Home

HILDA User Manual
Overview The HILDA Data Users How to Order the Data Security Requirements How the Data Files are Provided Structure of the Data Files Identifiers Matching Files Creating Longitudinal Files Variable Name Conventions Missing Value Conventions Data with Negative Values Confidentialisation Derived Variables Age and Sex History Spatial Current Education Current Marriage /Defacto Relationship Children Child Care Employment Calculating hourly wage rates Calendar Family Health Housing Time Use Household Expenditure Life – Personality Income and Income Imputation Wealth and Wealth Imputation Weights Documentation Data Quality Issues The HILDA Sample Data Collection Pilot Testing Questionnaire Length Interviewers Fieldwork Process Response Rates Attrition Bias Data Processing HILDA User Training Getting More Information References Appendices Summary of HILDA Survey content, waves 1 to 6 HILDA Survey Instrument Development and Sources Changes made to the data between releases Little and Su method About the HILDA User Manual HILDA Survey Home

About the HILDA User Manual

Acknowledgements

The HILDA User Manual–Release 6 was produced by Nicole Watson. Contributions by Mark Wooden, Nicole Watson, Simon Freidin, Clinton Hayes, Alison Goode, Paul Agius, Bruce Headey and Rosslyn Starick are included in this manual.

Simon Freidin, in consultation with Mark Wooden, Nicole Watson and Bruce Headey, prepared the HILDA Data Files and developed the associated data processing system with the support of Paul Agius and Diana Warren. In addition, Nicole Watson, Clinton Hayes, Peter Boal, Tim Fry, John Henstridge, Stephen Horn, Rosslyn Starick and Frank Yu contributed to the development of the weighting and imputation strategies.

Citation

Readers wishing to cite this document should use the following form of words:

HILDA User Manual – Release 6

Updates to This Manual

*Date*	*Update*
04/04/2008	Correction to Figure 20 and 21 (Income model) as foreign pensions are included in calculation of _tife* variables.
13/03/2008	Added note on setting SPSS missing values back on
22/02/2008	Added note to Appendix 2 regarding changes to _edhists and _edhigh.
07/02/2008	Added mention of User’s Guide for calculating HILDA standard errors.
31/01/2008	Updated Manual for Release 6.
23/04/2007	Updated Survey Instrument Development and Sources (Appendix 1B). Updated Changes to the Data (Appendix 2A and 2B).
31/01/2007	Updated Manual for Release 5.
22/05/2006	Amended programs to create long longitudinal files with correct weights.
22/03/2006	Added Table on Self Completion Questionnaire response rates.
07/02/2006	Added new section on calculating hourly wage rates.
01/02/2006	Added Lists of Figures and Tables. Renumbered tables and updated household sample figures for waves 2 to 4.
16/01/2006	Updated Manual for Release 4.
14/04/2005	Renumbered Appendix 1 to 1A. Added Appendix 1B on data item sources.
25/01/2005	Added Appendix 4 on Little and Su method.
13/01/2005	Original version of manual for Release 3.

top of page