Quality Statement

Label
Count of families and households – 2023 Census: Information by concept en-NZ
Definition

Count of families and households includes:

  • Count of families
  • Count of extended families
  • Count of households

A family (or family nucleus) is a couple with or without child(ren), or one parent and their child(ren) whose usual residence is in the same household. A family nucleus does not include children if they live with a partner or children of their own in the same household.

An extended family is a group of related people who usually reside together:

  • either as a family nucleus with one or more other related people, or
  • as two or more related family nuclei, with or without other related people.

Included in households, families and extended families are people who were absent on census night but usually live in a particular dwelling and are members of that household (or family or extended family); generally, these will be people reported as being absent on the online household set-up form or paper dwelling form, and are elsewhere in New Zealand or away from New Zealand for less than 12 months.

A household is either one person who usually resides alone, or two or more people who usually reside together and share facilities (such as for eating, cooking, or a living area; and bathroom and toilet) in a private dwelling.

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Overall quality rating

Count of families: High quality
Count of extended families: High quality
Count of households: High quality
Data quality processes section below has more detail on the rating.

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Priority level

Priority level 2
A priority level is assigned to all census concepts: priority 1, 2, or 3 (with 1 being highest and 3 being the lowest priority).
Count of families and households is a priority 2 concept. Priority 2 concepts cover key subject populations that are important for policy development, evaluation, or monitoring. These concepts are given second priority in terms of quality, time, and resources across all phases of a census.
The census priority level for count of families and households remains the same as 2018.
The 2023 Census: Final content report has more information on priority ratings for census concepts.

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Subject population

Count of families: Families in occupied private dwellings
Count of extended families: Extended families in occupied private dwellings
Count of households: Households in occupied private dwellings
‘Subject population’ means the people, families, households, or dwellings that the variable applies to.

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How this data is classified

Counts of families, extended families, and households are counts of unit records and have no classifications.

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Question format

Households are created from information about people who usually live in the same private dwelling: this includes residents who are present on census night and residents who are absent on census night (absentees).

Usual residence address is used to put people into households. This was sourced from question 5 (“Where do you usually live?”) on the individual paper form. Where an individual form was not completed or usual residence address was missing on an individual form, it was sourced from dwelling address on the online household setup form or paper dwelling form (question 1), which asked for the full address of the dwelling.

The following variables are then used to determine relationships between the usual residents of the household:

  • relationship to reference person
  • living arrangements.

These variables are used to construct a household matrix grid that shows the relationship between all individuals in the usual residence household.

The household matrix is then used to derive households, families and extended families.

Relationship to reference person is asked on the online household set-up form, and paper dwelling form (questions 18 and 21). The reference person (the person who completed the household set-up/dwelling form) is asked to list all people who stayed in the dwelling on census night (occupants) and all people who usually live in the dwelling but who were elsewhere on census night (absentees), and to describe how each person is related to them.

Living arrangements is asked on the individual form (question 17 on the paper form), where the individual is asked who they live with at their usual residence address.

There were differences in question wording, layout, and the way a person could respond between the paper and online forms.

Relationship to reference person
On the online household set-up form:

  • A maximum of 25 people could be listed as present on census night and a maximum of 5 people could be listed as absent on census night. It was mandatory to provide a first name and a last name for a person before more people could be added.
  • Respondents could select relationships from a drop-down list (for example, ‘partner’). If there was no match in the drop-down list, respondents could select ‘other’ and provide a free-text response, up to a maximum of 30 characters. It was possible to select ‘other’ without providing an answer to the free-text field.

On the paper dwelling and continuation forms:

  • A maximum of 8 people could be listed as present on census night. If more than 8 people are present, a continuation form is available for additional residents, up to 27 total. A maximum of 4 people could be listed as being away on census night.
  • The relationship to reference person question was worded ‘Person 2 is’ with tick box options that began with ‘my’ (for example, ‘my spouse/partner’).
  • If there was no match in the tick box list, the respondent could select ‘other’ and provide a free-text response, up to a maximum of 18 characters. It was possible to tick ‘other’ without providing an answer to the free-text field.

Both modes ask for further information about people away on census night: whether they are in New Zealand or overseas, and, if they are overseas, whether they are overseas for less than 12 months or 12 months or more.

For the 2023 Census, the reference person was asked to provide the gender of people present on census night, and for people absent with the options of ‘female’, ‘male’, and ‘another gender’. For 2018, respondents were asked to provide the sex of people present and absent from the dwelling, with options of ‘female’ and ‘male’.

Living arrangements
On the online individual form:

  • Built-in routing functionality directed individuals in the subject population to the appropriate questions. Overseas visitors were routed past this question.
  • While this is a multiple response question, if a respondent indicated ‘I live alone’, no other living arrangement boxes could be ticked.

On the paper individual form:

  • Overseas visitors were directed not to answer the question but were able to do so.
  • Conflicting responses were possible, for example, ticking both ‘I live alone’ and (I live with) ‘my spouse/partner’.

Stats NZ Store House has samples for both the individual and dwelling paper forms.

‘Families and Households in the 2023 Census: Data sources, methodology and data quality’ will have more information on the methodology for constructing a household matrix. A link to the paper will be available in late 2024.

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Examples of how this data is used

Data-use outside Stats NZ:

  • by central government agencies, local authorities, private organisations, and researchers in the formulation of social policy, for planning and monitoring programmes, and for research purposes.

Data-use by Stats NZ:

  • critical input to family and household estimates and projections.
  • to produce benchmarks for household surveys.
  • as a comparison for admin household variables (which then guides changes to improve admin household variables).
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Data sources

Data sources for individuals included in households and families are from either census responses or admin enumerated records in private dwellings.

The data source for households and families can be from census responses only, admin enumerations only, or a mixture of both census responses and admin enumerations. Methodology for using admin data to count people in the 2023 Census has more information about admin enumeration.

Blank households are private dwellings containing no census respondents or admin enumerations, but where a household of usual residents would be expected.

Data sources used to derive family and household data – households in occupied private dwellings
Source of household counts Percent
Household from census forms 92.3
Admin enumerated household 3.1
Household from both census forms and admin enumeration 1.2
Blank household 3.5
Total 100.0
Note: Due to rounding, individual figures may not always sum to the stated total(s).

For admin enumerated records and where information from census forms was missing, relationship information from historical census data and admin data was used. Sources of admin relationship information include:

  • Department of Internal Affairs births, deaths, marriages, and civil unions
  • Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment visa applications
  • Ministry of Social Development partnership and child data
  • Working for Families tax return details

For the purposes of family and household coding for the 2023 Census, admin relationships were restricted to partners, parents, children, siblings, grandparents and grandchildren.

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Missing and residual responses

The count of households does not include any standard residual categories, such as ‘not stated’. The count does include ‘blank households’, these are occupied private dwellings that do not have any census respondents or admin enumerated people, but it is expected a household usually resides there.

Percentage of ‘Blank households’ for households in occupied private dwellings:

  • 2023: 3.5 percent
  • 2018: 3.6 percent

Count of households, families and extended families do not have non-response categories or any other residual category. However, there are missing counts in the data for these concepts where families and extended families belonging to missed households (enumerated as blank households) will be missing from family and extended family unit counts.

‘Families and Households in the 2023 Census: Data sources, methodology and data quality’ will have more information on missingness in household and family data. A link to the paper will be available in late 2024.

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Data quality processes

Overall quality rating:

  • Count of families: High
  • Count of extended families: High
  • Count of households: High

Data was evaluated to assess whether it meets quality standards and is suitable for use.
Only one quality metric contributed to the overall quality rating:

Consistency and coherence:

  • Count of families: High quality
  • Count of extended families: High quality
  • Count of households: High quality

Counts of families, extended families and households is consistent with expectations across nearly all consistency checks, with some minor variation from expectations or benchmarks which makes sense due to real-world change, incorporation of other sources of data, or a change in how the variable has been collected.

There was a large increase in the count of extended families in the 2023 Census. This count has been analysed as a total, and by ethnicity, and both have shown consistent increases over the time series. This rise is attributed to real-world change (more people living in multi-generational and larger households), higher response rates for Māori and Pacific Peoples, and higher quality household matrices for large and complex households.

'Producing family and household data by ethnicity and Māori descent in the 2023 Census' will have more information. A link to the paper will be available in late 2024.

Counts of families, extended families and households are unable to receive a rating higher than the count of dwellings rating of ‘high’, because identifying families, extended families and households depends on the quality of dwelling data and the accuracy of occupancy status for private dwellings. The Dwelling count - 2023 Census: Information by concept and Dwelling occupancy – 2023 Census: information by concept has more information on the rating for dwelling units.

Data quality assurance in the 2023 Census provides more information on the quality rating scale.

‘Families and Households in the 2023 Census: Data sources, methodology and data quality’ will have more information on the data quality of household and family data. A link to the paper will be available in late 2024.

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Recommendations for use and further information

It is recommended that the counts of families, extended families and households can be used in a comparable manner to the 2018 and 2013 Censuses.

When using this data, users should be aware that:

  • Not all people counted in the census usually resident population are part of the derivation of families and households, e.g. people who were admin enumerated at a meshblock rather than a dwelling level and people living in non-private dwellings. In addition, there are dwellings that were not occupied at the time of the census or not counted in the census. This means there will be families, extended families and households that are not counted in census outputs.
  • Care should be taken when looking at the time series as there were changes to the collection strategy, processing system, and family and household coding methodology between the 2013 and 2018 Censuses, and further improvements made to these for the 2023 Census. These improvements mean family and household data is of a higher quality in the 2023 Census compared to previous censuses.
  • The quality of relationships within households in the 2023 Census is higher than in previous censuses, including those for more complex households and households containing at least one member of the Māori or Pacific Peoples ethnic groups.

‘Families and Households in the 2023 Census: Data sources, methodology and data quality’ will have more information on changes to the methodology and data quality of household and family data. A link to the paper will be available in late 2024.

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Information by variables from previous censuses

A count of families and households information by variable was not published in 2018 or 2013.

Contact our Information centre for further information about using this concept.

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Information

History

View Full History
Revision Date Responsibility Rationale
21 14/01/2025 3:37:31 PM
20 31/10/2024 10:48:40 AM
18 31/10/2024 10:43:41 AM