Support #1754
advice on creating a variable for number of children in the main & covid surveys
100%
Description
Hi there,
Can I please get some advice on how best to create a variable to denote the number of children in a household that is consistent across the main and covid surveys? In the Covid-19 surveys, the number of children variables (num1217, num418 and num511) are provided by child age-groups but these do not cover children below age 5.
If this is too complicated, presence of children would also be helpful.
Many thanks
Karen
Updated by Understanding Society User Support Team almost 2 years ago
- Category set to COVID-19
- Status changed from New to Feedback
- % Done changed from 0 to 80
- Private changed from Yes to No
Hi Karen,
1) To get the most precise and accurate measure it is best to construct it using the set of cw_relation*x* variables (this way you identify children) combined with the cw_personage*x* variables (this way you can get the age of each household member). Unfortunately, these variables are not available in wave 1. ( x is a number and differs from wave to wave)
2) If you define children through age and not the relationship with other household members, than you can consider using cw_hhcompa, cw_hhcompb, cw_hhcompc variables, the advantage is that these are available in all waves.
3) Regarding the possibility of finding measures consistent across the main and the Covid surveys - the Covid survey is an independent study, people were asked to report about the household members in interviews separate from the mainstage ones, the composition of many households between the mainstage interviews and that would have been captured by the Covid survey interviews. Additionally, the questions themselves were slightly different as there was no household grid in the Covid survey.
I hope these helps.
Best wishes,
Piotr
Understanding Society User Support Team
Updated by Understanding Society User Support Team 7 months ago
- Status changed from Feedback to Resolved
- % Done changed from 80 to 100