SURVEY OF HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURES AMONG EUROPEAN AND INTERNATIONAL STAFF

Transcription

1 SURVEY OF HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURES AMONG EUROPEAN AND INTERNATIONAL STAFF 1 EN

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3 INTRODUCTORY NOTE Harmonized surveys are being conducted jointly by Eurostat (the Statistical Office of the European Communities), the IOS (Inter-Organisations Section at the OECD) and the ICSC (International Civil Service Commission of the UN). The purpose is to collect information in order to estimate an average expenditure pattern of international staff families working in each duty station. The resulting pattern is an essential element in the calculation of purchasing power parities (PPP) and the correction coefficient (CC) applicable to the salaries of European Union officials and Co-ordinated Organisations staff as well as other International Organisations. Thus, the results of this survey will affect your salaries, and you therefore have a direct interest. Only you have the necessary information to evaluate your household expenditure which is the object of the survey. Please note that in order to obtain statistically reliable results, a large number of replies is vital. The purpose of the survey is not to know what you spend but how you spend. This means that the pattern of your expenditure will allow us to give adequate importance to different items in a basket of goods and services at the time of calculating the PPP. Please note that the information you give will remain completely anonymous. Its origin cannot be traced since there is no name or number on the questionnaire. No basic data from the questionnaire will be communicated to unauthorised persons. The information you give will be combined with that of other officials in order to calculate the average consumption structure of international officials in your place of employment. Before each section of the questionnaire, you will find detailed instructions on how to complete that part. Please read them carefully before you begin to fill it in. If you have any questions, please contact Eurostat as indicated on the back cover. 3

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5 LAYOUT OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE PART 1 Consists of some general information about your status, household composition and your accommodation. The remainder of the questionnaire refers to expenditures not only for you, but for you and your household. Parts 2 to 5 refer only to expenditures in your country of residence. PART 2 Is a section on which you should note your dwelling-related regular bills : often monthly ones, such as bills for gas, electricity, telephone, etc. PART 3 PART 4 PART 5 Here you should record some of the daily expenditure of the household (mainly on food and beverages) over a period of 14 consecutive days. Is a section in which you should note the household expenditure on items and services purchased during the last 12 months or an average month of this period. Is a section in which you should note your education and health expenditures and reimbursements during the last 12 months. Please take the necessary time to complete parts 1-5 of the questionnaire. Remember that an incomplete questionnaire is not likely to be usable, and your efforts will be wasted. However, if you forget to record the purchase of a bus ticket or a newspaper, this will have little impact on the overall quality of the results. If you cannot find an item of your expenditure in one of the boxes provided: Consult the glossary annexed to this questionnaire, indicating under which position some selected items are classified, or Use the boxes OTHER EXPENSES, specifying as much as possible the nature and the amount of your expenditure. 5

6 Notes on part 1: PERSONAL INFORMATION The information given in this section is essential to validate the survey results and to gross these up to the total population of international officials in your place of employment. For the questions about employment status (permanent official/temporary agent/contractual agent/other agent), gender (M/F), marital status and expatriate status, an 'X' should be placed in the appropriate box. For the question about grade, the appropriate code should be entered, for example AD-5..AD-16 or AST-1..AST-11 (permanent officials); A-13..A-18, B-8..B-12, C-4..C-7, or GFI-1..GFIV-19 (contract agents); AD-5..AD-16 or AST-1..AST-11 (temporary agents). Housing The information concerning housing relates solely to your main dwelling in your country of residence. For the questions about accommodation status (tenant/owner) and dwelling type, an 'X' should be placed in the appropriate box. As the accommodation cost is a very important element in the calculation of correction coefficients, it is essential that all related questions are answered and that the total area of living space be filled in accurately. If you are a tenant, please record your current monthly rent excluding charges for utilities and other services such as common lighting, elevator, etc. Exclude any payment for garage, unless this is an integral part of your rent. Service and utility charges are shown in part 2 (regular bills) of the questionnaire. If you are owner of your accommodation and if you have bought it on a mortgage or any other loan, please state your current monthly payment (capital plus interest) but excluding any life insurance. 6

7 Part 1 - PERSONAL INFORMATION Country of residence : City of employment : Institution / Agency / Organisation : Country of birth : Gender: M F Expatriate (according to Staff Regulations) : Yes No Total number of dependent children : (according to Staff Regulations) Married : Yes No Official : Temporary agent : Contractual agent : Other agent : Grade: NUMBER OF PERSONS IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD (including yourself) * Number of family members aged less than 18: Number of family members aged 18-64, in work: Number of family members aged 18-64, others **: Number of family members aged more than 64: * ie. Persons living in the same dwelling and sharing expenditures for at least six months of the year * * Includes dependent children aged in further education HOUSING (main dwelling in your country of residence) Tenant * Monthly rent (excluding charges) : Owner Monthly loan reimbursement : (including interest) * Includes hotel, boarding house, sharing rent Type of dwelling: Detached house Semi or non-detached house Other (hotel, etc) Studio flat 1 bedroom flat 2 bedroom flat 3+ bedroom flat Estimated total area of living space: (excluding garage, balconies, cellar) m² 7

8 Notes on part 2: DWELLING RELATED REGULAR BILLS This section concerns your main regular bills such as telephone, electricity, etc. We will estimate the average annual amounts of these bills; therefore you are asked to record the usual, or average, amount which you currently pay, together with the frequency. Please make sure you note the frequency (e.g. M = monthly), otherwise it will not be possible to calculate the annual figure. FREQUENCY W = weekly M = monthly B = bi-monthly Q = quarterly Y = yearly (other frequency to be mentioned in the box) Regular bills should relate to your dwelling(s) in your country of residence. If you own a dwelling for investment purposes in your country of residence (i.e. if usually rented out), related costs should not be recorded in this survey. If you own or rent a second home outside your country of residence please do not record related expenditure. If you cannot find an item of your expenditure in the boxes provided, or if in your country of residence there exists any other regular expenditure not mentioned, please mark them in box 10 (OTHER REGULAR BILLS). 8

9 Part 2 - DWELLING RELATED REGULAR BILLS (in your country of residence) Amount (normal or average) Frequency 1 Charges for dwelling(s) (including refuse and sewerage collection) 2 Water supply (if not included in charges for dwelling) 3 Electricity 4 Gas (town and natural gas, including meter charges) 5 Solid and liquid fuel for domestic heating and other types of heating energy 6 Garage (for main residence use) 7 Telephone fixe/mobile and internet bills (excluding purchase of equipment) 8 TV taxes and subscription fees for cable/satellite TV 9 Local and housing taxes OTHER REGULAR BILLS (please specify) 10 9

10 Notes on part 3: DAILY EXPENSES OF THE HOUSEHOLD In this section you are asked to record day by day during 2 weeks (including week ends), your own expenditure as well as the expenditure of the other members of your household on food and food-related items such as restaurants and canteens. You have a separate row for each of the 14 consecutive days. Please complete each day's expenditure at the end of the day by recording the total expenditure in each relevant box. The box restaurants, cafes, bars, take-away refers to the expenditure on food, beverages, ice creams, etc. made in any of these places, or when delivered to your home/office. The purpose of the survey is to estimate average annual expenditure of households in your country of residence. For this reason, If you are absent from your country of residence during the 2-week period, the remaining members of your household should continue to record any expenditure in your country of residence. Any private expenditure in another country should not be recorded. 10

11 Part 3 - DAILY EXPENSES OF THE HOUSEHOLD (over 14 consecutive days, and including week ends) Food Non-alcoholic beverages (soft drinks, mineral water, etc.) Alcoholic beverages beer, spirits, Tobacco (cigarettes cigars, Restaurants, cafes, bars, take-away Canteens (at and Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10 Day 11 Day 12 Day 13 Day 14 11

12 Notes on part 4: YEARLY OR AVERAGE MONTHLY EXPENSES The consumption pattern will be calculated on the basis of annual expenditure. Therefore, in this section you are requested to record the expenditure of the household in your country of residence preferably the total amount for the last 12 months. However, in case of small or frequent expenditures (e.g. newspapers, flowers, cinema ticket), if you find it easier, you may note your usual expenses for an average month of that period. Cars We are looking for the net expenditure on vehicles. Thus, if you have purchased cars (new or second-hand) during the last 5 years: record in box 25a the actual price you paid for all cars during that period (exclude loan interests if you bought any vehicle on credit), and record in box 25b the sale price of the car(s) you sold during the same period. Holidays Record only the expenditure actually made in your country of residence. For example, air tickets purchased in your country of residence should be recorded in box 21 (planes) and a package holiday purchased at travel agencies within your country of residence should be recorded in full in box 69 (package holidays). But a hotel bill paid in a foreign country should not be recorded. Purchases via Internet All purchases made via Internet are considered as expenses made in your country of residence, provided the purchased good is delivered to your country of residence. If you cannot find an item of your expenditure in one of the boxes provided, mark it in box 84 (OTHER EXPENSES). 12

13 Part 4 - YEARLY OR AVERAGE MONTHLY EXPENSES PUBLIC TRANSPORT (excluding reimbursed, official travel) expenditure last 12 months OR expenditure average month 17 Local public transport (metro, bus, tram, local train) 18 Taxi 19 Trains (excluding local ) 20 Coaches 21 Planes 22 Ferries Combined Passenger transport (by two or more modes of transport e.g. "fly and drive", etc.) Other purchased transport services ( cable car, removal and storage services, left luggage, etc.) CARS (purchased during the last 5 years) total amount during the last 5 years 25a Price paid for all cars purchased 25b Sale price in case you sold cars during the same period OTHER EXPENSES ON PRIVATE TRANSPORT expenditure last 12 months OR expenditure average month 26 Motorcycles, scooters and bicycles 27 Tyres, spare parts, accessories and articles for cleaning 28 Fuel 29 Maintenance and repair of personal transport equipment 30 Hire of vehicles, driving school, tolls and public parking INDIVIDUAL EXPENDITURE FOR MAIN (AND OTHER ) DWELLING(S) IN YOUR COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE 31 Major transformations 32 Products and services for minor repairs and maintenance 33 Home alarm (Installation, maintenance and surveillance fees) 13

14 Part 4 - YEARLY OR AVERAGE MONTHLY EXPENSES FURNITURE AND OTHER HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS expenditure in last 12 months OR expenditure in average month 34 Furniture and furnishings (beds, tables, lighting equipment, pictures, etc.) 35 Carpets and other floor covering 36 Household textiles (curtain material, pillows, futons, blankets, towels, etc.) 37 Glassware, tableware, household utensils 38 Non-durable household products (detergents, cleaning products, etc.) ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT 39 Major household appliances including heating/cooling appliances (refrigerators, washing machines, space heaters, water boiler, etc.) 40 Small electric household appliances (coffee mills, fans, kettles, etc.) 41 Audiovisual equipment (tv, CD player, radio, video recorder, DVD player, etc.) 42 Photographic and cinematographic equipment (still cameras, camcorders, film projectors, etc.) 43 Information processing equipment (computer, printer, typewriter, etc. ) 44 Telephones, answering and fax machines LEISURE - SPORTS - RECREATION - CULTURE 45 Cinema, theatre, concerts, dancing, museum, zoo 46 Recreation and sporting services (sport clubs, sport events, sport and dance lessons, etc.) 47 Recording media (DVD, CD, video-cassettes, CD-roms, diskettes, films) 48 Photographic services (film development, enlarging, wedding photography, etc.) 49 Musical instruments Durable goods for indoor and outdoor recreation (camper vans, boats, horses & related equipment, ping-pong tables, etc.) Equipment for sport, camping and open-air recreation (balls, nets, rackets, skis, fishing rods, tents, sleeping bags, etc.) Tools and equipment for house and garden (electric drills, shovels, door fittings, small electric accessories, 53 Toys, games 14

15 - Part 4 - YEARLY OR AVERAGE MONTHLY EXPENSES 54 Gardens, flowers, plants 55 Pets, pet food and related products and services expenditure in last 12 months OR expenditure in average month CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR 56 Men's clothing 57 Women's clothing 58 Boy's and girl's clothing (including baby wear) 59 Clothing accessories (gloves, ties, scarves, hats, belts, etc.) 60 Footwear for men, women and children PERSONAL CARE AND MISCELLANEOUS GOODS 61 Hairdressing, beauty care for men and women (solarium, sauna, etc.) 62 Electric appliances (electric razors, hairdryers, etc.) 63 Cosmetics, other goods for personal care (perfumes, shampoo, etc.) 64 Jewellery, clocks and watches 65 Travel Goods (suitcases, handbags, travel goods, push-chairs, etc.) BOOKS- NEWSPAPERS - MAGAZINES 66 Books 67 Newspapers, magazines and periodicals 68 Miscellaneous printed matter and stationery 15

16 31 MAY 2005 Part 4 - YEARLY OR AVERAGE MONTHLY EXPENSES HOLIDAY SERVICES expenditure in last 12 months OR expenditure in average month 69 Package holidays 70 Hotels, motels, camping DOMESTIC SERVICES - DRY CLEANING 71 Domestic services (cleaner, gardener, baby-sitter, etc.) 72 Dry cleaning and laundry of clothing REPAIRS 73 Repair of furniture, furnishings and carpets 74 Repair of household appliances and electronic equipment 75 Maintenance/repair of musical instruments and recreation durables 76 Repair of footwear 77 Repair of clothing INSURANCE AND OTHER SERVICES 78 Car insurance 79 House/ flat insurance 80 Health and accident insurance (complementary to basic medical insurance) 81 Postal services, stamps, parcels 82 Financial services (bank charges, money transfer fees, etc.) 83 Other services (expenditure on passports, fees for legal services, etc.) OTHER EXPENSES (please specify) 84 16

17 Notes on part 5: EDUCATION AND HEALTH This section concerns your expenditures and reimbursements for education and health in the 12 last months. Please input your expenditures in the first column, and your reimbursements in the second column. Part 5 EDUCATION AND HEALTH EDUCATION expenditure in last 12 months reimbursement in last 12 months 85 Educational fees (in your country of employment) 86 Creche, playschool, kindergarten 87 Music and language courses HEALTH EXPENSES 88 Medical, dental and paramedical services (hospital and out-patient) 89 Prescription and non-prescription drugs and vitamins 90 Therapeutic appliances and equipment, other medical supplies 17

18 COMMENTS Please use this space to record your own comments. Any additional information or comments on the questionnaire or its contents, as well as your comments on general availability and other aspects of shopping at the duty station, will be helpful. Thank you for your participation, and please send the completed questionnaire to the address mentioned at the back page. 18

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20 For any further information, please contact: Eurostat Telephone: (+352) Address: European Commission Eurostat/Unit C3 BECH A2/033 L-2920 LUXEMBOURG