CODING


Computer-assisted coding was performed on responses to questions on:

• family relationships;
• geography;
• education;
• occupation; and
• industry.

Classifications

Family relationships

Coding is based on household information collected for all persons in each dwelling. All usual residents were grouped into family units and classified according to their relationship within the family.

Geography

Geography data were classified according to the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS).

Education

Coding is based on the level and field of education as reported by respondents and recorded by interviewers.

Education data were classified according to the Australian Standard Classification of Education, 2001 (cat. no. 1272.0).

Occupation

Occupation relates to the main job held by employed respondents at the time of their interview. Occupation was coded, based on a description of the kind of work performed, as reported by respondents and recorded by interviewers. Data were coded to the 6 digit level of the ANZSCO - Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations, 2013, Version 1.2 (cat. no. 1220.0).

Industry

Industry relates to the main job held by employed respondents at the time of their interview. Industry was coded based on the name of employer and the respondent's description of the business or service carried out at the respondent's workplace. Data were coded to the 3 digit level of the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006 (Revision 2.0) (cat. no. 1292.0).

Interviewer and ABS office coding

Alcohol

Two questions required interviewers to calculate (code) number of standard drinks based on responses to questions about:

• what the respondent usually consumed when they drank (in the 12 months prior to interview); and
• what the respondent consumed on the heaviest drinking day in the two weeks prior to interview.

In each of these examples, the initial question required the number of each drink, in addition to the type, brand and size of drinks, to be recorded in text format. The interviewer then calculated the number of standard drinks following the interview, using the number of standard drinks provided on the relevant question's prompt card to calculate the response. In some cases alcohol coding was not completed by interviewers. These records were coded by ABS office staff, using the text response and the relevant prompt card to calculate the number of standard drinks in each case.

Other coding

There were a number of open-ended questions which required coding by ABS office staff. For example, unemployed people were asked about the types of difficulties they may have had in finding work (e.g. transport problems, ill health or disability, unable to find suitable child care etc.). People were asked to nominate one or more response categories from a provided list, or they could provide an 'other' type of difficulty, which was then specified in a text field. Where possible, the text responses were allocated a code, which was based on the original list of categories.