Multinational time budget study

In 1964, the European Coordination Centre for Research Documentation in the Social Sciences in Vienna sponsored a project to collect cross-national comparative time use information under the direction of Alexander Szalai. This project led to a collective effort by social scientists in 12 countries (Soviet Union, United States, Federal Republic of Germany, German Democratic Republic, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Yugoslavia, Belgium, France, and Peru) to study the daily activities of urban and suburban populations around the world. These data provide information about who does what, when, where, and in whose company during the 24 hours of the day; how much time is spent sleeping, commuting, doing paid and unpaid work, watching TV or reading books, listening to music or making conversation, participating in civic activities or pursuing some hobby; how the patterns of everyday life change on weekends; how they vary depending on age, sex, size of family, and socioeconomic status; and how general political, economic, and cultural conditions affect the use of time. Researchers from each country were responsible for obtaining funding and collecting data in their chosen city (or cities). All data about daily activities of the respondents were elicited by interview and/or self-recorded diary. In addition to data about daily activities, the interviewer also recorded a considerable amount of background information on the respondents, including age, sex, education, job, and status. A two-step sampling procedure was used in which (1) the household as a unit was randomly selected, and (2) an individual within the household was chosen. A minimum of 2,000 persons per site was prescribed. Interviews and diaries were coded by the researchers in each country. The Murray Center has the computer-accessible data with extensive documentation and codebooks.