Things We've Learned from the American Time Use Survey

Economists and other social scientists are up in arms over plans to get rid of the American Time Use Survey starting in the 2009 fiscal year as outlined by the B.L.S., which estimates that it would save $4.3 million by cutting the survey.

Launched in 2003, the survey asks 14,000 respondents how much time they spend on various tasks like caring for children, cleaning the house, working for pay, and caring for sick adults. It is the broadest survey of its kind and is called by a group of academics fighting to save it, "the most important new data initiative begun by the U.S government in at least 35 years."

The group, calling itself the Coalition to Save the American Time Use Survey, is asking Congress to add $6 million to the 2009 budget to save ATUS and has started a petition which, at last count, 1,395 economists had signed including new NBER president James Poterba.

The best argument for keeping ATUS is that it can provide a good measure of non-market activity which isn't picked up by GDP but is vital to the economy like child-rearing and home production.

To get a better sense of what ATUS has shown thus far, here is a sample of recent findings that have relied on the survey:

- First-born children receive 20 to 30 minutes more quality time each day from parents than second-born children.

- Married couples have very little influence over each other when it comes to how much time each spends on leisure, child care, and chores.

- Working mothers spend less time cooking, eating with their children, playing with their children and are more likely to buy prepared food. These decreases in time are not offset by spouses, potentially leading to childhood obesity.

- Along the same lines, working mothers spend less time reading to their children, helping with homework, and in educational activities in general. Spouses don't offset this less time at all, potentially impairing child cognitive development.

- Does television cause autism? Looking at county-level data on autism for California and Pennsylvania, researchers found that there was indeed a positive link between autism rates and the number of residents subscribed to cable TV. They estimate that 17 percent of the growth in autism rates in those states during the 1970's and 80's is linked to the growth of cable TV.

- On rainy days, men typically spend 30 more minutes on the job.

- The returns from grooming: Men who spend twice as much time grooming than the average of 32 minutes a day can expect to earn 5 percent more. Extra grooming time beyond the average 49 minutes does not result in a noticeable benefit for women.

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