EUT Survey on the Use of Time

The Survey on the Use of Time is an official statistical action that aims to measure the amount of time the population spends on daily activities. It covers the distribution, duration and timing of the activities, and provides information on the effective working hours, the extent of non-market work, the inter-household help and support, the behaviour of the population in leisure time, the amount of time devoted to employment and unpaid work, and the amount of time spent on daily activities which are performed using the Internet and an electronic device.

Previously, two editions were conducted: 2002–2003 and 2010–2011, coinciding with the two rounds carried out at European Union level for these statistics. The 2002–2003 edition made it possible, for the first time, to determine how the population allocates and distributes time among the different activities. This survey was carried out by Idescat in collaboration with the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE), under an agreement signed by both institutions. In the second edition of the Survey on the Use of Time (2010–2011), Idescat chose to conduct its own survey in order to update the previous statistical information. A sample size similar to that of the first edition was maintained, the core contents were preserved, and some methodological improvements were introduced with respect to those applied by the INE, in order to enhance the quality of the data obtained.

The 2024 edition is again an Idescat in-house statistics and ensures continuity with the surveys on the use of time previously conducted. As in earlier editions, it is based on Eurostat's methodological recommendations, specifically those set out in the Harmonised European Time Use Surveys (HETUS). 2018 Guidelines. 2020 Edition. The most substantial methodological change concerns data collection methods, which now incorporate the CAWI, CATI and CAPI modes (in previous editions, questionnaires and diaries were completed exclusively on paper, using the PAPI mode). This edition has been produced with the collaboration of the Ministry of Equality and Feminism of the Government of Catalonia and the Barcelona City Council and represents the third official survey on the use of time conducted in Catalonia within the framework of the third round of time use surveys in Europe.

The Survey provides results for Catalonia, the eight areas of the Territorial Plan and the city of Barcelona. For the Metropolitan Area, results are presented by territorial rings: the municipality of Barcelona and five groupings of districts, the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (excluding the municipality of Barcelona), and the rest of the Metropolitan Area.