General Household Survey 2012
South Africa, 2012
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Reference ID
zaf-statssa-ghs-2012-v2.1
Producer(s)
Statistics South Africa
Metadata
Created on
Oct 21, 2013
Last modified
Nov 01, 2020
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61249
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Identification
Survey ID Number
zaf-statssa-ghs-2012-v2.1
Title
General Household Survey 2012
Country
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| South Africa | zaf |
Study type
Household Survey [hh]
Abstract
The GHS is an annual household survey specifically designed to measure the living circumstances of South African households. The GHS collects data on education, employment, health, housing and household access to services.
Kind of Data
Sample survey data
Unit of Analysis
Households and individuals
Version
Version Description
v2.1: Edited, anonymised dataset for public distribution
Version Date
2017
Version Notes
Version 1:
Version 1 of the General Household Survey 2012 was downloaded from Statistics South Africa's website in 2013.
Weights in GHS 2012 v1 are based on figures provided by the 2013 mid-year population estimation model that incorporates the demographic findings of Census 2012. Household files are weighted independently of person files.
Version 2:
Following the initial release of GHS 2012, Statistics South Africa re-issued the data files. GHS 2012 v2 contains the files that were re-issued.
Note that only the household data file was revised, and the weights were not changed.
The following variables were revised by StatSA in the household file: q412agrant; q412anon; q412bmain; totmhinc
Version 2.1:
Version 2.1 includes revised weights. This version was released at the same time as GHS 2017 (21 June 2018). It was decided to replace the 2013 mid-year population estimation series in the previous version with the more recent 2017 mid-year population estimation series as benchmarks for weighting the GHS data files. Household files were weighted independently of person files.
In this version, the weight variable in the person file is called "person_wgt".
Mismatches were found in the variable "q422lan" between the household file v2 and v2.1.
Version 1 of the General Household Survey 2012 was downloaded from Statistics South Africa's website in 2013.
Weights in GHS 2012 v1 are based on figures provided by the 2013 mid-year population estimation model that incorporates the demographic findings of Census 2012. Household files are weighted independently of person files.
Version 2:
Following the initial release of GHS 2012, Statistics South Africa re-issued the data files. GHS 2012 v2 contains the files that were re-issued.
Note that only the household data file was revised, and the weights were not changed.
The following variables were revised by StatSA in the household file: q412agrant; q412anon; q412bmain; totmhinc
Version 2.1:
Version 2.1 includes revised weights. This version was released at the same time as GHS 2017 (21 June 2018). It was decided to replace the 2013 mid-year population estimation series in the previous version with the more recent 2017 mid-year population estimation series as benchmarks for weighting the GHS data files. Household files were weighted independently of person files.
In this version, the weight variable in the person file is called "person_wgt".
Mismatches were found in the variable "q422lan" between the household file v2 and v2.1.
Scope
Notes
The scope of GHS includes:
Demographic information: name, sex, age, population group, etc.
Biographic information: education, health, disability, welfare
Tourism information: non-remunerated trips undertaken in the 12 months prior to the survey.
Household information: type of dwelling, ownership of dwelling and other assets, electricity, water and sanitation, environmental issues, services, transport, expenditure etc.
Demographic information: name, sex, age, population group, etc.
Biographic information: education, health, disability, welfare
Tourism information: non-remunerated trips undertaken in the 12 months prior to the survey.
Household information: type of dwelling, ownership of dwelling and other assets, electricity, water and sanitation, environmental issues, services, transport, expenditure etc.
Coverage
Geographic Coverage
The survey is representative at national level and at provincial level.
Geographic Unit
The lowest level of geographic aggregations is province. The information of geo-type and metro is also present in the data.
Universe
The survey covers all de jure household members (usual residents) of households in the nine provinces of South Africa and residents in workers' hostels. The survey does not cover collective living quarters such as student hostels, old age homes, hospitals, prisons and military barracks.
Producers and sponsors
Primary investigators
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Statistics South Africa | Government of South Africa |
Sampling
Sampling Procedure
The sample design for the GHS 2012 was based on a master sample (MS) that was originally designed for the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) and was used for the first time for the GHS in 2008. This master sample is shared by the QLFS, GHS, Living Conditions Survey (LCS), Domestic Tourism Survey (DTS) and the Income and Expenditure Surveys (IES).
The master sample used a two-stage, stratified design with probability-proportional-to-size (PPS) sampling of primary sampling units (PSUs) from within strata, and systematic sampling of dwelling units (DUs) from the sampled PSUs.
The master sample used a two-stage, stratified design with probability-proportional-to-size (PPS) sampling of primary sampling units (PSUs) from within strata, and systematic sampling of dwelling units (DUs) from the sampled PSUs.
Weighting
Mid-year population estimates produced by the Demographic Analysis division were used for benchmarking.
Data Collection
Dates of Data Collection
| Start | End |
|---|---|
| 2012-07 | 2012-09 |
Data Collection Mode
Face-to-face [f2f]
Data Collectors
| Name |
|---|
| Statistics South Africa |
Questionnaires
Questionnaires
GHS uses questionnaires as data collection instruments
Data Appraisal
Data Appraisal
In GHS 2009-2015:
The variable on land size in the General Household Survey questionnaire for 2009-2015 should be used with caution. The data comes from questions on the households' agricultural activities in Section 8 of the GHS questionnaire: Household Livelihoods: Agricultural Activities. Question 8.8b asks:
“Approximately how big is the land that the household use for production? Estimate total area if more than one piece.” One of the response category is worded as:
1 = Less than 500m2 (approximately one soccer field)
However, a soccer field is 5000 m2, not 500, therefore response category 1 is incorrect. The correct category option should be 5000 sqm. This response option is correct for GHS 2002-2008 and was flagged and corrected by Statistics SA in the GHS 2016.
The variable on land size in the General Household Survey questionnaire for 2009-2015 should be used with caution. The data comes from questions on the households' agricultural activities in Section 8 of the GHS questionnaire: Household Livelihoods: Agricultural Activities. Question 8.8b asks:
“Approximately how big is the land that the household use for production? Estimate total area if more than one piece.” One of the response category is worded as:
1 = Less than 500m2 (approximately one soccer field)
However, a soccer field is 5000 m2, not 500, therefore response category 1 is incorrect. The correct category option should be 5000 sqm. This response option is correct for GHS 2002-2008 and was flagged and corrected by Statistics SA in the GHS 2016.
Access policy
Contacts
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DataFirst Helpdesk | University of Cape Town | support@data1st.org | Link |
Access conditions
Public use files, available to all
Citation requirements
Statistics South Africa. General Household Survey 2012 [dataset]. Version 2.1. Pretoria: Statistics South Africa [producer], 2017. Cape Town. DataFirst [distributor], 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25828/jpfy-2g79
Access authority
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DataFirst | University of Cape Town | support@data1st.org | Link |
Metadata production
Producers
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| DataFirst | University of Cape Town | Metadata Producer |
Date of Metadata Production
2020-10-31
DDI Document version
Version 6