From today, Thursday 21 September, randomly selected households in Jersey will receive a letter to say they have been chosen to be part of the Jersey Living Costs and Household Income Survey.
Around 5,000 households will be invited to take part in the survey over the next 12 months. A trained Statistics Jersey officer will visit each selected household and explain the survey, which usually takes place once every five years. The previous survey in 2019/2020 was cut short due to the Covid-19 outbreak. It is now being re-started to ensure that information on incomes and spending patterns for Jersey households is robust and representative.
Statistics Jersey use the results of the survey to update the 'basket' of goods and services used to calculate the Retail Prices Index (the 'cost of living') and to make sure it continues to reflect what Islanders are buying. The RPI is a key economic measure. It is often used for wage negotiations, rent and benefit increases, and household maintenance agreements.
The survey also establishes how household incomes and income inequalities change over time in Jersey. It provides comparable data to answer questions such as whether households on lower incomes are less well off now than they were previously, compared to those on higher incomes?
All information collected for the survey is treated as strictly confidential and identifiable household information will not be shared beyond Statistics Jersey. The information will be used to produce grouped statistics and no person or household will be identifiable in the results.
Chief Statistician, Ian Cope said: "I'd like to encourage those households who are selected to help us form an accurate picture of Jersey by taking part in this important survey. These households represent not only their own circumstances but others like theirs. By taking part, they make sure that our official statistics accurately reflect all households in Jersey."
"When the survey was last run, many households who took part found it an interesting and useful budgeting exercise and were positive about being part of something that is so important to Jersey".
Participating households are offered the chance to be entered into a quarterly prize draw to win £300.