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Office of Survey Methods Research
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Published Year: 2010
Survey/Program(s): Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics
Catalog: Economic Working Paper
WP Number: WP-442
Publication Status / Disposition: Available from the Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics (November 2010).
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How to Think About Time‐Use Data: What Inferences Can We Make About Long‐ and Short‐Run Time Use from Time Diaries?
Abstract
Time-use researchers are typically interested in the time use of individuals, but time use data are samples of person-days. Given day-to-day variation in how people spend their time, this distinction is analytically important. We examine the conditions necessary to make inferences about the time use of individuals from a sample of person-days. We also discuss whether and how surveys with multiple household members or multiple days are an improvement over single-diary surveys.