-stage stratified random sample with clustering • Approx 6,500 co-operating households • Northern Ireland • Sample in NI is boosted to approx 5 times the level that is required for UK data • 1,200 households sampled each year (100 per month) • Systematic random sample • Addresses are sorted by DC and Ward • Sample is effectively stratified geographically • Approx 600 co-operating households

6. Survey Methodology • Advance letter sent to all selected addresses • Approx one week before start of fieldwork • Letter states….. • Why we carry out the survey • An interviewer will be calling to their house • Confidentiality promise • Contact details for survey coordinator • Initial call by interviewer to establish contact with respondent(s)

7. Survey Methodology continued….. • Interviewer establishes the number of people living at the address • Carry out a Household interview with the Household Reference Person (HRP) • Record Characteristics of Household • Age, Sex, Marital Status, Relationships, Ethnicity, Tenure, etc • Record Information on Regular Expenditure • Rents, Mortgage payments, Electricity, Gas, Telephone, etc • Identify Main Diary Keeper (MDK) • Record expenditure details for large, rarely purchased items (e.g. tv’s cars, etc)

8. Survey Methodology continued….. • Income Section • All adults in the household (aged 16yrs +) • Employment Status and job description • Detailed income questions • Records information on individual incomes from all sources (e.g. Employment, Benefits, Pensions, etc) • ‘Short income’ section option • Invoked if respondent reluctant to give full income details • Designed to collect the minimum amount of income information necessary to ensure interview is productive

9. Survey Methodology continued….. • Diaries • Adult Diary is offered to ALL adults aged 16 and over • Young Person’s Diary given to ALL those aged 7-15 • Respondents record all personal expenditure each day for 2 weeks • Food & drink • Clothing & footwear • Recreation • Transport

10. Survey Methodology continued….. • Our aim is to obtain a ‘Fully Co-operating’ household at each address that agrees to take part • Full household questionnaire • Full income details for all adults (16yrs +) • Diaries for all adults (16 yrs +) • Diaries for all children (aged 7-15yrs) • We don’t need agreement of everyone in the household prior to starting any interviewing • Some imputation of missing information may occur at the coding stage in specific cases

11. EFS – Incentives • Book of 6 postage stamps enclosed with each advance letter • Research on FRS indicated that this could boost response by as much as 3% • High Street Vouchers • Each adult in household who completes a diary receives £20 • Each child (aged 7 -15) in household who completes a diary receives £5 • Discretionary £20 ‘buddy’ payment to friend or relative who helps with dairy completion

12. Coding and Quality Control • Extensive coding and editing operation • Interviewers and office staff check for inconsistencies in diaries • Any irregularities are followed up with respondents • Through checking/follow-up calls • Shop visits made to record missing weights • Office staff code Industry (SIC) and Occupation (SOC) • Coded (clean) data sent to ONS on a weekly basis

13. Coding and Quality Control • All diaries are forwarded to ONS within 2 weeks of end of fieldwork period • ONS code each individual item of expenditure recorded in the diaries • Description • Where purchased • Weight/Volume • Price • Any discrepancies are flagged and returned to us for investigation

14. EFS Data • UK EFS database compiled • Figures presented in annual ‘Family Spending’ publication • NI EFS database forwarded to CSU for NI level analysis • UK data on food expenditure passed to DEFRA for consumption and nutrition analysis • DEFRA also produce NI level data on consumption and nutrition • Published on DARD website • ‘Anonymised’ EFS databases deposited annually on UK Data Archive website

15. NI EFS – The Future • Contributions from various NI Government Departments enable us to ‘boost’ the NI sample • 5 times larger than that required for UK data • Enables us to run robust expenditure/consumption analysis by various demographics • Recent funding decisions at Departmental level has put the future of the ‘boosted’ NI sample in jeopardy • Currently planning to revert to a ‘core’ EFS sample in NI from Jan 2008 unless an alternative funding stream can be found • Core sample would mean that separate analysis of EFS data NI level would not be possible from 2008