West Virginia and Kansas had the lowest cost of living across all U.S. states, with composite costs being half of those found in Hawaii. This was according to a composite index that compares prices for various goods and services on a state-by-state basis. In West Virginia, the cost of living index amounted to 84.8 - well below the national benchmark of 100. Nevada - which had an index value of 100.1 - was only slightly above that benchmark. Expensive places to live included Hawaii, Massachusetts, and California Housing costs in the U.S. Housing is usually the highest expense in a household’s budget. In 2023, the average house sold for approximately 427,000 U.S. dollars, but house prices in the Northeast and West regions were significantly higher. Conversely, the South had some of the least expensive housing. In West Virginia, Mississippi, and Louisiana, the median price of the typical single-family home was less than 200,000 U.S. dollars. That makes living costs in these states significantly lower than in states such as Hawaii and California, where housing is much more expensive. What other expenses affect the cost of living? Utility costs such as electricity, natural gas, water, and internet also influence the cost of living. In Alaska, Hawaii, and Connecticut, the average monthly utility cost exceeded 500 U.S. dollars. That was because of the significantly higher prices for electricity and natural gas in these states.

Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: Region: Akmolinskaya data was reported at 27,356.000 KZT in Oct 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 27,579.000 KZT for Sep 2018. Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: Region: Akmolinskaya data is updated monthly, averaging 11,893.000 KZT from Oct 2000 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 217 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 28,447.000 KZT in Aug 2018 and a record low of 4,060.000 KZT in Oct 2000. Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: Region: Akmolinskaya data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by The Agency of Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kazakhstan – Table KZ.H012: Cost of Living: Average per Capita.

The UK inflation rate was three percent in January 2025, up from 2.5 percent in the previous month, and the fastest rate of inflation since March 2024. Between September 2022 and March 2023, the UK experienced seven months of double-digit inflation, which peaked at 11.1 percent in October 2022. Due to this long period of high inflation, UK consumer prices have increased by over 20 percent in the last three years. As of the most recent month, prices were rising fastest in the communications sector, at 6.1 percent, but were falling in both the furniture and transport sectors, at -0.3 percent and -0.6 percent respectively.
The Cost of Living Crisis High inflation is one of the main factors behind the ongoing Cost of Living Crisis in the UK, which, despite subsiding somewhat in 2024, is still impacting households going into 2025. In December 2024, for example, 56 percent of UK households reported their cost of living was increasing compared with the previous month, up from 45 percent in July, but far lower than at the height of the crisis in 2022. After global energy prices spiraled that year, the UK's energy price cap increased substantially. The cap, which limits what suppliers can charge consumers, reached 3,549 British pounds per year in October 2022, compared with 1,277 pounds a year earlier. Along with soaring food costs, high-energy bills have hit UK households hard, especially lower income ones that spend more of their earnings on housing costs. As a result of these factors, UK households experienced their biggest fall in living standards in decades in 2022/23. Global inflation crisis causes rapid surge in prices The UK's high inflation, and cost of living crisis in 2022 had its origins in the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the initial waves of the virus, global supply chains struggled to meet the renewed demand for goods and services. Food and energy prices, which were already high, increased further in 2022. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 brought an end to the era of cheap gas flowing to European markets from Russia. The war also disrupted global food markets, as both Russia and Ukraine are major exporters of cereal crops. As a result of these factors, inflation surged across Europe and in other parts of the world, but typically declined in 2023, and approached more usual levels by 2024.

In January 2025, the Consumer Price Index including owner occupiers' housing costs (CPIH) inflation rate of the United Kingdom was 3.9 percent, unchanged from the previous month. The inflation rate fell noticeably after the COVID-19 pandemic, but rose sharply between Spring 2021 and Autumn 2022. After peaking at 9.6 percent in October 2022, CPIH inflation declined throughout 2023 and into 2024, falling to 2.6 percent by September of that year, before increasing again in recent months. Cost of living problems persist into 2025 Although it is likely that the worst of the recent inflation surge may have passed, the issues caused by it look set to linger into 2025 and beyond. While the share of households experiencing living cost rises has fallen from 91 percent in August 2022, to 45 percent in July 2024, this share rose towards the end of the year, with more than half of households reporting rising costs in December. Even with lower inflation, overall consumer prices have already increased by around 20 percent in the last three years, rising to almost 30 percent for food prices, which lower income households typically spend more of their income on. The significant increase in people relying on food banks across the UK, is evidence of the magnitude of this problem, with approximately 3.12 million people using food banks in 2023/24. Other measure of inflation While the CPIH inflation rate displayed here is the preferred index of the UK's Office of National Statistics, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is often more prominently featured in the media in general. An older index, the Retail Price Index (RPI) is also still used by the government to calculate certain taxes, and rail fare rises. Other metrics include the core inflation rate, which measures prices increases without the volatility of food and energy costs, while price increases in goods and services can also be tracked separately. The inflation rate of individual sectors can also be measured, and as of December 2024, prices were rising fastest in the communications sector, at 6.1 percent, with costs falling in the transport and furniture sectors.

Inflation is generally defined as the continued increase in the average prices of goods and services in a given region. Following the extremely high global inflation experienced in the 1980s and 1990s, global inflation has been relatively stable since the turn of the millennium, usually hovering between three and five percent per year. There was a sharp increase in 2008 due to the global financial crisis now known as the Great Recession, but inflation was fairly stable throughout the 2010s, before the current inflation crisis began in 2021. Recent years Despite the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the global inflation rate fell to 3.26 percent in the pandemic's first year, before rising to 4.66 percent in 2021. This increase came as the impact of supply chain delays began to take more of an effect on consumer prices, before the Russia-Ukraine war exacerbated this further. A series of compounding issues such as rising energy and food prices, fiscal instability in the wake of the pandemic, and consumer insecurity have created a new global recession, and global inflation in 2024 is estimated to have reached 5.76 percent. This is the highest annual increase in inflation since 1996. Venezuela Venezuela is the country with the highest individual inflation rate in the world, forecast at around 200 percent in 2022. While this is figure is over 100 times larger than the global average in most years, it actually marks a decrease in Venezuela's inflation rate, which had peaked at over 65,000 percent in 2018. Between 2016 and 2021, Venezuela experienced hyperinflation due to the government's excessive spending and printing of money in an attempt to curve its already-high inflation rate, and the wave of migrants that left the country resulted in one of the largest refugee crises in recent years. In addition to its economic problems, political instability and foreign sanctions pose further long-term problems for Venezuela. While hyperinflation may be coming to an end, it remains to be seen how much of an impact this will have on the economy, how living standards will change, and how many refugees may return in the coming years.

Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: Region: Zhambylskaya data was reported at 24,853.000 KZT in Jun 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 23,873.000 KZT for May 2018. Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: Region: Zhambylskaya data is updated monthly, averaging 11,321.000 KZT from Oct 2000 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 213 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 24,853.000 KZT in Jun 2018 and a record low of 3,326.000 KZT in Oct 2000. Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: Region: Zhambylskaya data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by The Agency of Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kazakhstan – Table KZ.H012: Cost of Living: Average per Capita.

This statistic shows the median household income in the United States from 1990 to 2023 in 2023 U.S. dollars. The median household income was 80,610 U.S. dollars in 2023, an increase from the previous year. Household incomeThe median household income depicts the income of households, including the income of the householder and all other individuals aged 15 years or over living in the household. Income includes wages and salaries, unemployment insurance, disability payments, child support payments received, regular rental receipts, as well as any personal business, investment, or other kinds of income received routinely. The median household income in the United States varies from state to state. In 2020, the median household income was 86,725 U.S. dollars in Massachusetts, while the median household income in Mississippi was approximately 44,966 U.S. dollars at that time. Household income is also used to determine the poverty line in the United States. In 2021, about 11.6 percent of the U.S. population was living in poverty. The child poverty rate, which represents people under the age of 18 living in poverty, has been growing steadily over the first decade since the turn of the century, from 16.2 percent of the children living below the poverty line in year 2000 to 22 percent in 2010. In 2021, it had lowered to 15.3 percent. The state with the widest gap between the rich and the poor was New York, with a Gini coefficient score of 0.51 in 2019. The Gini coefficient is calculated by looking at average income rates. A score of zero would reflect perfect income equality and a score of one indicates a society where one person would have all the money and all other people have nothing.

Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: City: Almaty data was reported at 32,029.000 KZT in Oct 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 32,475.000 KZT for Sep 2018. Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: City: Almaty data is updated monthly, averaging 15,920.000 KZT from Oct 2000 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 217 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 32,640.000 KZT in Aug 2018 and a record low of 4,577.000 KZT in Oct 2000. Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: City: Almaty data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by The Agency of Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kazakhstan – Table KZ.H012: Cost of Living: Average per Capita.

Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: Region: Almatinskaya data was reported at 28,859.000 KZT in Oct 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 28,544.000 KZT for Sep 2018. Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: Region: Almatinskaya data is updated monthly, averaging 13,100.000 KZT from Oct 2000 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 217 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 28,859.000 KZT in Oct 2018 and a record low of 3,889.000 KZT in Oct 2000. Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: Region: Almatinskaya data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by The Agency of Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kazakhstan – Table KZ.H012: Cost of Living: Average per Capita.

In January 2025, the UK inflation rate for goods was one percent and five percent for services. Prices for goods accelerated significantly, sharply between in 2021 and 2022 before falling in 2023. By comparison, prices for services initially grew at a more moderate rate, but have also not fallen as quickly. The overall CPI inflation rate for the UK reached a recent high of 11.1 percent in October 2022 and remained in double-figures until April 2023, when it fell to 8.7 percent. As of December 2024, the UK's inflation rate was 2.5 percent, down from 2.6 percent in the previous month. Sectors driving high inflation In late 2024, communication was the sector with the highest inflation rate, with prices increasing by 6.1 percent as of December 2024. During the recent period of high inflation that eased in 2023, food and energy prices were particular high, with housing and energy inflation far higher than in any other sector, peaking at 26.6 percent towards the end of 2022. High food and energy prices since 2021 have been one of the main causes of the cost of living crisis in the UK, especially for low-income households that spend a higher share of their income on these categories. This is likely one of the factors driving increasing food bank usage in the UK, which saw approximately 3.12 million people use a food bank in 2023/24, compared with 1.9 million just before the COVID-19 pandemic. The global inflation crisis The UK has not been alone in suffering rapid price increases since 2021. After the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a series of economic and geopolitical shocks had a dramatic impact on the global economy. A global supply chain crisis failed to meet rising demand in 2021, leading to the beginning of an Inflation Crisis, which was only exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The war directly influenced the prices of food and energy, as both countries were major exporters of important crops. European imports of hydrocarbons from Russia were also steadily reduced throughout 2022 and 2023, resulting in higher energy prices throughout the year.

Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: Region: Kyzylordinskaya data was reported at 23,806.000 KZT in Nov 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 25,835.000 KZT for Oct 2018. Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: Region: Kyzylordinskaya data is updated monthly, averaging 12,731.500 KZT from Oct 2000 (Median) to Nov 2018, with 218 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 26,260.000 KZT in Aug 2018 and a record low of 3,613.000 KZT in Oct 2000. Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: Region: Kyzylordinskaya data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by The Agency of Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kazakhstan – Table KZ.H012: Cost of Living: Average per Capita.

The core inflation rate for the UK was 3.7 percent in January 2025, up from 3.2 percent in the previous month. Core inflation measures inflation without food and energy prices, which can be far more volatile than inflation for other goods and services. In this same month, overall CPI inflation in the UK was three percent.

After a steep decline, starting in 2010 and culminating in the bottom value of 19,939 euros, average annual wages in Portugal increased to unprecedented figures. By 2021, the mean wage per year of work was 21,717 euros, despite the more than 200-euro drop that followed in 2022. By 2023, annual wages rose to 22,006 euros. The salary increase is not enough to tackle living expenses The surge in salaries is even more evident when considering minimum annual wages. Following a period of stagnation between 2011 and 2014, the Portuguese minimum annual salary has been on a hike, reaching 11,480 euros by 2024. This rise is relevant when considering the impact of growing inflation on the prices of goods and services, as it restores some purchasing power to workers. Nevertheless, 50 percent of Portuguese people stated, in 2023, that their professional income was mostly not enough to face up to living expenses. Youngsters and women struggle the most when it comes to unemployment and salary amounts The unemployment rate in the country was at six percent in the second quarter of 2024, having decreased from the previous quarter. People between 16 and 24 years of age were the most affected by unemployment, with shares of 22 percent in the same quarter. Women followed as the second most impacted by this social issue. The gender gap is also notorious when it comes to wages. In 2022, women’s average monthly salaries were over 13 percent lower than the salaries of their male counterparts, which impairs women in the tackling of the rising cost of living.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The Family Expenditure Survey (FES), which closed in 2001, was a continuous survey with an annual sample of around 10,000 households. They provided information on household and personal incomes, certain payments that recurred regularly (e.g. rent, gas and electricity bills, telephone accounts, insurances, season tickets and hire purchase payments), and maintained a detailed expenditure record for 14 consecutive days.

The original purpose of the FES was to provide information on spending patterns for the United Kingdom Retail Price Index (RPI). The survey was a cost-efficient way of collecting a variety of related data that the government departments required to correlate with income and expenditure at the household, tax unit and person levels. The annual FES began in 1957 (with an earlier large scale survey conducted in 1953/54) and was one of the first Department of Employment (DE) systems to be computerised in the early 1960s. The UKDA holds FES data from 1961-2001. The Northern Ireland Family Expenditure Survey (NIFES), which ran from 1967-1998, was identical to the UK FES and therefore used the same questionnaires and documentation. However, starting in 1988, a voluntary question on religious denomination was asked of those aged 16 and over in Northern Ireland. The UKDA holds NIFES data from 1968-1998, under GN 33240.

Significant FES developments over time include:

• 1968: the survey was extended to include a sample drawn from the Northern Ireland FES and a new computer system was introduced which was used until 1985
• 1986: DE and the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS) converted the FES into a new database system using the SIR package
• 1989: the Central Statistical Office (CSO) took over responsibility for the survey
• 1994: in April, computerised personal interviewing was introduced using lap-top computers, the database system changed to INGRES and the survey changed from a calendar year to financial year basis
• 1996: in April, OPCS and CSO were amalgamated into the Office for National Statistics (ONS), who assumed responsibility for the FES
• 1998: from April onwards information from expenditure diaries kept by children aged 7 to 15 was included in data, and grossing factors were made available on the database

From 2001, the both the FES and the National Food Survey (NFS) (held at the UKDA under GN 33071) were completely replaced by a new survey, the Expenditure and Food Survey (EFS). Prior to the advent of the EFS, there had previously been considerable overlap between the FES and NFS, with both surveys asking respondents to keep a diary of expenditure. Thus, the 2000-2001 FES was the final one in the series. The design of the new EFS was based on the previous FES; further background to its development may be found in the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 Family Spending reports. From 2008, the EFS became the Living Costs and Food Survey (LCF) (see under GN 33334).


Main Topics:
Household Schedule:
This schedule was taken at the main interview. Information for most of the questions was obtained from the head of household or housewife, but certain questions of a more individual character were put to every spender aged 15 or over (or 16 or over from 1973 onwards). Until the introduction of the community charge, information on rateable value and rate poundage was obtained from the appropriate local authority, as was information on whether the address was within a smokeless zone. Information was collected about the household, the sex and age of each member, and also details about the type and size of the household accommodation. The main part of the questionnaire related to expenditure both of a household and individual nature, but the questions were mainly confined to expenses of a recurring nature, e.g.:

• Household: housing costs, payment to Gas and Electricity Boards or companies, telephone charges, licences and television rental
• Individual: motor vehicles, season tickets for transport, life and accident insurances, payments through a bank, instalments, refund of expenses by employer, expenditure claimed by self-employed persons as business expenses for tax purposes, welfare foods, education grants and fees

Income Schedule:
Data were collected for each household spender. The schedule was concerned with income, national insurance contributions and income tax. Income of a child not classed as a spender was obtained from one or other of his parents and entered on the parent's questionnaire. Information collected included: employment status and recent absences from work, earnings of an employee, self-employed earnings, National Insurance contributions, pensions and other regular allowances, occasional benefits - social security benefits and other...

Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: Region: Atyrauskaya data was reported at 26,875.000 KZT in Jun 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 25,499.000 KZT for May 2018. Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: Region: Atyrauskaya data is updated monthly, averaging 13,656.000 KZT from Oct 2000 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 213 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 27,083.000 KZT in Oct 2017 and a record low of 4,489.000 KZT in Oct 2000. Kazakhstan Cost of Living: Average per Capita: Region: Atyrauskaya data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by The Agency of Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kazakhstan – Table KZ.H012: Cost of Living: Average per Capita.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (formerly known as the ONS Opinions Survey or Omnibus) is an omnibus survey that began in 1990, collecting data on a range of subjects commissioned by both the ONS internally and external clients (limited to other government departments, charities, non-profit organisations and academia).

Data are collected from one individual aged 16 or over, selected from each sampled private household. Personal data include data on the individual, their family, address, household, income and education, plus responses and opinions on a variety of subjects within commissioned modules.

The questionnaire collects timely data for research and policy analysis evaluation on the social impacts of recent topics of national importance, such as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the cost of living, on individuals and households in Great Britain.

From April 2018 to November 2019, the design of the OPN changed from face-to-face to a mixed-mode design (online first with telephone interviewing where necessary). Mixed-mode collection allows respondents to complete the survey more flexibly and provides a more cost-effective service for customers.

In March 2020, the OPN was adapted to become a weekly survey used to collect data on the social impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the lives of people of Great Britain. These data are held in the Secure Access study, SN 8635, ONS Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, Covid-19 Module, 2020-2022: Secure Access.

From August 2021, as coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions were lifting across Great Britain, the OPN moved to fortnightly data collection, sampling around 5,000 households in each survey wave to ensure the survey remains sustainable.

The OPN has since expanded to include questions on other topics of national importance, such as health and the cost of living. For more information about the survey and its methodology, see the ONS OPN Quality and Methodology Information webpage.

Secure Access Opinions and Lifestyle Survey data

Other Secure Access OPN data cover modules run at various points from 1997-2019, on Census religion (SN 8078), cervical cancer screening (SN 8080), contact after separation (SN 8089), contraception (SN 8095), disability (SNs 8680 and 8096), general lifestyle (SN 8092), illness and activity (SN 8094), and non-resident parental contact (SN 8093). See Opinions and Lifestyle Survey: Secure Access for details.

Main Topics:
Each month's questionnaire consists of two elements: core questions, covering demographic information, are asked each month together with non-core questions that vary from month to month.
The non-core questions for this month were:

Consumption of Tobacco (Module 210): This module was asked on behalf of Customs and Excise and covers whether smokes cigarettes; how many cigarettes smoked; type of cigarettes smoked.
Kick the Habit (Module 258): This module was asked on behalf of University College London. Section 1 covers smoking behaviour and giving up smoking. Section 2 covers awareness of the BBC's 'Kick the Habit' health campaign.
ICT (Information Communication Technology) Skills (Module 261): This module was asked on behalf of Office for National Statistics, Social Survey Division and is about Information Communication Technology (ICT) Skills.
Opinions about the Tax System (Module 262): This module was asked on behalf of the Commission on Taxation and Citizenship and the National Centre for Social Research. This module covers opinions on Income Tax and VAT.

Graph and download economic data for Estimated Mean Real Household Wages Adjusted by Cost of Living for Hancock County, OH (MWACL39063) from 2016 to 2023 about Hancock County, OH; adjusted; OH; average; wages; real; and USA.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (formerly known as the ONS Opinions Survey or Omnibus) is an omnibus survey that began in 1990, collecting data on a range of subjects commissioned by both the ONS internally and external clients (limited to other government departments, charities, non-profit organisations and academia).Data are collected from one individual aged 16 or over, selected from each sampled private household. Personal data include data on the individual, their family, address, household, income and education, plus responses and opinions on a variety of subjects within commissioned modules. The questionnaire collects timely data for research and policy analysis evaluation on the social impacts of recent topics of national importance, such as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the cost of living, on individuals and households in Great Britain. From April 2018 to November 2019, the design of the OPN changed from face-to-face to a mixed-mode design (online first with telephone interviewing where necessary). Mixed-mode collection allows respondents to complete the survey more flexibly and provides a more cost-effective service for customers. In March 2020, the OPN was adapted to become a weekly survey used to collect data on the social impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the lives of people of Great Britain. These data are held in the Secure Access study, SN 8635, ONS Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, Covid-19 Module, 2020-2022: Secure Access. From August 2021, as coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions were lifting across Great Britain, the OPN moved to fortnightly data collection, sampling around 5,000 households in each survey wave to ensure the survey remains sustainable. The OPN has since expanded to include questions on other topics of national importance, such as health and the cost of living. For more information about the survey and its methodology, see the ONS OPN Quality and Methodology Information webpage.Secure Access Opinions and Lifestyle Survey dataOther Secure Access OPN data cover modules run at various points from 1997-2019, on Census religion (SN 8078), cervical cancer screening (SN 8080), contact after separation (SN 8089), contraception (SN 8095), disability (SNs 8680 and 8096), general lifestyle (SN 8092), illness and activity (SN 8094), and non-resident parental contact (SN 8093). See Opinions and Lifestyle Survey: Secure Access for details. Main Topics:Each month's questionnaire consists of two elements: core questions, covering demographic information, are asked each month together with non-core questions that vary from month to month. The non-core questions for this month were: Hearing and subtitles (Module 204): this module was asked on behalf of the BBC. It was asked of all household members aged nine or over who had hearing difficulties or difficulty hearing the TV at normal volume. Internet access (Module 264): this module is being asked on behalf of a number of government departments, but primarily the Office for National Statistics and the E-Envoy's Office (part of the Cabinet Office). Designed to monitor internet use, which is currently a high profile government policy. E-Health (Module 270): this module was asked on behalf of Citizens Online, a charity set up to monitor and improve access to the internet. These questions are about health information on the internet and asked only of those who have used the internet for private/personal use. Smoking (Module 130): this module is being asked on behalf of the Department of Health. The questions relate to smoking. New ethnic question (Module 272): this question was asked on behalf of Social Survey Division and Socio-Economic Division of ONS and may be adopted as the new harmonised ethnicity question. Multi-stage stratified random sample Face-to-face interview

SIA203 - Impact of Cost of Living Measures on Income and Poverty Rates. Published by Central Statistics Office. Available under the license Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0).Impact of Cost of Living Measures on Income and Poverty Rates...

Abstract

The Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions (JSLC) was implemented to establish baseline measures of household welfare and then to monitor the impact of Jamaica's Human Resources Development Program on health, education and nutrition. The JSLC differs from other LSMS surveys in its relatively narrow focus and greater emphasis on immediate policy impact.The JSLC is linked to the ongoing quarterly Labor Force Survey (LFS). The households are visited once for the standard LFS. Then a subset of households are revisited about a month later for the SLC.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

• Households
• Individuals

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sample design used for the JSLC was derived from the Labor Force Survey. The LFS sampling strategy is a two stage stratified process designed to select approximately one and a half percent of the dwellings in Jamaica. In the first stage, enumeration districts are selected from a geographic frame. In the second, households are selected from the frame of dwellings in the enumeration district. The sample is self-weighted, that is each household in Jamaica is equally likely to be included in the survey sample. From 1988 through 2000, there have been four versions of the LFS sample design which have been used as the basis of the JSLC sample.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

Unlike many LSMS surveys, the JSLC does not include price and community questionnaires. Because Jamaica is small and has a good transport network, regional price variation was expected to be small and, for this reason, price data were not collected. Much of the distance to, and availability of, services and infrastructure that is usually gathered in the LSMS community questionnaire is collected in the JSLC’s household, health services and school questionnaires described below.

Core Questionnaire : For each round of the JSLC, the household questionnaire has included modules covering health, education, anthropometric measurements for all children less than five years old, daily expenses, consumption expenditures, non-consumption expenditures, food expenses, consumption of home production, housing, an inventory of durable goods, other household income, and food stamps. Employment and job search information for all adults age 14 or older is available from the Labor Force Survey. The JSLC household questionnaire was completed in one interview approximately one month after the Labor Force Survey. The JSLC questionnaire has undergone substantial revision since 1988, reflecting accumulated experience and changing demands for data. For example, the food stamps and other income modules were added after the 1988 survey, in which these subjects were addressed only briefly in the housing module.

Cleaning operations

Data entry is done in The Surveys and Computer Systems Divisions in the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) by its own data entry operators. The cleaning process (after the questionnaires have left the field) has been standardized since 1989-2. Before data entry, the questionnaires are edited and coded, where necessary, by the Editors-Coders at STATIN. The number of questions that require coding in the office is intentionally kept very low. Clerical errors are removed, where possible, and checks are made for consistency using the data entry program. The area classification is then checked using a computer program.