The American Time Use Survey (ATUS), sponsored by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and conducted by the United States Census Bureau (USCB), is a time-use survey which provides measures of the amounts of time people spend on various activities, including working, leisure, childcare, and household activities. [1] [2] The survey has been conducted annually since 2003. [3]
Eligible survey participants are households that have completed all eight months of the Current Population Survey (CPS). Of the eligible households, those representing a range of demographic characteristics are selected to participate in the survey. Between 2–5 months after the household's eighth and final CPS interview, one randomly-selected person of at least fifteen years of age is selected from each household to be interviewed for the ATUS and asked questions about their time use. [4]
Since December 2003, the ATUS sample has been 2,190 households per month (approximately 26,400 households per year). The ATUS sample was initially 3,375 households per month (approximately 40,500 households per year), but was reduced to lower costs. The selected households are categorized into one of twelve strata based on race/ethnicity (Hispanic, Non-Hispanic black, Non-Hispanic non-black) and household type (child under age six, child between age six and age seventeen, single adult no children, two or more adults no children). [5]
The ATUS data include: [6]
From 2005–2010, the ATUS included questions relating to overnight trips. In January 2011, the overnight trips questions were replaced by questions relating to eldercare. [5]
The ATUS sometimes includes special questions, called modules, at the end of the interview. The ATUS added an Eating & Health module from 2006–2008 and 2014–2016, a Well-Being Module in 2010, 2012, and 2013, and a Leave module, relating to workers' access to leave, in 2011. [7] [8] [9]
ATUS data are used by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) to account for the value of household production, [10] the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) in their Passenger Travel: Facts and Figures report, [11] and the Economic Research Service (ERS) to examine how time use patterns of eating affect health. [12]
ATUS data have also been used to help research worker productivity, social isolation, and how working parents balance the activities in their lives. [13]
The United States is the third most populous country in the world, and the most populous in the Americas and the Western Hemisphere, with an estimated population of 340,110,988 on July 1, 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This was an increase of 2.6% over the 2020 federal census of 331,449,281 residents. These figures include the 50 states and the federal capital, Washington, D.C., but exclude the 3.6 million residents of five unincorporated U.S. territories as well as several minor uninhabited island possessions. The Census Bureau showed a population increase of 0.98% for the twelve-month period ending in July 2024, slightly below the world estimated annual growth rate of 1.03%. The total fertility rate (TFR) in 2024 was around 1.84 children per woman, which is below the replacement fertility rate of approximately 2.1. By several metrics, including racial and ethnic background, religious affiliation, and percentage of rural and urban divide, the state of Illinois is the most representative of the larger demography of the United States.
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The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, including ancestry, US citizenship status, educational attainment, income, language proficiency, migration, disability, employment, and housing characteristics. No respondents personal information is released, and only used statistically in these data which are used by many public-sector, private-sector, and not-for-profit stakeholders to allocate funding, track shifting demographics, plan for emergencies, and learn about local communities.
The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a monthly survey of about 60,000 U.S. households conducted by the United States Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS uses the data to publish reports early each month called the Employment Situation. This report provides estimates of the unemployment rate and the numbers of employed and unemployed people in the United States based on the CPS. A readable Employment Situation Summary is provided monthly. Annual estimates include employment and unemployment in large metropolitan areas. Researchers can use some CPS microdata to investigate these or other topics.
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The National Longitudinal Surveys (NLS) are a set of surveys sponsored by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the U.S. Department of Labor. These surveys have gathered information at multiple points in time on the labor market experiences and other significant life events of several groups of men and women. Each of the NLS samples consists of several thousand individuals, many of whom have been surveyed over several decades.
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