Study Number 5688 - Expenditure and Food Survey, 2005-2006

NEW EDITION INFORMATION

The first edition of the study (August 2007) contained the ONS expenditure files and accompanying documentation, and the DEFRA food database. For the second edition (October 2007), a new version of the DVHH expenditure file was deposited, containing previously unavailable equivalised income variables (including McClements scale).

DATA PROCESSING NOTES

The data were processed to the UK Data Archive's A* standard. This is the Archive's highest standard, and means that an extremely rigorous and comprehensive series of checks was carried out to ensure the quality of the data and documentation.�Firstly, checks were made that the number of cases and variables matched the depositor's records. Secondly, checks were made that all variables had comprehensible variable labels and all nominal (categorical) variables had comprehensible value labels. Where possible, either with reference to the documentation and/or in communication with the depositor, labels were accordingly edited or created. Thirdly, logical checks were performed to ensure that nominal (categorical) variables had values within the range defined (either by value labels or in the depositor's documentation). Lastly, any data or documentation that breached confidentiality rules were altered or suppressed to preserve anonymity.

All notable and/or outstanding problems discovered are detailed under the 'Data and documentation problems' heading below.

Data and documentation problems

A few variables in the expenditure data, covering credit card payments, educational courses and marital status contain isolated lone wild codes, but these should not hamper analysis.

Useful Notes

Food database
Further information about the food database can be found on the DEFRA Family Food - Methodology web pages.

Variables removed
Some variables originally present in the raw expenditure data (files rawhh and rawper) are not included in the UKDA dataset. They were removed either to preserve respondent confidentiality, or because they were administrative variables not useful for secondary analysis. However, they may still be mentioned in the documentation. The variables removed are as follows: PartReas, NIXNat, NIEthDes, Exghtxt2, Exghtxt3, Exghtxt4, Exgutxt3, Exgutxt4, Exgvtxt2, Exgvtxt3, Exgvtxt4, Exphtxt3, Exphtxt4, Exputxt2, Exputxt4, Expvtxt4, DVBkWrk, DVBWork, DVCBen, DVCCare, DVChMai, DVCMBon, DVCTAXC, DVDLACr, DVDLAMob, DVExtPa, DVExtPay, DVFunrl, DVGdAll, DVICapB, DVICare, DVInDis, DVInSup, DVJSA, DVLoneR, DVLPBen, DVMatAl, DVMatGr, DVMatS, DVMilAlw, DVMotEx, DVMOTEXS, DVNiPn, DVOtBen, DVOthB, DVPatS, DVPCr, DVSDis, DVSickP, DVTaxCd, DVTaxRf, DVTCom, DVUs, DVWarPn, DVWidow, DVWidPa DVWidPay, DVWintFL, DVWTAXC, DVEmpNo, DVSENo and DHC8.

MS Access Food Database:
Tab-delimited versions of each tables contained in the MS Access format Food Database are included in the download zip files. These files are intended only for those users who are unable to use MS Access. Users who are able to do so, should use the Access version of the Food Database.

July 2008 - removal of FS code variables:
In July 2008, at the request of the depositor, the FS code variables were removed from the DVHH file. The codes were initially calculated to produce the standard errors for Table A1 and were found to contain some errors. The FS codes can easily be calculated using the Family Spending specification (for Table A1) from the other variables in the DVHH file, and ONS aim to avoid redundancy on the databases where possible. The variables removed are as follows: fs11, fs111, fs113, fs1110, fs1111, fs11112, fs1112, fs1115, fs1117, fs1118, fs11182, fs1119, fs1123, fs1124, fs1127, fs1132, fs11323, fs12, fs124, fs21, fs212, fs213, fs22, fs222, fs31, fs319, fs3110, fs3111, fs32, fs41, fs411, fs413, fs42, fs421, fs422, fs43, fs431, fs432, fs44, fs441, fs442, fs443, fs4433, fs51, fs511, fs5111, fs512, fs5121, fs52, fs53, fs535, fs538, fs54, fs541, fs55, fs552, fs56, fs561, fs562, fs5624, fs563, fs5632, fs5633, fs61, fs611, fs612, fs62, fs621, fs6211, fs6212, fs6213, fs71, fs711, fs7111, fs712, fs7121, fs713, fs7131, fs7133, fs72, fs721, fs722, fs723, fs7231, fs7232, fs724, fs7242, fs73, fs731, fs732, fs733, fs734, fs7345, fs7348, fs82, fs83, fs831, fs833, fs91, fs911, fs9111, fs9112, fs912, fs9121, fs9122, fs9126, fs913, fs92, fs927, fs928, fs93, fs931, fs932, fs934, fs935, fs94, fs941, fs9414, fs942, fs943, fs9431, fs9432, fs9433, fs9434, fs9436, fs944, fs9443, fs946, fs9463, fs95, fs96, fs961, fs962, fsa1, fsa11, fsa12, fsa13, fsa14, fsa15, fsa2, fsb1, fsb11, fsb12, fsb13, fsb14, fsb141, fsb142, fsb143, fsb144, fsb16, fsb2, fsb21, fsb22, fsc1, fsc13, fsc15, fsc2, fsc211, fsc3, fsc4, fsc41, fsc42, fsc43, fsc431, fsc5, fsc51, fsc52, fsc521, fsc53, fsc531, fsc532, fsk, fsk1, fsk11, fsk12, fsk13, fsk2, fsk23, fsk3, fsk4, fsk41, fsk411, fsk42, fsk421, fsk423, fsk43, fsall, fs141, fs1411, fs1412, fs142, fs143, fs1432, fs144, fs1441, fs145, fs1452, fs1453, fs1455, fs146 and fs148. Users who had previously downloaded the dataset are advised to obtain a replacement version of the DVHH file, or adjust their existing analysis accordingly.

Data conversion information

From January 2003 onwards, almost all data conversions have been performed using software developed by the UKDA. This enables standardisation of the conversion methods and ensures optimal data quality. In addition to its own data processing/conversion code, this software uses the SPSS and Stat/Transfer command processors to perform certain format translations. Although data conversion is automated, all data files are also subject to visual inspection by a UKDA data processing officer.

With some format conversions data, and more especially internal metadata (i.e. variable labels, value labels, missing value definitions, data type information), will inevitably be lost or truncated owing to the differential limits of the proprietary formats.�A UKDA Data Dictionary file (in rich text format), corresponding to each data file, is usually provided for viewing and searching the internal metadata as it existed in the originating format. These files are called: [data file name]_UKDA_Data_Dictionary.rtf

Important information about the data format supplied

The links below provide important information about the format in which you have been supplied the data. Some of this information is specific to the ingest format of the data, that is the format in which the UKDA was supplied the data in. The ingest format for this study was SPSS

Please click below to find out information about the format that you have been supplied the data in.

SPSS (*.por)

Electronic and paper documentation supplied with this study is usually incorporated into the UKDA User Guide (in PDF format). The conversion programmes used are the latest versions of Adobe PDF Writer for electronic documentation and Adobe Paper Capture (Acrobat 'plugin' version) for paper documentation. Occasionally, some�of the electronic documentation cannot be usefully converted to PDF (e.g. MS Excel files with wide worksheets) and this is supplied in�a more appropriate format. All User Guides are fully bookmarked.