Survey to measure families' income, spending

Dubai - Around 350 trained field researchers will conduct four visits per family to monitor their spending habits in relation to income.

A nation-wide survey will be launched next year to measure spending trends and income of families, in efforts to guide decision-makers into introducing programmes that will improve people's lives, a UAE authority announced on Thursday.
The Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority will target over 20,000 Emirati and non-Emirati families across the UAE through its 2019 Household Income and Expenditure Survey.
The data and statistics, which will be conducted in collaboration with national statistical centres, will help decision-makers design, launch and implement social and economic programmes aimed at improving aspects of life.
Spearheading the one-year project, Hessa bint Isa Buhamaid, Minister of Community Development, said the data will present an accurate reflection of income and expenditure levels across households to help launch initiatives that will improve housing, education and health for families and individuals.
"The UAE family has been and will remain the focus of the ministry and other government agencies. This project gets us closer to understanding people's challenges, which will help us develop the right programmes to achieve happiness and prosperity in the society," said Buhumaid.
Abdullah Nasser Lootah, director-general of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority, said around 350 trained field researchers will conduct four visits per family to monitor their spending habits in relation to income.
The survey will help extract more than 65 indicators such as the basket of goods and services, consumer price indices, cost of living index, and price indices to help assess the level, direction and structure of the economic well-being of families.
"We want to identify the aspects that take up a family's income be it education, services or healthcare. To get a clear and accurate overview of the spending habits, researchers will need to visit more than once," said Lootah, noting that each visit will take up to an hour.
Using geo-spatial positioning systems, researchers will classify families and conduct visits to different areas every month. The survey, available in English and Arabic, will be filled using iPads.
The survey is the second federal project of this kind and will use modern statistical methods to ensure accuracy and quality of results. Officials said it will help update the base years of statistical indicators, such as inflation rates, as the periodicity of survey implementation extends to five years, providing seasonal coverage of household income and expenditure rates.
"The numbers will give a clear overview on households and demographics in UAE and help authorities take decisions," said Lootah.
Buhumaid stressed the importance of families' response and cooperation. "Cooperating with the field researchers is imperative for the success of this important national project," she said.
The survey will also provide accurate information on the demographic, social and economic characteristics on the components of society, including gender, age, nationality, educational level, marital status, occupation, economic activity, employment status and others.
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Dubai