Continuous Household Survey

The Continuous Household Survey (CHS) is one of the largest continuous surveys carried out in Northern Ireland.  The survey is designed, conducted and analysed by the Central Survey Unit of the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA).  It is based on a sample of the general population resident in private households and has been running since 1983.  The Survey is designed to provide a regular source of information on a wide range of social and economic issues relevant to Northern Ireland.  The nature and aims of CHS are similar to those of the General Household Survey (GHS), which is carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in Great Britain.

The CHS is an important source of information in Northern Ireland and is used by many Government departments and Agencies.  Regular clients include the Departments of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Social Development, Health, Social services and Public Safety, Education, Regional Development, and Agencies like the Northern Ireland Sports Council and the Health Promotion Agency.  Regularly produced data includes information such as housing characteristics, changing population trends, health and use of the Health services and smoking and drinking trends.

Results

Summary tables of results from the recent 2009/10 CHS as well as previous years of CHS can be accessed in the results section of this site.  Information is also provided on the content of the each years CHS as well as details of recent questionnaires and publications.

Data from the CHS are archived every year in the UK Data Archive, and they can provide access to the databases for secondary analysis. The most recent addition to the archive is the 2009/10 database, which was archived in February 2011.

Publications

A first release statement that accompanies the updated tables from the 2009/10 CHS was published on the 2nd July 2010.

A bulletin of summary results for the 2009/10 CHS and some associated trend data was published on the 30th September 2010.

Pre-release access was given to the following people 24 hours prior to publication:

Minister DFP
Special Advisor DFP
Permanent Secretary DFP
NISRA Chief Executive
Corporate Services Director
Principal Press Officer DFP
Statistics Coordinating Group [All Departments]