Integrated Household Survey (IHS)

Summary

The IHS has been developed by ONS to be a cost-effective way of obtaining a very large dataset on a number of topics at lower geographic levels than can be obtained by other ONS social surveys. IHS data have been supplied to the following government departments: • Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) • Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) • Department for Health (DoH) • Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT) • Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Data have also been sent to the devolved governments in Scotland and Wales and to the UK Data Archive. IHS from 2009-2010: The large sample size and UK-wide coverage means various geographical breakdowns are possible in the IHS, and it is possible to use a geographical hierarchy to drill down to lower level detail within an area. (It should be noted that the lowest geographic level available on the standard access End User Licence IHS dataset is Government Office Region (GOR). Users should note that while income data are collected within the IHS and questions are included in the questionnaire, ONS have so far not been able to harmonise the income variables across the different surveys that comprise the IHS. Therefore, there are currently no income variables included in the EUL or SL datasets deposited at the Archive; the variables are only included in the Government Statistical Services (GSS) client and ONS internal research datasets. Strengths include: • The main strength of the IHS is in its large sample size; with 450,000 individuals in 190,000 households, it is the largest ONS social survey and allows for local area analysis of IHS topics. Limitations include: • The IHS dataset size is variable as it will fluctuate according to which component surveys contribute to the IHS, and according to their response rates. • The IHS is an experimental dataset, and the weighting methodology will be assessed and potentially revised during this experimental period. • Questions need to be harmonised across all component surveys while maintaining historic outputs: this increases the timescale for implementing and testing new questions.

Type of data

Data Source
Survey

Type of Study
Crosssection regular

Data gathering method
Telephone
Face-to-face

Access to data

Conditions of access
Data are available from the UK Data Service (previously the Economic and Social Data Service, ESDS): http://ukdataservice.ac.uk/ The website contains detailed information on conditions of access, and it is also possible to contact the UK Data Service by phone: +44 (0)1206 872143, or by email: help@ukdataservice.ac.uk

Type of available data (e.g. anonymised microdata, aggregated tables, etc.)
Anonymised microdata

Formats available
Survey data from the UK Data Service are usually available to download in SPSS, Stata and tab-delimited (suitable for use in MS Excel) formats.

Coverage

Coverage Years of collection, reference years, and sample sizes
The Integrated Household Survey (IHS) is a composite survey combining questions asked on a number of social surveys conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to produce a dataset of 'core' variables. The aim of the IHS is to produce high-level estimates for particular themes to a higher precision and lower geographic level than current ONS social surveys. The 'core' set contains around 100 questions, but a respondent is only asked a proportion of those depending on routing from answers to questions. The core questions are asked, where possible, at the beginning of the component surveys. IHS prior to 2009: A set of core questions were introduced within three surveys in January 2008; the General Lifestyle Survey, Living Costs and Food Survey and the Opinions Survey. In April 2008 the IHS core questions were introduced on the English Housing Survey, bringing the family of modules on the IHS up to four. The IHS data for 2008-2009 was used as a pilot for the concept, developing the systems and designing the weighting methodology. The IHS data for that period have not been published as they do not provide better quality information than that within existing surveys. Hence, the earliest IHS data currently available from the UK Data Archive cover 2009-2010. IHS from 2009-2010: In April 2009 the IHS core questions were introduced on the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and Annual Population Survey (APS) questionnaires, though not all the core IHS questions were fully harmonised on the LFS. From June 2009 the Life Opportunities Survey (LOS) was included in the IHS family of modules. With the inclusion of these new surveys the IHS became complete, with an achieved annual sample size of approximately 450,000 individuals from interviews undertaken in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Therefore, the first IHS dataset to be released covers the period April 2009 - March 2010, starting the IHS data series from the point that all surveys were included. `Note: Older people are represented in this data source (approximately) according to their proportion in the population. In 2011, over one third of the total UK population (and approximately 40 per cent of the adult population 16+) was aged 50 and over.`

First year of collection
2009

Stratification if applicable
The data includes a variety of demographic variables, including age and sex. The sample is partially stratified.

Base used for sampling

Geographical coverage and breakdowns
Countries (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland) Government Office Regions (NUTS1) More detailed spatial data are available under Special License (including NUTS2 and NUTS3) The more detailed geographic variables present include county, unitary/local authority, Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics 2 (NUTS2) and NUTS3 regions and Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs).

Age range
Countries (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland)

Statistical representativeness
Other, please specify

Coverage of main and cross-cutting topics
The Integrated Household Survey (IHS) is a composite survey combining questions asked in a number of Office for National Statistics (ONS) social surveys to gather basic information for a very large number of households. The aim of the IHS is to produce estimates for particular themes to a higher level of precision and at a lower geographic level than is possible in individual ONS social surveys. More robust local information will improve the monitoring of important information between censuses for a range of policy purposes. The IHS core questions cover several themes. These include: • economic activity • education • health and disability • identity • income The IHS was also the first survey to report on Sexual Identity in the UK. Users should note that there are two versions of each IHS study. One is available under the standard End User Licence (EUL) agreement, and the other is a Special Licence (SL) version. The SL version contains more detailed variables relating to age, age of youngest dependent child, country of birth, family unit type, household and household reference person, industry class, sub-class and division, month left last job, cohabitation, country of residence history, multiple households at address, nationality, New Deal training types, National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification (NS-SEC) long version, qualifications, household relationships, minor Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) groups, sexual identity, training and working age. Users should note that the user guide also mentions variables that are not included in either the EUL or SL datasets held at the Archive. The EUL version contains less detailed variables. For example, the lowest geography available is Government Office Region, only major (3-digit) SOC groups are included for main, second and last job, and only industry sector for main, second and last job. Users are advised to first obtain the standard EUL version of the data to see if they are sufficient for their research requirements. (It should be noted that the lowest geographic level available on the standard access End User Licence IHS dataset is Government Office Region (GOR). Users who require more detailed geographies will need to fill out an application to use the Special Licence version of the IHS). From April 2009 - March 2010 the IHS contained data collected from the following surveys: • General Lifestyle Survey (GLF) • Living Costs and Food Survey (LCF) • Opinions Survey (OPN) - removed January 2010 • English Housing Survey (EHS) - removed April 2011 • Labour Force Survey/Annual Population Survey (LFS/APS) • Life Opportunities Survey (LOS) - removed April 2011 However, in January 2010 the OPN survey was removed from the IHS. This was designed to shorten interview length of the OPN. Then from April 2011, the EHS and LOS were also removed. Further information about the IHS may be found on the ONS website.

Linkage

Standardisation
There is an ongoing cross-governmental programme of work in the UK which aims to develop and improve standardised inputs and outputs for use in official statistics. This is known as harmonisation, and is led by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). While this work primarily affects government-run surveys, the results have an impact on most national UK data sources. Furthermore, harmonisation has important benefits for all researchers using these surveys, and not just government statisticians. For more information, see: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/harmonisation/harmonisation-index-page/index.html Further information is not available.

Possibility of linkage among databases
Data are anonymised

Data quality

Entry errors if applicable
In addition to unit non-response, the data include item non-response and may be subject to other errors that are typical of surveys and censuses. This data source is used to prepare official statistics, which are required to meet quality standards. These standards are monitored by the UK Statistics Authority, according to the statutory authority provided by the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/national-statistician/producers-of-official-statistics/index.html http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/national-statistician/types-of-official-statistics/index.html The ONS have provided the following information for users of the IHS: "All IHS statistics are designated as experimental. Experimental statistics are new official statistics undergoing evaluation. They are published in order to involve customers and stakeholders in their development and as a mean to build in quality at an early stage. As the data are experimental ONS recommends that any publication of the IHS data should state the experimental branding. Where possible the source of the National Statistic for the estimate being published should also be referenced." For more information on data quality, see the survey documentation on the UK Data Service website.

Breaks
There are no major breaks for this data source

Consistency of terminology or coding used during collection
In general, the consistency of this data source is good. For more information on data quality, see the survey documentation on the UK Data Service website.

Governance

Contact information
Office for National Statistics
Customer Contact Centre
Government Buildings, Cardiff Road
NP10 8XG Newport, South Wales United Kingdom Phone: +44 (0) 1633 455678.
Email: socialsurveys(at)ons.gsi.gov.uk
Url: http://ukdataservice.ac.uk/

Timeliness, transparency
Data should be available around 6 months after the end of fieldwork