Memorandum:
Official Statistics Shall Conduct the Next German Time Use Survey (2012 the latest) for
Research Progress and Targeted Economic and Social Policy
Time use surveys provide person level information about labour market activities (working hours, duration and spacing), travel, education, household activities (housework, child care, meal preparation, do-it-yourself, leisure activities (media, computing, culture and sports) as well as on social networks, volunteering and social engagement. Thus, in a unique way, a time use survey provides a comprehensive picture of multiple activities of persons in a household context with additional information about where and with whom time is used. In the past a nationwide and representative Time Use Survey in Germany was provided by the Federal Statistical Office in the 1991/92 and the last one ten years later in 2001/02. Unfortunately there are no visible plans for undertaking a subsequent ten year follow up in 2012.
The participants of the 31st Conference of the International Association for Time Use Research – September 23-25, 2009 at the Leuphana University Lüneburg – were very concerned that, in the absence of planning activities, a follow up Time Use Survey in Germany may not be undertaken. Hence Germany would not be able to contribute to the current round of European Time Use Surveys (HETUS) co-ordinated by EUROSTAT. This is a matter of particular concern since Germany would be a notable absence from further actual comparative cross- national studies with other European countries like Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, FYROM, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.
By providing German time use data to the Harmonised European Time Use Surveys (HETUS) Germany would contribute to, and gain significant advantages from, a wide range of studies addressing important economic, social and political issues.
In addition to the national interests served by the next German Time Use Study the international science community need actual German time use data along with that of the enhanced EU member states to facilitate worldwide comparative research with Germany as an important country.
Quite apart from the missing European link the lack of the next time use study in Germany misses the opportunity to study changes and patterns of time use in light of the dynamics of the German economy and society at least throughout three decades from 1992 to 2002 to 2012 as proposed.
Time use surveys in a compact way deliver new insights into individual living conditions with labour market issues and new labour flexibilities, child caring and gender-related matters, travel and communication, education, the situation of the elderly and social engagement. Thus time use surveys are an indispensible instrument for a society’s national and international research and targeted economic and social policy.
The next German Time Use Survey, proposed for 2012 to be at least in a decade rhythm and after the next German Census (2011), is urgently needed. The participants of the 31st Conference of the International Association for Time Use Research therefore, and with emphasis, urgently appeal to the political executives to start the next German Time Use Survey.
Lüneburg, September 2009
31st Conference of the International Association for Time Use Research,
23-25 September 2009, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany
www.leuphana.de/ffb/iatur2009,
31st Conference of the International Association for Time Use Research, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany
Prof. Dr. Ignace Glorieux, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Prof. Dr. Andrew Harvey, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada
Prof. Dr. Rainer Hufnagel, WWU Münster, Germany
Prof. Dr. Duncan Ironmonger, University of Melbourne, Australia
Prof. Dr. William Michelson, University of Toronto, Canada
Prof. Dr. James E. Pratt, Cornell University, USA
Prof. Dr. John P. Robinson, University of Maryland, USA
Prof. Dr. Gert G. Wagner, DIW Berlin and MPI for Human Developments Berlin, Germany
Prof. Dr. Jiri Zuzanek, University of Waterloo, Canada
Prof. Michael Bittman, President of IATUR, University of New England, Australia
Dr. Kimberly Fisher, IATUR Secretary-Treasurer, Oxford University, UK
Prof. Dr. Joachim Merz, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany
Prof. Dr. Manfred Ehling, Federal Statistical Office, Germany
and explicitly further 130 conference participants from 29 countries worldwide representing academia, research centres and national statistical offices.
Information:
31st Conference of the International Association for Time Use Research,
www.leuphana.de/ffb/iatur2009, Research Network on Time Use (RNTU): www.rntu.org
Contact: Prof. Dr. Joachim Merz, Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, Fakultät 2 : Wirtschafts-, Verhaltens- und Rechtswissenschaften, Forschungsinstitut Freie Berufe (FFB), Campus, Scharnhorststr. 1, UC 5/33, 21335 Lüneburg,Tel: +49 (0) 4131/677 2051, Fax: +49 (0) 4131/677 2059, e-mail: ffb@leuphana.de, internet: www.leuphana.de/ffb
