There was a 29% increase in the distribution index between Q3 2017 and Q2 2023.
The average duration of a household interview rose in the period Q3 2017 to Q2 2023.
The average time taken to complete the interviews in Q2 2023 was 16.49 seconds.
The average time taken to complete the interviews per household interviewed in Q2 2023 was just under 30 minutes.
There are three separate indices created for the Response Burden Index: a distribution burden, a response burden, and a time burden. Please see Background Notes for further explanation of these concepts.
There was a 29.4% increase in the distribution index between Q3 2017 and Q2 2023. Over the same period, there was a 7.3% decrease in the response index and a 213.9% rise in the time index. See Figure 1.1 and Table 1.1.
Changes to the distribution index can be caused by different levels of required statistical precision in different household surveys, thereby leading to different sample sizes. The number of surveys being conducted at a given time also influences this index. Changes to the response index include a natural fluctuation across the survey population over the course of the year, and variation in response expected. The time index is affected by the number of responses received to individual surveys, along with the number of questions asked within. Improved data and development of methodologies also contribute to variation within the response and time indices.
The decrease in the response index from Q1 2020 to Q2 2021 is associated with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the period from Q3 2017 to Q2 2023, the number of interviews distributed per household has remained relatively constant at 0.02. The responses received per household in the State remained constant at 0.01. The average time taken per household in the State to complete the interviews was 5.25 seconds in Q3 2017. This average time increased to 10.78 seconds in Q1 2020 and was 16.49 seconds in Q2 2023. The time taken to complete an interview per households interviewed was 1,787 seconds or just under 30 minutes. See Figure 1.2 and Table 1.2.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (21 December 2023) released Household Survey Response Burden Index Q2 2023. In addition to the Census, the CSO surveys more than 20,000 households throughout the year. These surveys give us a very accurate picture of the economic and social situation of the citizens of Ireland, in a way and with a level of detail that no one else can provide. The response burden index provides a measure of the burden placed on Irish households by CSO surveys. The surveys conducted in Q2 2023 were the Labour Force Survey, the Survey of Income and Living Conditions, the Household Budget Survey, and the Growing Up in Ireland ’98 survey.
Commenting on the release Damien Lenihan, statistician in the Household Data Quality section, said: “Between Q3 2017 and Q2 2023 the number of surveys distributed, as measured by the distribution index, rose by 29%. While the average duration of household interview increased during this period, it is worth noting that the average time to complete an interview per household in Q2 2023 was just 16.49 seconds.”