This poster details developments of two harmonised datasets created at the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Essex (UK) in conjunction with the Department of Sociology at the University of Calgary (Canada). The older

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Comparative time use data resources the
Multinational Time Use Study and the American
Heritage Time Use datasets Kimberly Fisher,
Jonathan Gershuny, Anne H. Gauthier, and Muriel
Egerton
AHTUS
MTUS
PURPOSE Allow analysis of cross-time changes
in national accounts in the USA
PURPOSE Allow analysis of cross-time and
cross-national changes in daily activities
This poster details developments of two
harmonised datasets created at the Institute for
Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the
University of Essex (UK) in conjunction with the
Department of Sociology at the University of
Calgary (Canada). The older dataset, the
Multinational Time Use Study (MTUS), sprang from
the inspiration of Professor Jonathan Gershuny,
then working with Sally Jones at the University
of Bath in the early 1980s. The early MTUS built
from the 1965 Szalai Multinational Time Budget
Study and harmonised mainly European datasets
collected in the early 1960s through the mid
1980s into a common series of background
variables and total time spent per day in 41
activities. The MTUS has grown to encompass over
50 datasets from 19 countries, and is now
incorporating recent data from the HETUS, ATUS,
and other national level time use projects. The
recently released American Historical Time Use
Study (AHTUS) was developed for the Glaser
Progress Foundation at Yale University. From
2003, the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the USA
began collecting first continuous time use data
as an add-on to the CPS. Not only is this
American Time Use Study (ATUS) the first
continuous record of changes in daily activities,
this dataset also covers the largest time use
sample yet collected. The ATUS will allow the
monitoring of trends in the use of time in the
USA, but as a new study, it does not
independently allow a backward view of change
over time. The AHTUS has harmonised older USA
time use studies into a format for cross-time
analysis with the ATUS. Both projects have
entailed methodological work to improve the
quality of the time use data and to optimise the
harmonisation of the variables for cross-time and
cross-national analysis. Both datasets are free
for use to the research community. The AHTUS will
inform the next generation of the MTUS, which
will include harmonised sequence, who else is
present, and location data in addition to
aggregated activity summaries.

• DATA INCLUDED (release 1)
• 1965-1966 University of Michigan studies both
  Jackson,
• Michigan (Szalai) and 44 metropolitan areas
  samples
• 1975-1976 ICPSR 4 wave longitudinal study
• 1985 ICPSR mail back sample
• 1992-1994 NHAPS
• 2003 ATUS
• Future data to be added
• 1995 NHAPS extension, 1998-2001 ICPSR, 2004 ATUS

DATA INCLUDED (release 5.5.2) Australia 1987,
1992, 1997 Austria 1992 Canada 1971/72, 1981,
1986, 1992, 1998 Denmark 1964 Finland 1979,
1987/88, 1999/2000 France 1998/99 Germany
1992 Italy 1989 Netherlands 1975, 1980, 1985,
1990, 1995, 2000 Norway 1971, 1981, 1990/91,
2000/01 Slovenia 2000/01 South Africa 2000 Sweden
1990/91, 2000 UK 1961, 1974/75, 1983, 1987, 1995,
2000/01 USA 1965/66, 1975/76, 1985, 1992/94,
1998/01, 2003

• Data Structure - main files
• Covers diarists aged 18
• Main respondent only 1975/76
• 3 data files per survey
• Background/demographic
• Episode (main, secondary,
• in/outside, location, who else
• present, start/stop time, duration)
• Aggregated time (sole activity
• act with secondary childcare
• summed separately)

Supplementary Files 1975/76 spouse main
respondent Child (aged 0-17) diaries
1992/94 Child (aged 15-17) diaries 2003
Current MTUS activity codes
Total Minutes in 24
Hours AV1 paid work AV2 paid work at
home AV3 second job AV4 school, classes
AV5 travel to/from work AV6 cook, wash
up AV7 doing housework AV8 doing odd
jobs AV9 gardening AV10 shopping AV11
childcare AV12 domestic travel AV13 for
dressing/toilet AV14 receive services AV15
eat meals or snacks AV16 sleep AV17 travel
for leisure AV18 on excursions AV19 engage
in sports AV20 watch sports AV21 walking
AV22 religious activity AV23 civic,
volunteer AV24 cinema/theatre AV25
dances/parties AV26 social clubs AV27 pubs
AV28 restaurants AV29 visiting friends
AV30 radio AV31 TV/video AV32 listen to
recording AV33 study AV34 read books AV35
read paper/magazine AV36 relaxing AV37
conversation AV38 entertain friends AV39
knit, sew AV40 other hobbies AV41 missing

• Future work
• Update activity list
• Add recent datasets
• More time series
• Harmonised
• sequence data
• Separately
• aggregated sole
• simultaneous
• activity
• Add context
• variables
• End 2006
• for new
• prototype

Early analysis
http//www.iser.essex.ac.uk/mtus/