General Household Survey


General Household Survey (GHS)

a multipurpose UK government SOCIAL SURVEY designed to be used by all government departments, and which also provides an invaluable source of SECONDARY DATA for the social scientist. It was started in 1971 under the auspices of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. It is a continuous survey and is therefore useful for filling in the time gaps between other surveys, such as the CENSUS, and for identifying trends. Five main areas of investigation are included: family data, housing, education, employment and health. Although most of the information collected is factual, some attitudinal data are also collected, such as information on job satisfaction and attitudes to pay (which have been collected since 1974). See also OFFICIAL STATISTICS, STATISTICS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, FAMILY EXPENDITURE SURVEY.