Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2002-2003
Fiji, 2002 - 2004
Identification
SPC_FJI_2002_HIES_v01_M
Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2002-2003
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| Fiji | FJI |
Income/Expenditure/Household Survey [hh/ies]
The Fiji Islands Bureau of Statistics has conducted a number of Househould Income and Expenditure Surveys (HIES) previously. The earliest HIES was in 1943 covering 23 European families. This was followed a year later with a survey covering only Indo-Fijian workmen living in Suva. There were more comprehensive surveys in 1959, 1965, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1983, and 1990-91. The results of the 1990-91 HIES were deemed by the FIBOS to be unreliable because it was thought that following closely after the 1987 coups, there was considerable public distrust of government requests for information. However, while no report was produced, the data was used, following major adjustments, to assist in the poverty analysis that was the basis of the 1997 Fiji Poverty Report (1997 FPR).
A national Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) is a critical component of the work of the Fiji Islands Bureau of Statistics. It provides the data which is necessary for the periodic revision of weights for the Bureau's Consumer Prices Index and other indices, assists in the compilation of national accounts, the formulation of fiscal and social policies of government, and helps government and the private sector in their planning processes. A HIES, by providing income, expenditure and other data at the household level, is especially useful in the analysis of the national incidence of poverty.
Sample survey data [ssd]
- Individuals
- Households.
Version
Version 01 (ESCAP Mission, March 2008)
2006
Scope
The scope of the 2002 Household Income and Expenditure Survey includes:
- Households, occupants, incomes and income distribution
- Labour market characteristics
- Major and minor sources of household income
- Houshold Expenditure
- Household assets and services.
| Topic | Vocabulary | URI |
|---|---|---|
| consumption/consumer behaviour [1.1] | CESSDA | http://www.nesstar.org/rdf/common |
| income, property and investment/saving [1.5] | CESSDA | http://www.nesstar.org/rdf/common |
| unemployment [3.5] | CESSDA | http://www.nesstar.org/rdf/common |
| children [12.1] | CESSDA | http://www.nesstar.org/rdf/common |
| family life and marriage [12.5] | CESSDA | http://www.nesstar.org/rdf/common |
| community, urban and rural life [13.1] | CESSDA | http://www.nesstar.org/rdf/common |
| fertility [14.2] | CESSDA | http://www.nesstar.org/rdf/common |
Coverage
The 2003 Household Income and Expenditure Survey covers the entire country and allows for rural and urban estimates.
The 2003 Household Income and Expenditure Survey covers all households in private and non-private dwellings and institutions.
Producers and sponsors
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Household Survey Department | Fiji Islands Bureau of Statistics |
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Toga Raikoti | Fiji Islands Bureau of Statistics | Processing and editing of data |
| Serevi Baledrokadroka | Fiji Islands Bureau of Statistics | Processing and editing of data |
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Fiji Islands Government | Funding |
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Kim Robertson | Pacific Community (SPC) | Assistance with processing and editing of data |
Sampling
The sampling frame for the 2003 Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) was the updated urban and rural Enumeration Areas (EAs) of the 1996 Population and Housing Census. At the Fiji Islands Bureau of Statistics (FIBOS), EAs are used as census collection units and are defined as small geographic units within Administrative Boundaries. There are 100 households in each EA. A frame update exercise was carried out in areas where it was thought that significant changes has taken place: the Suva-Nausori corridor, Nadi, Lautoka, Ba and Labasa.
For urban areas, it was decided to statify the sample into 14 economic "classes" defined as high class, middle class, housing authority, settlement, squatter, and village (see survey report for more details). In urban areas, the divisions were stratified useing a "remoteness index" ranging from 1 (closest to urban areas) to 4 (furthest from urban areas) - resulting in 13 strata.
A two-stage sampling strategy was used. In the first stage, representative samples of urban and rural EAs were selected. The listing stage then collected demographic, economic activity and housing information from all households in the selected EAs.
Within each stratum, several EAs or Primary Sampling Units (PSUs) from the frame were selected with probability proportional to size, measured in terms of the total households in the frame. Within each EA, a fixed number of households were selected by systematic random sampling.
None reported.
A household weight was calculated for each Enumeration Area (EA) using a simple formula with inputs including the population of the stratum, number of households in the EA and the number of households in the sample. The household weight for all households in each selected EA was calculated as:
(Population of stratum 1) (Listing number of households in EA) / (Frame population of EA) (Number of household in sample) * (Number of EAs selected in stratum).
For additional details on the calculation of household weights see the survey report, Annex B that is provided as External Resources.
Survey instrument
The questionnaire consist of 4 sections:
Schedule 1:
- household listing
- demographic particulars
- economic activity
- education
- housing particulars
Schedule 2 (recurrent expenditure)
- household and other bills
- expenditure on education, health, religion, culture and holidays, etc.
- housing tenure rents and other maintenance costs
- land purchases for residential or farming purposes
- outright purchases of durables
- installment agreement or hire purchase, lay-by, etc. on consumer durables
- outright purchases of consumer semi-durables
- installment agreement or hire purchase, lay-by, etc. on consumer semi-durables
- interest on other borrowings
Schedule 3 (2 week expenditure diary)
- household cash expenditure
- consumption of home-produced commodities
- goods and services taken from household's business
- goods and services obtained from employer
- gifts of cash or goods and services received
- gifts of cash or goods and services given
Schedule 4 (income)
- primary income
- non-primary income
Data collection
| Start | End | Cycle |
|---|---|---|
| 2002-03 | 2003-02 | Urban |
| 2003-05 | 2004-04 | Rural |
| Start date | End date | Cycle |
|---|---|---|
| 2002-02 | 2003-01 | Urban-money activity |
| 2003-04 | 2004-03 | Rural-money activity |
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Household Survey Unit | Fiji Islands Bureau of Statistics |
Supervisors were required to chekc on Enumerators on a daily basis, selecting households at random to confirm that the data recorded was actually reported by the household. These checks improved the data collection practice of the Enumerators; there were a few cases of termination of employment.
A total of 36 Enumerators, 12 Supervisors, 4 Coders and 3 Data Entry Operators, and 4 drivers, were distributed into the 4 regional offices of the FIBOS Each regional office is headed by a Field Superintendent.
Due to difficulties with funding for the 2003 Household Income and Expenditure Survey, the Fiji Islands Bureau of Statistics (FIBOS) could initially only conduct the urban part of the survey (from March 2002 to February 2003). The rural part could only be conducted when the funding was restored (from May 2003 to April 2004). This separation of the urban and rural data collections presented challenges in deriving national estimates of income and expenditure since the time periods needed to be adjusted for comparability. In addition, some households that migrated in the period from the rural to urban areas may not have been captured by either data collection. This may especially be true of those Indo-Fijian cane farmers who left their farms as their leases expired.
A pilot survey tested the questionnaire and the administrative arrangements in place, leading to improvements in questionnaire and fieldwork arrangements.
The FIBOS conducted training programmes for enumerators and supervisors at its four centres, followed by examinations to select those qualified. Some of the training coincided with the running of the SIAP/SPC Sampling and Estimation Course. The training covered conduct of interviews, as well as the content of the questionnaires.
Data collection for each of the urban and rural rounds were continuous over a 1-year period. For each survey, a quarter of the sample households were covered in a 3-month period sub-round. In effect, there were four independent sub-samples for each round. Each sub-round sample was distributed into lots to ensure data was collected continuously for the whole 1-year period.
The FIBOS undertook considerable publicity through the media, including radio and the Ministry of Information's television programme: Dateline. Publicity fliers containing some background information on the survey and its importance were circulated to households in the selected areas. Posters were also posted at public places such as hospitals, district offices, shops and schools. In Fijian rural areas, proper protocal was followed with the Turaga-ni-Koro and church leaders, to ensure full cooperation from the community.
Fieldwork arrangements were delegated to 4 field superintendents who put together their work plans, assigned the supervisors and enumerators, and ensured the regular accountable financing of their required activities, including travel, subsistence and fees.
The arrangments for the interview depended on the availability of the head of household. For the diary, the enumerators were required to visit the houshold daily for two weeks in order to minimize ommisions due to weaknesses in the recall.
The Enumerators were instructed to complete work in a selected EA within a time frame of 3 weeks. The first week was spent on listing all households in the EA and the following two weeks for gathering information on Schedule 2 (recurrent expenditure) Schedule 3 (2 week expenditure diary), and Schedule 4 (income).
Data processing
Keeping with internationally accepted Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) methodology, the 2003 HIES estimated "imputed rents" - the estimated net value of owner-occupied dwellings which need to be added to the incomes (and expenditures) of all households which do not pay rents on the dwellings occupied.
The regressions were conducted separately for Central and Western divisions of the Fiji Islands, while the Northern and Eastern Divisions were combined, to improve the statistical reliability of the results. In urban areas, distinctions were made between the types of houses in Central and Western Divisions (major categories used were: concrete with 3-4 bedrooms, concrete with 1-2 bedrooms, wooden, iron, and squatter houses), while in rural areas, the only distinctions were between concrete/wood houses and those made of iron.
The Net Imputed Values were calculated as the Gross Imputed Values (estimated from the regressions using actual rent data) less the Imputed Cost of Owned Houses, which is estimated as an aggregate percentage of actual repairs and maintenance plus interest component of instalment payments plus property rates. For more infomration on imputed rent, see the survey report, Annex B that is provided as External Resources.
Data appraisal
None reported.
Expenditure is usually better reported than incomes. Where the former exceeded the latter, Enumerators were required to re-question the relevant households for possible ommissions of incomes. Enumerators were also trained to probe further where they observed that households had income-earnings assets but were not reporting any related incomes. Enumerators and Supervisors were also required to check the validity of any large incomes and expenditures reported.
Data Access
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government Statistician | Fiji Islands Bureau of Statistics | www.statsfiji.gov.fj | info@statsfiji.gov.fj |
Licensed datasets, accessible under conditions.
"Fiji Islands Bureau of Statistics, Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2002-03 (HIES 2002), Version 01 of the licensed dataset (2006), provided by the Microdata Library. https://microdata.pacificdata.org/index.php/home"
Disclaimer and copyrights
The user of the data acknowledges that the original collector of the data, the authorized distributor of the data, and the relevant funding agency bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such uses.
(c) 2006, Fiji Islands Bureau of Statistics
Contacts
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Division Manager | Coordination and Development Division, FIBOS | info@statsfiji.gov.fj | www.statsfiji.gov.fj |
Metadata production
DDI_SPC_FJI_2002_HIES_v01_M
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel Clarke | Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific | Documentation of study |
| Statistics for Development Division | Pacific Community (SPC) | Review of the documentation |
2008-03
Metadata version
Version 01 (ESCAP mision to Fiji, March 2008)
Version 02 (August 2019): Review of the existing documentation. Done in Noumea, New Caledonia by the Statistics for Development Division.