GSS 2018 Data Collection

. #Survey content We use household and personal questionnaires to collect the data. One individual in the household completes the household questionnaire, which collects information about all the usually resident people in that household (eg family relationships and household income). We randomly select one individual in the household aged 15 years or over to answer the personal questionnaire. We use computer-assisted personal interviews, which last an average of 45 minutes. The General Social Survey (GSS) provides information on the well-being of New Zealanders aged 15 years and over. It covers a wide range of social and economic outcomes and shows how people are faring. In particular, the survey provides a view of how well-being outcomes are distributed across different groups within the New Zealand population. We release the information in Wellbeing Statistics: 2018. The General Social Survey has a rotating survey supplement. The supplement topics for 2018 were: ##Housing quality and suitability o Additional health indicators o Smoking o Housing maintenance o Cold Damp Mould o Healthy housing behaviours o Housing suitability o Temperature permission o Recording of temperature ##Housing tenure security and housing mobility o Housing tenure security ##Physical environment o Access to key public facilities o Quality of neighbourhood o Natural environment . #Supplement topics . ##Housing quality and suitability The housing quality and suitability stream examines the physical conditioning of dwellings, and the extent in which dwellings meet the housing needs of households. Respondents are asked about their overall self-accessed condition of their dwelling. This includes questions on whether repairs or maintenances need to be done, how long they have been needed, and the main reasons they haven’t been completed if not already. Information on dwelling and location of dwelling suitability is also collected. If an unsuitable or very unsuitable response is given, the reasons for the unsuitability are recorded. Coldness, dampness and the presence of mould in the dwelling is also examined. In addition to this, respondents are asked for permission to take a temperature reading inside their dwelling. Healthy housing behaviours are evaluated in regards to ventilation and heating. Respondents are asked how often they ventilate their bedrooms, bathroom and kitchen. They’re also asked what is the main type of heating used to heat their bedrooms and main living space during winter. Additionally, any reasons for not ventilating or heating are recorded. The additional health indicators topic relates to illness and health issues. Respondents are asked how many times they’ve had the common cold and flu, as well as any other health issues they have. ##Housing tenure security and housing mobility Housing tenure security and mobility encompasses housing movement and other dimensions of housing security. Respondents are asked about the number of times they have moved houses in the last 5 years, length of stay at their existing residence, and the main reason for moving. They are also asked about whether they are renting or living in their own house. If renting, information is collected on their type of tenancy, length of lease, and relationship with the landlord. ##Physical environment The physical environment stream looks at the accessibility to key public facilities, neighbourhood quality and opinions on environmental issues in New Zealand. The accessibility to key public facilities topic examines how difficult it is for people to get to their nearest supermarket or dairy, doctor or medical centre, public park or green space, and public transportation. If a difficult or very difficult response is given, respondents are asked for the main reason for their difficulty. The quality of neighbourhood includes the physical attraction as well as the social connectedness people have in their neighbourhood. Physical attraction considers things such as buildings, pathways, parks and green spaces. Social connectedness on the other hand, considers the friendships, social interactions and sense of connection people have in their neighbourhood. The environmental issues topic asks respondents about whether there are problems with New Zealand’s natural environment. These problems relate to air pollution, the state of oceans and sea life, the state of rivers, lakes, streams, wetlands and aquatic life, changing weather patterns, and plant and animal endangerment. . #Changes to survey content . ##Demography In previous releases, the questionnaire began with the demography section. This section has shifted to the end of the questionnaire for GSS 2018. In addition to this change, a new question regarding sexual orientation has been added. ##Accommodation Supplement As part of the demography section, there is a question which asks for all sources of personal income. A new response option of ‘accommodation supplement’ has been added to the question. ##Health The health section in GSS 2016 included a question about overall health and sets of questions about physical and mental health. The overall health question was asked again in GSS 2018, while the physical and mental health questions were replaced by questions about emotional well-being (the WHO-5). ##Voting Questions on voting in the local elections and in the general election were both asked in GSS 2016. For GSS 2018 however, only the general election questions were asked. The local elections questions will rotate into the survey after the next local elections. ##Safety and security The GSS 2018 safety and security section included new questions relating to changes in neighbourhood crime levels and fear of crime. More specifically, people were asked to describe the amount of crime in their neighbourhood compared to 12 months ago. They were also asked to rate the effect of worrying about crime on their quality of life. These questions were added due to stakeholder interest on the need for more data on people’s perception of feeling safe and secure, how different types of people are affected by these perceptions, and which groups are most affected. ##Reliability of survey estimates Data with high sampling errors should be used with caution. Estimates with RSEs between 50 and 100 percent are considered unreliable for most uses, and are flagged with double asterisks **. Estimates with RSEs over 100 are also provided and are flagged with triple asterisks ***. They are deemed to not be useful. The absolute sampling errors are available in the published tables. Two types of error are possible in estimates based on a sample survey: sampling error and non-sampling error. Sampling error can be measured and quantifies the variability that occurs by chance because a sample rather than an entire population is surveyed. Non-sampling errors are all errors that are not sampling errors. These errors are not quantifiable and include unintentional mistakes by respondents, variation in the respondent's and interviewer's interpretation of the questions asked, and errors in recording and coding data. We endeavour to minimise the impact of these errors by applying best survey practices and monitoring known indicators (ie non-response). We estimate sampling errors using a jack-knife method, which is based on the variation between estimates and on taking 100 mutually exclusive subsamples from the whole sample. Sampling errors are quoted at the 95 percent confidence level. For example, if the estimated total number of people is 1,575,200, and the estimate is subject to a sampling error of plus or minus 35,500, or 2.3 percent (measured at the 95 percent confidence level), that shows there is a 95 percent chance the true total number of people lies between 1,539,700 and 1,610,700. High-level checks of the ethnic groups indicate the samples are broadly representative of the population. However, as the size of the sampled group decreases, the relative sampling errors (RSEs – sample error as a percentage of the estimate) will generally increase. For example, estimates for Pacific peoples would have a larger RSE than those for New Zealand European. ##Response rate and sample population The target response rate for the 2017/18 New Zealand General Social Survey (GSS) was 72 percent. The weighted response rate for 2018 was 86.2 percent. We calculated the response rate by dividing the weighted percentage of eligible individuals who responded by the estimated number of eligible individuals. Households were selected at random using a multistage sample design. The sample size was approximately 12,000 households. ##Sample design information The GSS uses a three-stage sample selection method, similar to our other household surveys. For the first stage, we select a total of 1,200 primary sampling units (PSUs) from the Household Survey Frame (HSF). The HSF is the standard sampling frame we use to select samples and to manage overlap control for all our household surveys. The HSF lists PSUs with attributes determined by data from the census. We then assign PSUs to standard strata based on these attributes. The second stage of sample selection consists of selecting eligible dwellings within the selected PSUs. In the third stage, we select one eligible individual within each selected dwelling. The eligible individual is chosen at random from all eligible individuals in the dwelling. The GSS is designed to provide estimates at a national level. ##Sample population The survey population for the GSS is the usually resident New Zealand population aged 15 years and over, in private dwellings in the North Island, South Island, or Waiheke Island. The survey population includes: New Zealand usual residents temporarily overseas, New Zealand usual residents temporarily staying elsewhere in New Zealand (including other permanent and temporary private dwellings, institutions, and non-private dwellings; and people who have no fixed abode, but are found in private dwellings on the household enumeration date), people in the New Zealand armed forces if they reside in a private dwelling, and young adults at boarding schools. ##The survey population excludes: overseas visitors and international students who expect to be resident in New Zealand for less than 12 months people living in non-private dwellings such as hotels, motels, boarding houses, hostels; homes for the elderly, patients in hospitals, or residents of psychiatric and penal institutions; and people living on offshore islands (excluding Waiheke Island) members of the non-New Zealand armed forces and their dependants; and non-New Zealand diplomats or diplomatic staff members and their dependants New Zealand usual residents temporarily overseas who do not return within the survey period New Zealand usual residents temporarily staying elsewhere in New Zealand (including other permanent and temporary private dwellings, institutions, and non-private dwellings; and people who have no fixed abode, but stay at private dwellings) who don't return within the survey period New Zealand usual residents who live in remote areas that are costly or difficult to access. ##Weights The survey has two sets of weights attached, one for the household and one for the person. We use the household weight to describe the attributes of a household; for example, how many households have dependent children who live outside that household. We use the person weight to describe the attributes of a person; for example, how many people are ‘very satisfied’ with their life overall. ##Suppressed estimates Data in the Well-being Statistics information release are suppressed if based on fewer than five people or households. The previous iterations of the survey (GSS 2008–14) suppressed data if it had a relative sampling error of 51 percent or higher. Survey data is no longer suppressed if a relative sample error is 51 percent or higher. Estimates with RSEs between 50 and 100 percent are considered unreliable for most uses, and estimates with RSEs over 100 are deemed to not be useful. See the Reliability of survey estimates section above for more information. ##Customised data The tables in the Wellbeing Statistics information release do not contain all possible analyses of GSS data. Data requests can be customised to customers' specifications. Contact [email protected] for more information. en-NZ