The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey
Unique among Australian datasets, Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) is an Australian large-scale nationally representative longitudinal survey which has been providing data for social and economic research since 2003.
HILDA is an ongoing project and has contracts in place for 12 waves of data collection. The Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research have a contract with FaHCSIA to administer the survey on behalf of the Australian Government.
Roy Morgan Research has been contracted to collect the data for Waves 9 to 12.
Research
Data from the HILDA survey allow for a longitudinal evidence-based approach to research enabling researchers, policy makers and advisors to explore the interdependencies and interrelationships between the various choices made by individuals and households. It also allows for investigation into the impact of various life events and the examination of the contextual determinants of change.
The Melbourne Institute produces an annual statistical report based on the findings from the latest wave of HILDA. This report covers a wide range of topics and gives a valuable overview of trends in Australian life. Volume 4 of this report covers the period 2002 to 2006 and is available for downloading from the HILDA website.
Access to the HILDA survey data
Wave 8 was released on 2 February 2010. FaHCSIA staff wishing to apply for access to HILDA data can obtain the necessary application package from the FaHCSIA HILDA intranet site or the HILDA FIRSt public folder. All other researchers wishing to obtain the data can apply by downloading the application form and applicable licence from the HILDA website.
Deeds of licence issued
As at 30 January 2010 there were 40 organisations approved to have an Organisational Licence for the data (including FaHCSIA). A full list of organisations with an Organisational Licence is available on the Melbourne Institute website.
In 2009 HILDA was used by a record of 457 users, 276 of whom were users under organisational licensing arrangements.
Wave 9
The fieldwork for Wave 9 is in its final stages. Computer Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI) were used for the first time in the collection of the data.
The main innovation in Wave 9 was the inclusion of a dedicated health module, expected to be included every four years. Among the topics covered were: child health; difficulties caused by health conditions; serious illness conditions; retrospective childhood health; health expectations; private health insurance; utilisation of health services; and diet.
Wave 10
Wave 10 content development is currently underway. Wave 10 of the survey is scheduled to be in the field in September 2010.
Further information:
Enquires about the HILDA survey should be directed, in the first instance, to the HILDA website. For technical enquiries about the survey email HILDA-inquiries@unimelb.edu.au and for data access enquiries email longitudinalsurveys@fahcsia.gov.au.
[ top ]
Growing up in Australia: the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC)
LSAC aims to provide data to enable a comprehensive understanding of children's development in Australia's current social, economic and cultural environment. The study provides an important part of the evidence base for informing future policies regarding children and their families. Policy areas of interest include: family relationships and functioning; parenting and child care; education; employment and schooling; and mental and physical health.
The study follows two cohorts. In 2004, 5,000 infants, aged 3 to 19 months (B cohort), and 5,000 four to five year olds (K cohort) were surveyed for the first time. Since then, two further biennial main waves, Waves 2 and 3 have been conducted, and Wave 4 will begin in March 2010. In addition, between-wave questionnaires were distributed in the years in-between the main waves. Data is collected from children, parents, carers and teachers using various data collection methods including computer assisted face-to-face interviews, self-interviews, telephone interviews and self-complete questionnaires.
Wave 3
The data collection phase of Wave 3 was completed in January 2009, reaching a total of 8,685 respondents, or 91 per cent of the retained Wave 2 sample. Wave 3 data was released on 31 August 2009.
Wave 3.5
Between-wave questionnaires help maintain contact with study families and therefore assist with retention rates in the main waves. Wave 3.5 is the third between-wave questionnaire and covers a range of topics including schooling, child care, travel to school, sleep, onset of puberty (among the older, K cohort children), major life events and use of media and technology. The Wave 3.5 form was mailed out in June 2009 and approximately 63 per cent of participants responded. The data is due for release in April 2010.
Wave 4
The dress rehearsal for Wave 4 was conducted from early August to late September 2009. The main fieldwork for Wave 4 will commence in March 2010. Wave 4 uses significant methodological innovation that includes Audio-Computer Assisted Self Interviewing (A-CASI) for older children to maintain their interest and privacy. The older children will also fill in a time use diary recording all of the activities they undertake on the day before their interview. The main parent will also experience a change in their interview methods. As well as the computer assisted face-to-face interviews completed in previous waves, they will have a computer assisted self-interview to replace the paper and pencil self-complete form. To reduce time in the home, prior to the home visit, the main parent will be interviewed by telephone for basic household details.
Waves 5 to 8
Planning for the next four waves of LSAC data collection has started. At Wave 5, the children in the K cohort will be 12 to 13 years old. The LSAC team will be meeting with areas within FaHCSIA and across government seeking input for new content. If you have any ideas for items that could help build knowledge and improve policy about children and their families, please contact the LSAC team.
2009 LSAC conference
The 2009 LSAC research conference was held in Melbourne on 3–4 December 2009. The conference provided an opportunity to discuss the contribution of LSAC data to research and policy about children and families. Highlights from the conference are described at Growing up in Australia: the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC).
Recent publications
The LSAC Annual Report 2008–09 was released at the 2009 LSAC conference and provides an overview of Wave 3 data and preliminary findings when study children were aged 4 to 5 years old and 8 to 9 years old. The report also includes articles about breastfeeding and infants' time use, child and infant outcomes, and stress and psychological distress in mothers of infants. A list of all recent publications using LSAC data can be found on the AIFS website.
Data access
FaHCSIA staff wishing to apply for access to LSAC data can obtain the necessary application package, including an IT systems access form, from the FaHCSIA LSAC intranet site. All other researchers wishing to obtain the data can apply by downloading the application form and applicable licence from the LSAC website.
Further information:
FaHCSIA: Dr Helen Rogers (Research and Analysis Branch), tel (02) 6244 7726 or
email: helen.rogers@fahcsia.gov.au or lsac@fahcsia.gov.au or
web: AIFS website
[ top ]
Footprints in Time—the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC)
Footprints in Time is collecting important information about the lives of Indigenous children, covering areas such as health, culture, education, housing and family relationships. The study is designed to better understand the developmental pathways of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, what helps improve their wellbeing and support good outcomes as they grow up. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff are employed as Research Administration Officers (RAOs) to conduct interviews in each of the 11 sites included in the study. A team of National Office staff support and manage the fieldwork.
Wave 1 data release
Wave 1 data was collected in 2008. Interviews were conducted with the families of more than 900 babies aged approximately 6 to 18 months and more than 700 children aged approximately 3 years 6 months to 4 years 6 months. Most of the information was collected through face-to-face interviews with a parent or carer (usually mother). Wave 1 data was released on 5 February 2010. To apply for access to the data or obtain a copy of the Wave 1 report: Footprints in Time, The Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children: key summary report from Wave 1, please visit the FaHCSIA website.
Wave 2 data
Wave 2 data collection was conducted between March 2009 and December 2009 with an 85.7 per cent response rate, which represents 1,445 families including 814 babies aged approximately 1 year, 6 months to 2 years, 6 months and 595 children aged approximately 4 years, 6 months to 5 years, 6 months. Wave 2 builds on the dataset collected in Wave 1 and explores the changes in many of the areas previously covered. These include: social and emotional wellbeing; major life events; child vocabulary; child and parent health and child development milestones; and housing issues. Additional content collected in Wave 2 includes questions about the stolen generation, childhood injuries, child support payments and starting school. A report outlining the highlights from Wave 2 data will be released late 2010.
Wave 3 collection
Wave 3 data collection will commence in March 2010 and completed by the end of the year. Wave 3 builds on the dataset collected in Wave 1 and Wave 2 and, again, will explore changes in many of the areas previously covered. These include: major life events; child and parent health; and housing issues. Additional content collected in Wave 3 will include questions about Indigenous culture and identity, gambling, and a stronger focus on education and school life for the older cohort. Teachers and carers will be surveyed in Wave 3 to ascertain children's learning and development in the school and out-of-home care context.
Further information:
FaHCSIA: Tess McPeake (Research and Analysis Branch)
tel: (02) 6244 7545 or email tess.mcpeake@fahcsia.gov.au or email lsic@fahcsia.gov.au
web: FaHCSIA website
[ top ]
The Youth in Focus data
Youth in Focus (YIF) is a unique longitudinal survey of young people in Australia. With a sample drawn from the Centrelink income support administrative data, the survey was originally designed to examine the transmission of economic and social disadvantage across generations. The collected information also allows for complex analyses of education, labour market and health outcomes of young people in their transitions to adulthood.
Beginning in 2004, the project was jointly funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) under an ARC Linkage Grant to the Australian National University and the Australian Government represented by the then Family and Community Services (FaCS). Following the Machinery of Government changes in 2007, the project was transferred to the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). However, FaHCSIA remains a key partner in this project.
To date, two waves of the survey have been completed. The first wave was conducted in 2006 comprising 4,000 young people aged 18 years and 3,900 parents, resulting in 2,430 matched youths and their parents. The second wave was undertaken in late 2008 and 2,360 young people were successfully interviewed.
In 2009, the Australian Government provided additional funding for a top-up survey to boost the sample size. Attempts were made to interview those young people who could not be contacted at the time of Wave 1, or have given a 'soft' refusal to participate (that is, did not object to the project subject matter but rather explained their refusal by such factors as lack of time). The top-up survey resulted in 1,260 additional interviews.
The YIF survey data have been analysed and will continue to be used by the academic community and government departments, particularly FaHCSIA and DEEWR. Examples of completed reports, papers and fact sheets include:
- 'Taking chances: the effect of growing up on welfare on the risky behaviour of young people' by Deborah Cobb-Clark, Chris Ryan and Anastasia Sartbayeva (2009)
- 'Achievement, aspiration and autonomy: how do youth from stepfather families compare with other young Australians?' by Paula Mance and Peng Yu (2009)
- 'Cultural transmission of work–welfare attitudes and the intergenerational correlation in welfare receipt' by Juan Barón, Deborah Cobb-Clark and Nisvan Erkal (2008)
- 'The relationship between income support history and the characteristics and outcomes of Australian youth' by Deborah Cobb-Clark and Anastasia Sartbayeva (2007).
While most of the aforementioned analyses are based on the YIF survey data alone, the project is unique in that it allows matching of the survey data to the information on income support payments in the administrative dataset. The linking of the survey and administrative datasets allows more detailed analyses of how the timing, intensity and type of the income support received by the youth's family while they were growing up might affect youth's future outcomes and their own reliance on the income support system. One example of such analysis is presented in the report entitled 'Childhood family circumstances and young adult people's receipt of income support'by Deborah Cobb-Clark and Tue Gørgens (2009).
Further information and access to the YIF project publications is available from the YIF website.
Further information:
FaHCSIA: Paula Mance (Research and Analysis Branch)
tel (02) 6244 6607 or email paula.mance@fahcsia.gov.au