How Does the U.s. Census Bureau Define a Family? Answer.com

1. Output information

National Statistic
Survey name	The Labour Force Survey (Household dataset)
Frequency	Annual
How compiled	Sample-based survey
Geographic coverage	UK
Sample size	Approximately forty,000 households per quarter
Last revised	2 March 2021

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2. Nearly this Quality and Methodology Information report

This quality and methodology report contains information on the quality characteristics of the data (including the European Statistical Arrangement v dimensions of quality) as well as the methods used to create information technology.

The information in this written report will assistance you to:

• understand the strengths and limitations of the information
• acquire well-nigh existing uses and users of the data
• understand the methods used to create the data
• decide suitable uses for the data
• reduce the gamble of misusing information

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3. Of import points

• The families and households estimates are produced using the Apr to June quarter of the Labour Forcefulness Survey (LFS), a big-scale U.k. household survey we carry out that interviews approximately 40,000 households per quarter.

• Most communal establishments are excluded from the LFS, with the exception of National Wellness Service accommodation; students in halls of residence whose parents alive in the Britain are included through the parental home.

• The families and households estimates are subject to sampling variation; the precision of the estimates depends on the sample size simply for some smaller groups, such every bit civil partner couple families and same-sex cohabiting couple families, the estimates are considered less precise and should be treated with more caution.

• The definition of a family in this release is a married, ceremonious partnered or cohabiting couple with or without children, or a lone parent with at least one child who lives at the same accost.

• The definition of a household in this release is one person living lonely, or a group of people (not necessarily related) living at the same address who share cooking facilities and share a living room, sitting room or dining area.

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4. Quality summary

Uses and users

An understanding of families and households is crucial for those involved in planning and controlling. In addition, family and social relationships are 1 of the most important factors contributing to well-being.

The statistics are used by those who want to improve their understanding of the UK'due south families and households including:

• policy-makers

• MPs

• journalists

• charities

• the individual sector

• students

• researchers and academics

• members of the general public

Strengths and limitations

The principal strengths of the families and households statistical bulletins include:

• these data provide users with valuable insight into the changing patterns of families and households back to 1996

• the survey estimates are sourced from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), which provides robust and representative survey estimates used for labour market, economical statistics and family and household statistics

• the use of survey estimates means that families statistics are adaptive to changes in legislation relating to legal marital condition (for example, the introduction of civil partnerships and aforementioned-sex marriages); however, small sample sizes may mean that it takes a number of years earlier it is possible to produce robust estimates at lower geographies or by other demographic characteristics such as age

• confidence intervals and an indication of the size of the coefficient of variation are presented around the survey component of the estimates to requite users an indication of the reliability of the estimates

The master limitations of the families and households statistical bulletins include:

• the LFS is a study of employment circumstances in the United kingdom, used to provide data on the UK labour market; therefore, its primary role is not to provide data on demographics such as families and households

• the definitions used to draw families and households are constrained by the LFS and therefore a lot of the complexities of family and household germination cannot exist explored; for instance, families are constrained past the fact that they must all reside at the aforementioned address; more information on the complexities of the families and households definition tin can be found in the explainer certificate

• the LFS does not include the two% of the population living in communal establishments such as prisons and nursing homes

• some demographic groups of the population, such as older people and those in same-sex unions, have small sample sizes within the LFS; so, estimates and trends are not e'er robust plenty for meaningful commentary

Recent improvements to the publication

Since our terminal National Statistics assessment we accept made the following improvements to the publication:

• a breakup of married couple families into opposite-sexual activity and same-sex (Tabular array 9)

• an explainer document to accompany the release from the August 2019 publication; this provides information around the complexities of families and households definitions and examples of families and households, and their categorisations

• adding feedback links to our datasets so users can more easily let the states know which tables are useful and what else they would like

In response to user requests:

• our Nov 2019 publication included Tables 1 and 7 at regional level for the kickoff fourth dimension, with further tables at regional level in this year'south publication

• for this release we take expanded Tabular array v to include household size of 6, and seven and over people for years 2015 onwards, prior to this there was a six and over category

• in the November 2015 release we started including estimates of young adults living with their parents

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v. Quality characteristics of the families and households data

Relevance

(The degree to which the statistical outputs encounter users' needs.)

The families and households tables published are:

• Table one: Families by family type and presence of children

• Tabular array 2: People in families by family type and presence of children

• Table 3: Families with dependent children by family blazon and number of dependent children

• Table 4: Dependent children in families by family unit type

• Table 5: Households by size

• Table 6: People living lone by age and sexual activity

• Tabular array 7: Households by blazon of household and family

• Table 8: People in households by type of household and family

• Table 9: Married couple families by type and presence of children

These tables are typically updated annually. The selection to publish these tables was based on analysis of ad hoc requests by users of families and households information during 2010. It would be impossible to provide tables to meet all user needs, but the tables published aim to answer the virtually bones and mutual questions on the number of families in the Britain by family type and the number of people in such families, including children. The tables besides answer basic questions on the number of households in the UK, what types of family unit are living in these households and the number of people living in these households.

In response to user demand for estimates of families and households at lower levels of geography, nosotros have increased the number of datasets published in 2019 and 2020.

In the 2019 dataset release we published two boosted datasets:

• Families by family blazon and presence of children for Britain countries and English regions
• Households by type of household and family for UK countries and English language regions

In the 2020 dataset release we published the previous two datasets as well as an additional three datasets:

• People in families by family type and presence of children for Uk countries and English regions
• Households past size for UK countries and English language regions
• People in households by type of household and family for United kingdom countries and English regions

We have incorporated feedback links into our published datasets for 2020 to gather more information on whether the tables published run across user needs.

Further information about the strengths and limitations of other sources of information, which were considered when developing this output, are in Department 7 Other information.

Accurateness and reliability

(The degree of closeness betwixt an estimate and the true value.)

As estimates of the UK's families and households are based on the Labour Strength Survey (LFS), all estimates produced are subject area to sampling variability. This is because the sample selected is merely one of a large number of possible samples that could take been drawn from the population.

Samples are drawn from the "minor user" Postcode Address File (PAF), which is a database of private addresses in England, Wales and Scotland. These are addresses that receive fewer than 25 pieces of mail per mean solar day. In Northern Republic of ireland, Pointer, which is the government'southward central register of domestic properties, is used.

Estimates produced from a sample survey vary according to the specific characteristics of the respondents that have been sampled. Some inferences can be fabricated as to the characteristics of non-respondents and whether not-response has an impact on the quality of the survey results.

Sampling and non-sampling error, along with data on measuring mistake, can be plant in the LFS QMI. LFS quality measures are likewise documented.

More detail on the quality assurance carried out on the LFS information can exist constitute in Section 6: Methods used to produce the families and households data.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has afflicted the data collection and weighting methodology of the LFS. As a consequence, all face up-to-face interviewing for the Labour Forcefulness Survey (LFS) was suspended and replaced with telephone interviewing. This change in the method for initial contact has changed the non-response bias of the survey, affecting interviews from March 2020 onwards.

Labour Force Survey (LFS) responses are weighted to official population projections. Every bit the current projections are 2018-based they incorporate demographic trends that pre-date the COVID-19 pandemic.

We go on to examine potential not-response bias and to analyse the population totals used in the weighting process and may brand adjustments if appropriate. Rates published from the LFS remain robust; however, levels and changes in levels should be used with caution.

Further information can be establish past post-obit the links:

• Coronavirus and its bear upon on the LFS

• Measuring the labour market during the pandemic

• Agreement the bear upon of COVID-19 on United kingdom population

• The bear upon of the modify in weighting on master LFS indicators published in October 2020

To mitigate the impact of the change in non-response bias, in October 2020, we introduced housing tenure into the LFS weighting methodology for periods from January to March 2020 onwards. For some very specific household types the bear upon of non-response bias may still be evident. The information for one person households aged 75 years and over especially appear to nowadays an implausible reduction when compared with data for 2019. We recommend that users refer to the number of one-person households anile 65 years and over, which have been less affected by this upshot. In turn, this has contributed to there being no statistically significant alter in the total number of households in the Uk, in contrast with the overall trend for steady increase in household numbers in recent years.

Coherence and comparability

(Coherence is the degree to which information that are derived from dissimilar sources or methods, simply refer to the same topic, are similar. Comparability is the caste to which data tin be compared over time and domain, for instance, geographic level.)

In that location are several other data sources, including administrative and survey data, that tin exist used to provide estimates of families and households. These include census data, registration data, Her Majesty's Revenue and Community (HMRC) benefits information, and other surveys such as the English language Housing Survey (EHS). More information on these other information sources for families and households can be found in the explainer.

Some common themes have emerged from previous analysis into the differences between information sources, such every bit lower estimates of one-person households in the Labour Force Survey (LFS) compared with other not-survey sources, because of not-contact with one-person households in surveys. Surveys also by and large provided higher estimates of civil partners than registration data, for a diversity of possible reasons including people who have formed a civil partnership outside the United kingdom, either earlier or after civil partnerships became legal in the UK in 2005. All the same, in general, estimates were establish to be similar to the other sources, given the quite different collection methods.

In 2013, we undertook some initial comparisons with the results of the 2011 Census for families and households. The master findings from this comparison are in the 2013 statistical message.

It may be necessary to make future revisions to the families and households estimates to reflect occasional or post-demography revisions to the national mid-yr population estimates, which will as well have an touch on on the weighting used for the LFS. This is in line with our revisions policies for population statistics.

Accessibility and clarity

(Accessibility is the ease with which users tin can access the data, also reflecting the format in which the data are bachelor and the availability of supporting information. Clarity refers to the quality and sufficiency of the release details, illustrations and accompanying advice.)

• The recommended format for attainable content is HTML5 for narrative, charts and graphs.

• Data should exist provided in open, reusable and machine-readable formats such as CSV and ODF.

• An option to download or impress the content should exist available.

In addition to this Quality and Methodology report, some quality and methods information is included in each statistical bulletin.

For information regarding atmospheric condition of access to data, delight refer to the following links:

• Terms and conditions (for data on the website)
• Accessibility

Timeliness and punctuality

(Timeliness refers to the lapse of time between publication and the period to which the information refer. Punctuality refers to the gap between planned and actual publication dates.)

Before publication of this output, estimates virtually the Uk's families and households were published in an advert hoc manner in publications such every bit Focus on families and Social trends. Neither of these continues to exist published. The release described in this written report provides important estimates of families and people in families, equally well as households, and people in households. They are now updated annually, around five months later the end of the April to June reference menstruation.

The Labour Forcefulness Survey (LFS) datasets are reweighted periodically to take account of the latest available population estimates and projections. This means that there are small revisions to previously published estimates.

The 2018 release of Families and households in the UK was published in August 2019. This was delayed due to the re-weighting of the LFS data back to 2012. The impact of the reweighting on the 2012 to 2017 estimates is summarised in the bear on of reweighting dataset.

The about recent release adds the 2020 estimates to the previously published 1996 to 2019 dataset. This release was delayed from its original November 2020 publication engagement because of the touch on of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the data collection and weighting methodology of the LFS (encounter Accuracy and reliability section for further details).

For more than details on related releases, the GOV.UK statistics release calendar provides up to 12 months' detect of release dates. In the effect of a change to the pre-announced release schedule, public attending will exist drawn to the modify and the reasons for information technology explained fully at the aforementioned time, equally set out in the Code of Exercise for Statistics.

Concepts and definitions (including listing of changes to definitions)

(Concepts and definitions describe the legislation governing the output, and a description of the classifications used in the output.)

Definitions used in the output are detailed in this section. They are nationally agreed definitions and consequent with other sources of data (such as those used for the census). No classifications are used in the output.

A family is a married, ceremonious partnered or cohabiting couple with or without children, or a solitary parent with at to the lowest degree one child who lives at the same address. Children may exist dependent or non-dependent.

Dependent children are those living with their parent(s) and are either:

• aged under 16 years
• anile 16 to xviii years and are in full-time education, excluding children anile 16 to 18 years who take a spouse, partner or kid living in the household

Non-dependent children are those living with their parent(s) and are either:

• aged xix years or over and have no spouse, partner or child living in the household, or
• anile sixteen to 18 years and are not in total-fourth dimension education and have no spouse, partner or child living in the household

Not-dependent children are sometimes called developed children.

For 1996 to 2010, a household is defined equally a person living alone, or a group of people living at the same address who have the address as their only or primary residence and either share one main repast a day or share living adaptation (or both). For 2011 onwards, it is defined every bit 1 person living alone, or a group of people (non necessarily related) living at the same address who share cooking facilities and share a living room, sitting room or dining area.

To measure the bear upon of the introduction of the new household definition, we adult a set of questions to exist asked by interviewers for each accost they visited. Overall, just 2 addresses out of 2,188 productive cases (less than 0.1% of interviewed households) would modify nomenclature under the new household definition.

For more details on definitions and concepts used in the families and households publication please run into the families and household statistics explainer.

Geography (including list of changes to boundaries)

Up until 2018, families and households estimates were produced routinely by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) at the UK level. In the 2019 and 2020 releases, in response to user demand, a subset of tables have also been produced for Britain countries and English regions.

Families and households estimates for lower-level geographies and culling aggregations may exist available on request. These requests may exist chargeable depending on specific requirements.

Output quality

The original output objective was to provide summary statistics roofing the almost basic and normally asked questions posed by users regarding families and households. This includes the number of families in the Britain, number of cohabiting couples and families with children.

Surveys such as the Labour Forcefulness Survey (LFS) provide estimates of population characteristics rather than exact measures. In principle, many random samples could be drawn from the population and each would give different results, since each sample would be made upwards of unlike people who would give different answers to the questions asked on the LFS. The spread of these results is the sampling variability, which generally reduces with increasing sample size.

Confidence intervals can exist used to present the sampling variability. A 95% confidence interval tin can be interpreted as the interval within which 95 times out of 100, the truthful value volition prevarication if the sample were repeated 100 times. Pragmatically, if you assume the confidence interval contains the true mean, you will be wrong 5% of the fourth dimension.

For users to proceeds an understanding of the level of accuracy of the families and households estimates, the estimates in the datasets are presented with confidence intervals and an indication of the size of the coefficient of variation (CV). The CV indicates the robustness of each estimate. This is calculated by dividing the judge by the standard error.

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6. Methods used to produce the families and households data

How we collect the data, main data sources and accuracy

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a quarterly social survey of the resident population in private households in the U.k.. It covers people in individual households, NHS adaptation and students in halls of residence whose parents alive in the UK. The master purpose of the survey is to provide information on the UK labour market place, but it includes data on a multifariousness of other variables such as marital condition and living arrangements. The survey does not cover the two% of the population who live in communal establishments such as prisons and nursing homes.

Each quarter's LFS sample is composed of approximately 40,000 households containing effectually 100,000 individuals. Families and households data are produced using the LFS household dataset. The household dataset ensures that the weight given to each member of the same household is the aforementioned, which differs from the person-level dataset.

The LFS household datasets are produced on a quarterly basis. Families and households estimates use the April to June quarter each year every bit this includes the mid-yr point (30 June). Other publications, such as Population estimates past marital condition and living arrangements and Families and the labour market, likewise use the April to June quarter of the LFS.

More information on the LFS can be institute in the Labour Forcefulness Survey user guide.

More than detail on why the LFS was chosen as the all-time source of data to use for this publication can be constitute in Section 7 Other information.

How nosotros analyse and interpret the data

Weighted estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) are calculated for each year for the various families and households breakdowns; past union status and presence of children for family types and by size of household, family blazon and age for households (run across table breakdown in Section 5 Quality characteristics of the families and households). The weighted estimates are of numbers of families and households and are provided at the UK level, although some of these estimates are presented as proportions throughout the bulletin.

All estimates take been provided with confidence intervals and coefficients of variation. These quality measures provide users with sufficient information to judge whether the data are of sufficient quality for their intended use.

In addition to the main families and households dataset, we also produce a young adults dataset. This dataset shows the estimates of 15- to 34-year-olds who alive with their parents.

Same-sex marriages have only been legal in England and Wales since xiii March 2014, in Scotland since 16 December 2014 and in Northern Republic of ireland from thirteen January 2020 and therefore do not appear on any LFS datasets prior to 2015. In household datasets from 2015, nosotros have flagged households with a same-sex wedlock. We must ensure this flag has been applied correctly before computing estimates for these families.

Estimates based on sample sizes of fewer than three are suppressed in published tables, only the tables take been designed to minimise the need for suppression by combining age groups and categories when necessary. Suppression may be needed for small groups of people, such as those in same-sex activity marriages in the early years following the introduction of this marital status.

Civil partnerships were kickoff granted for same-sex couples under the Civil Partnership Human activity 2004. There have been recent changes to civil partner legislation with the provision of opposite-sexual activity civil partnerships in England and Wales from December 2019, soon followed by Scotland in July 2020. In Northern Ireland opposite-sex civil partnerships became legal with effect from January 2020. However, estimates for families and households containing couples in contrary-sex civil partnerships will not exist available until sample sizes become big plenty to produce robust estimates. This will exist reviewed annually.

Virtually estimates provided in the datasets are rounded to the nearest one thousand and may differ from figures in the publication that are based on the unrounded estimates.

How we quality clinch and validate the data

One time Labour Force Survey (LFS) household datasets are received for use in the publication, quality assurance is carried out on the virtually ordinarily used family and household type variables by tabulating one variable against another. The edit rules that are applied include verifying that:

• lone parents do non take a partner in the household
• no children anile under 16 years are married
• nobody is in a civil partnership before 2005
• children are non heads of families
• same-sex marriage flag has been applied correctly

If whatsoever substantial failures are constitute, these are referred to the Social Survey Division in the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for validation and correction. If failures are plant for a very small-scale number of cases, these are manually corrected by the Demographic Assay Unit before estimates of families and households are published.

Bated from quality balls of the raw LFS information received, nosotros likewise undertake quality balls at all stages of the production procedure. Whatever errors or inconsistencies are documented and investigated, and the outcomes are captured to improve production processes in future years.

How we disseminate the data

Families and households estimates are available from 1996 to 2020 using information from the Labour Forcefulness Survey (LFS).

Links from the GOV.Great britain statistics release calendar make the release date and location of each new set of estimates clear. The estimates tin exist downloaded gratuitous of charge in Microsoft Excel format and are available, alongside supporting documentation, from the families and households web page. A statistical bulletin accompanies each publication. The underlying data for the charts and tables in the bulletin tin can exist downloaded. Please note for the 2020 release a headline bulletin rather than a total statistical message has been published.

Most queries tin be answered from the website datasets or supporting methods documents. Other data non published on the web may be available on request by emailing pop.info@ons.gov.u.k.. These requests may exist chargeable depending on specific requirements. Metadata describing the limitations of the data for more detailed tables are provided with each individual request. Any boosted enquires regarding the families and households estimates tin can be fabricated past emailing pop.info@ons.gov.great britain.

How nosotros review and maintain the data

Future revisions to the families and households estimates may be required to reverberate occasional or post-census revisions to the national mid-year population estimates that touch on upon the weighting used for the Labour Force Survey (LFS). This is in line with the ONS revision policy for population statistics.

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7. Other information

Why the Labour Force Survey is used for this publication

The information are produced using the Labour Force Survey (LFS). When deciding the best source of data to apply for the Families and households publication, we considered using the LFS, the Annual Population Survey (APS), the General Lifestyle Survey (GLF) and the Integrated Household Survey (IHS). Both the GLF and the IHS have since ceased product.

The APS combines results from the LFS and the English, Welsh and Scottish LFS boosts. As such, the APS provides similar information to the LFS and has a larger sample size, and then information technology is more commonly used for estimates for smaller geographical areas, such as local authorities, than the LFS. The APS is bachelor annually from 2004 onwards.

The GLF was a multipurpose continuous survey carried out by the Role for National Statistics (ONS), which collected information from people living in Great U.k. on a range of topics including households, families, marriage and cohabitation. The survey ran continuously between 1971 and 2011, when it finished. Information technology had a smaller sample size than the LFS.

The IHS was a composite survey combining questions asked on a number of our social surveys to produce a dataset of "core" variables, including those on families and households. In 2009 to 2010, the IHS was created from six of our surveys including the APS. After April 2011, the number of surveys contributing to the IHS dataset vicious, as ii surveys could not continue asking the core questions. The GLF finished at the cease of Dec 2011, and then the IHS comprised merely of the Living Costs and Food Survey and APS. In February 2014, we announced the result of a consultation that ceased the "core" questions being asked in the Living Costs and Food Survey. This effectively ended the IHS as it now consists only of the APS. The IHS had a larger sample size than the LFS only a shorter data time series because data are merely available from April 2009 onwards.

The surveys were originally evaluated against four main factors to determine which one was the best source of data:

• timeliness
• sample size
• length of data fourth dimension series
• consistency

The LFS was determined as the most advisable data source because it:

• was the timeliest, with the quarterly data being available 2 to three months after the April to June reference date
• had a big sample size of approximately 40,000 households
• had the longest data time series bachelor of an ongoing survey (back to 1996)
• was conducted on a consistent footing across the UK

It was decided that the LFS was the all-time data source considering users were peachy to have a long information fourth dimension series and the quality of estimates is robust at Uk level. Further, estimates of families and households produced from interviews in the April to June quarter are thought to exist representative of the rest of the year.

Useful links

Families and households spider web page for links to:

• Datasets

• Statistical bulletin

• Families and households statistics explained document

• Labour Force Survey user guidance

How to cite this document

Role for National Statistics. 2021. Families and households QMI [Online]. Titchfield: Office for National Statistics.

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Source: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/families/methodologies/familiesandhouseholdsqmi

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