The Household Budget Survey (HBS): Why Participation Matters

Our spending choices tell a story about who we are and how we would like to be perceived. Our food choices, travelling patterns, investments and other savings and expenditure habits sum up both our past and present. It mirrors our labours and provides insights about how we intend to shape our future.

The Household Budget Survey, better known by its abbreviated moniker the HBS, aims to document these personal stories. Each of us has a unique story to recount and the HBS is the ideal story board.

Active citizenship propels every individual to contribute towards the Household Budget Survey.  The impact of HBS participation does not stop at the publication of the survey results. The ramifications of the data are far reaching as they echo in various aspects of public life, informing both policymakers and industry analysts alike on key economic indicators. Income distribution and inequality analysis are social indicators strongly associated with the HBS exercise. It also contributes towards the calculation of key metrics, such as Household Consumption an important element of the Gross Domestic Product. These insights are essential for policymakers to make informed decisions on the material aspects of people’s lives, such as cost-of-living adjustments, tax policies, social benefits, and general resource allocation.

The Household Budget Survey ensures representation of different income levels, family structures, and living conditions to provide an accurate depiction of a society. Each submission assists in the development of this comprehensive dataset, enabling policymakers to create better outcomes by ensuring they have the capacity to make their legislation equitable and that needed resources are better able to reach vulnerable members of our population.

For participants, the process is simple and secure. The National Statistics Office prioritises the privacy of its respondents and ensures that its data is appropriately anonymised and kept confidential. Though participation is mandated by law for selected households, monetary compensation is still provided in the form of a 50-euro payment in recognition of the time and effort of its responding households.

The survey itself consists of two main parts: the general questionnaire and the weekly spending diary. The questionnaire collects information that pertains to household characteristics, income, and large, infrequent expenditures.  By contrast, the two weekly diaries record daily transactions with the aim of accounting for the smaller, frequent purchases that are typically overlooked in long-term questionnaires. When combined, the two elements can provide a comprehensive understanding of a household’s spending patterns.

Ultimately, participation in the Household Budget Survey provides policymakers and analysts with the tools required to create effective, targeted, and inclusive legislation. Respondents strengthen our understanding of economic realities, contribute towards a more responsive and balanced economic environment, and promote a healthier and more stable economy for us all.

Household Budget Survey

The Authority notes with satisfaction the launch of the Household Budget Survey (HBS) during a conference held at the Old University Campus in Valletta on the 10th of October 2024.

The collection of information from households shall commence towards the end of this year and shall continue for twelve calendar months. The National Statistics Office (NSO) is forecasting participation of 7,000 households in the Household Budget Survey, with the objective of achieving a representative statistical representation of all social strata. Like past editions, household participants, shall be furnishing the NSO with data through two forms, a general information questionnaire and a spending diary. In the latter, households shall be entering their expenses covering a fifteen-day period together with any major expense that has recently occurred.

The main purpose of the HBS remains as the primary means to update the ‘basket of goods and services’ from which weights are derived and used in the monthly inflation estimates. The HBS also has secondary uses, particularly to estimate the degree of social inequality. To this end the HBS data is sought by may social researchers.

The Authority notes the sterling work performed by NSO staff over the past months in preparation for the HBS launch as well as its meticulous planning process covering the months ahead.

The Authority appeals for household to cooperate once again with NSO officials during the data collection exercise. The information collated has an intrinsic statistical operational value but also underlines important social and policy decisions.

During a recent press event, the Chairman of the Malta Statistics Authority, Dr Carl Camilleri, delivered the following address marking the launch of SDDS+ for our National Statistics Institute. The National Statistics Office has been complying with SDDS standards for several years, also thanks to its collaboration with the Central Bank of Malta. Adherence to the highest standards of SDDS+ is a symbol of the growth of the office and its commitment to constantly better itself.

Address by Dr Carl Camilleri during a press conference held on the 31^st of July 2023 announcing the National Statistics Office participation in the Special Dissemination Data Standard Plus programme (SDDS+)

Mr Bert Kroese, Chief Statistician and Statistics Department Director, International Monetary Fund,

Professor Edward Scicluna, Governor of the Central Bank of Malta,

Mr Etienne Caruana, Director General, National Statistics Office, and

Distinguished guests,

Good afternoon and thank-you for attending this press conference.

I am pleased to announce that the National Statistics Office has managed to achieve another milestone by becoming a participating member of the Special Data Dissemination Standard plus programme better known as (SDDS+). Malta will be joining 30 other countries who are already SDDS+ adherent, many of them are the world’s most affluent economic nations[i]. Malta’s entry into the SDDS+ programme is a commitment on our part to provide detailed and timely information of the Real, Fiscal, Financial and External sectors.  The need of participation in the SDDS+ programme stems from the fact that policy-decision makers require in-depth and timely information about the state of the nation’s solvency.  Hence the new standard requires additional economic and financial statistics results, with the prospect of improving the information for financial stability analysis and crisis prevention, always in the context of ongoing economic and financial integration. The new standard is aimed at countries with systemically important financial sectors.

Partnership

This feat was possible thanks to the gradual improvement in the national statistical system, particularly the much-improved access to national administrative databases. Over the past years the Authority worked closely with the NSO to improve both accessibility and the quality of national databases with the objective of reducing burden response.  We also believe that good administrative data is the keystone for improved statistical quality and timeliness. These are two founding principles of any national statistical system.

Equally important is the strong nexus that exists between the Central Bank of Malta and the National Statistics Office.  The former is a salient statistical contributor of official statistics in the realms of banking and finance. Furthermore, both institutions collaborate closely to jointly publish the Balance of Payments statement.

Commitment

The production of these statistics is onerous but as Chairman I note the dedication, professionalism and zeal of our national statisticians and central bankers towards the production of official statistics. As an Authority we are committed to ensure the NSO has adequate resources to participate in this programme and others alike. Only through such initiatives do we firmly demonstrate the importance of official statistics. Participation in IMF statistical programmes are also important for us to expand our statistical networking footprint. Finally, A word of thanks is also due to the members of the IMF for this opportunity particularly to their dedicated Statistical Department for their continuous support and advice when called upon.

Thank you and without further ado I would pass the floor to Mr Bert Kroese.