Living Costs and Food Survey
Encyclopedia
The Living Costs and Food Survey (LCF) is a survey
carried out in the United Kingdom
by the Office for National Statistics
(ONS). It is carried out on a calendar year basis and collects information on expenditure of goods and services for private households. The survey is primarily designed to collect expenditure information, however it also gathers information about the income of household members.
The results of the survey are multi purpose, however it is primarily used to provide information for the Retail Prices Index and the National Accounts
estimates of household expenditure, as well as analysis of the effect of taxes and benefits.
The Living Costs and Food Survey also collects specialist food data, which is used and sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(DEFRA). While the ONS Social Surveys Division report the income and expenditure data, the DEFRA publish the detailed food and nutritional data.
The EFS was the result of the amalgamation of the Family Expenditure Survey (FES) and the National Food Survey (NFS) in 2001.
The LCF has a sample size
of approximately 6,000 responding households per year. The households are visited by an interviewer, and information is collected about income and regular expenditure, such as household bills and mortgage payments. Retrospective information on certain large, infrequent expenditures such as those on vehicles is also collected. Answers for children aged 15 years and younger are given by proxy by another household member.
Every individual aged 16 and over in the household visited is also asked to keep a diary that records daily expenditure for two weeks. The diary is where the specialist food data used by the DEFRA is collected. Since 1998–99 the results have also included information from simplified diaries kept by children aged between 7 and 15.
produce an annual 'Family Spending' publication, which gives a broad overview of the results of the survey. It also provides detailed information about some aspects of expenditure.
The Family Spending 2009 Edition, released in November 2010, found that the average household spend fell from £471 per week in 2008 to £455 in 2009. This was the first fall in average household spend since 2001-02, when the current system of measuring was introduced to allow better international comparisons.
Anonymised microdata from the Living Costs and Food Survey (LCF), the Expenditure and Food Survey (EFS) and the Family Expenditure Survey (FES) are available from the Economic and Social Data Service
(ESDS), a service of the UK Data Archive
. Details on how to access these datasets can be found at the UK Data Archive.
Statistical survey
Survey methodology is the field that studies surveys, that is, the sample of individuals from a population with a view towards making statistical inferences about the population using the sample. Polls about public opinion, such as political beliefs, are reported in the news media in democracies....
carried out in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by the Office for National Statistics
Office for National Statistics
The Office for National Statistics is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.- Overview :...
(ONS). It is carried out on a calendar year basis and collects information on expenditure of goods and services for private households. The survey is primarily designed to collect expenditure information, however it also gathers information about the income of household members.
The results of the survey are multi purpose, however it is primarily used to provide information for the Retail Prices Index and the National Accounts
National accounts
National accounts or national account systems are the implementation of complete and consistent accounting techniques for measuring the economic activity of a nation. These include detailed underlying measures that rely on double-entry accounting...
estimates of household expenditure, as well as analysis of the effect of taxes and benefits.
The Living Costs and Food Survey also collects specialist food data, which is used and sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United Kingdom...
(DEFRA). While the ONS Social Surveys Division report the income and expenditure data, the DEFRA publish the detailed food and nutritional data.
History
In 2008 The Expenditure and Food Survey (EFS) became a module of the Integrated Household Survey (IHS) and was renamed as the Living Costs and Food Survey (LCF).The EFS was the result of the amalgamation of the Family Expenditure Survey (FES) and the National Food Survey (NFS) in 2001.
Methodology
The LCF is a continuous survey, with interviews being spread evenly over the year to ensure that seasonal effects are covered.The LCF has a sample size
Sample size
Sample size determination is the act of choosing the number of observations to include in a statistical sample. The sample size is an important feature of any empirical study in which the goal is to make inferences about a population from a sample...
of approximately 6,000 responding households per year. The households are visited by an interviewer, and information is collected about income and regular expenditure, such as household bills and mortgage payments. Retrospective information on certain large, infrequent expenditures such as those on vehicles is also collected. Answers for children aged 15 years and younger are given by proxy by another household member.
Every individual aged 16 and over in the household visited is also asked to keep a diary that records daily expenditure for two weeks. The diary is where the specialist food data used by the DEFRA is collected. Since 1998–99 the results have also included information from simplified diaries kept by children aged between 7 and 15.
Survey results and data
ONSONS
ONS may stand for:* ONS coding system* The Ons Island in Galicia, Spain.* Oberste Nationale Sportbehörde, former German motor racing governing body, now Deutscher Motor Sport Bund * Object Naming Service* Office for NATO Standardization...
produce an annual 'Family Spending' publication, which gives a broad overview of the results of the survey. It also provides detailed information about some aspects of expenditure.
The Family Spending 2009 Edition, released in November 2010, found that the average household spend fell from £471 per week in 2008 to £455 in 2009. This was the first fall in average household spend since 2001-02, when the current system of measuring was introduced to allow better international comparisons.
Anonymised microdata from the Living Costs and Food Survey (LCF), the Expenditure and Food Survey (EFS) and the Family Expenditure Survey (FES) are available from the Economic and Social Data Service
Economic and Social Data Service
The Economic and Social Data Service is a national data archiving and dissemination service that was founded in January 2003. It is funded jointly by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Joint Information Systems Committee ....
(ESDS), a service of the UK Data Archive
UK Data Archive
The UK Data Archive is a national centre of expertise in data archiving in the United Kingdom . It houses the largest collection of digital data in the social sciences and humanities in the UK....
. Details on how to access these datasets can be found at the UK Data Archive.
External links
- Office for National Statistics, Living Costs and Food Survey, Family Spending Publication
- Office for National Statistics
- Defra
- UK Data Archive