Denmark

Title: Velfaerdsstatistikken

GENERAL INFORMATION AND BASIC DEFINITIONS

1. Background

Further information is available from Danmarks Statistik of Sejrogade 11, 2100 Kobenhavn 0, phone: 3917 3415 or 3917 3137.

2. Purpose and coverage

The following purposes are considered to be very important or of some importance:

• to study the general structure of household incomes/expenditures
• to study income/expenditure patterns of disadvantaged groups, including pensioner households, single parent households, etc
• to study income/expenditure disparities among socio-economic groups
• for general poverty and/or income distribution studies

Lesser importance is attached to:

• to study effects on income and expenditure of policy changes, especially tax changes
• for market research purposes

Geographic coverage: National without any specific geographic areas excluded.

Population coverage:
The following types of household are included in the data collection:

• one person private households
• private households with more than one person
• those in collective housing (such as long term hospitals, prisons, monasteries, military quarters)
• non-resident households of nationals (households of nationals located abroad)
• diplomatic households in the country
• households of other foreigners in the country
• armed forces residing in private housing within military base
• armed forces residing in private housing outside military base

Units: Dwelling units are not used in the sample selection.

Data are recorded for the household unit which is characterised by:

• one person units
• two or more people living together:
  • sharing a single dwelling or compound

Unit members: Usual residents temporarily living away from the dwelling are not included as unit members. Visitors (not usual residents) temporarily living in the dwelling are not included as unit members. Domestic staff living in same dwelling/compound are not included in the unit. Renters living in same dwelling/compound are not included in the unit. Boarders living in same dwelling/compound are not included in the unit.

Head of unit:
The concept of head of household/other unit is used in this survey and is characterised by:

• main income earner

3. Reference periods

The time period to which income and/or expenditure statistics refer when released/published is from 01/00 to 12/00. These data are collected in the period from 01/00 to 11/01. Administrative records are used annually to compile the income/expenditure statistics. The statistics are published annually.

SURVEY METHODOLOGY

4. Sample design

No sampling was undertaken for this collection.

DATA COLLECTION, CONCEPTS, DEFINITIONS AND CLASSIFICATIONS

5. Income data

Income data are collected. Receipts do not have to be regular and recurring to be considered as income. Income excludes receipts resulting from the sale or reduction of assets and/or from incurring liabilities. Income includes receipts that are not currently available to the unit.

The following receipts are collected separately:

• wages and salaries
• cash bonuses and gratuities
• remuneration for time not worked, e.g. leave pay
• termination and redundancy payments
• employer social security contributions
• employee social security contributions
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: housing
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: meals
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: car/transportation
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: goods or services produced by employer
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: other goods or services
• profit/loss from unincorporated enterprises (mixed income)
• drawing for own use from unincorporated enterprises
• interest received
• rentals (payment received for produced assets e.g. house)
• rents (payment received for un-produced assets e.g. land)
• royalties
• regular pensions/annuities from schemes to which employee does not contribute
• retirement pensions from compulsory social security schemes
• old age benefits
• other pensions
• unemployment benefits
• family-related allowances
• sickness benefits
• invalidity benefits
• education-related allowances
• housing allowances
• survivors benefits
• free government dwelling
• subsidized government dwelling
• food subsidies
• regular support received from non-profit institutions serving households: cash, e.g. scholarships
• regular support received from non-profit institutions serving households: goods and services
• regular support received from non-profit institutions serving households: free dwelling
• regular support received from non-profit institutions serving households: subsidized dwelling
• regular inter-household transfers received from: free dwelling

The following receipts are not collected:

• commissions and tips , excluded due to measurement problems
• services produced for own consumption , excluded due to measurement problems
• goods produced for barter , excluded due to measurement problems
• services produced for barter , excluded due to measurement problems
• dividends , excluded for other reasons
• medical reimbursements , excluded for other reasons
• regular inter-household transfers received from: family, e.g. alimony, child/parental support , excluded due to measurement problems
• regular inter-household transfers received from: regular inheritances or trusts , excluded for other reasons
• regular inter-household transfers received from: regular cash gifts , excluded due to measurement problems
• regular inter-household transfers received from: regular in-kind gifts , excluded due to measurement problems
• regular inter-household transfers received from: subsidized dwelling , excluded due to measurement problems
• regular inter-household transfers received from: regular free services , excluded due to measurement problems
• social transfers in kind: medical services , excluded for other reasons
• social transfers in kind: public education , excluded for other reasons
• social transfers in kind: transport subsidies , excluded for other reasons
• social transfers in kind: cultural and recreational services , excluded for other reasons
• social transfers in kind: others , excluded for other reasons

The following receipts are classified as income from paid employment:

• wages and salaries
• cash bonuses and gratuities
• remuneration for time not worked, e.g. leave pay
• termination and redundancy payments
• employer social security contributions
• employee social security contributions
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: housing
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: meals
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: car/transportation
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: goods or services produced by employer
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: other goods or services
• royalties
• regular support received from non-profit institutions serving households: cash, e.g. scholarships
• regular support received from non-profit institutions serving households: free dwelling
• regular inter-household transfers received from: free dwelling

The following receipts are classified as income from self-employment:

• profit/loss from unincorporated enterprises (mixed income)
• drawing for own use from unincorporated enterprises
• interest received
• rentals (payment received for produced assets e.g. house)

The following receipts are classified as property income:

• rents (payment received for un-produced assets e.g. land)

The following receipts are classified as employment-related transfer income:

• retirement pensions from compulsory social security schemes
• unemployment benefits
• sickness benefits

The following receipts are classified as transfer income but not employment-related:

• regular pensions/annuities from schemes to which employee does not contribute
• old age benefits
• other pensions
• family-related allowances
• invalidity benefits
• education-related allowances
• housing allowances
• survivors benefits
• free government dwelling
• subsidized government dwelling
• food subsidies
• regular support received from non-profit institutions serving households: goods and services
• regular support received from non-profit institutions serving households: subsidized dwelling

The following receipts are excluded due to measurement problems:

• commissions and tips
• services produced for own consumption
• goods produced for barter
• services produced for barter
• regular inter-household transfers received from: family, e.g. alimony, child/parental support
• regular inter-household transfers received from: regular cash gifts
• regular inter-household transfers received from: regular in-kind gifts
• regular inter-household transfers received from: subsidized dwelling
• regular inter-household transfers received from: regular free services

The following receipts are excluded for other reasons:

• dividends
• medical reimbursements
• regular inter-household transfers received from: regular inheritances or trusts
• social transfers in kind: medical services
• social transfers in kind: public education
• social transfers in kind: transport subsidies
• social transfers in kind: cultural and recreational services
• social transfers in kind: others

The following receipts are collected using the last 12 months as the reference period:

• wages and salaries
• cash bonuses and gratuities
• remuneration for time not worked, e.g. leave pay
• termination and redundancy payments
• employer social security contributions
• employee social security contributions
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: housing
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: meals
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: car/transportation
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: goods or services produced by employer
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: other goods or services
• profit/loss from unincorporated enterprises (mixed income)
• drawing for own use from unincorporated enterprises
• interest received
• rentals (payment received for produced assets e.g. house)
• rents (payment received for un-produced assets e.g. land)
• royalties
• regular pensions/annuities from schemes to which employee does not contribute
• retirement pensions from compulsory social security schemes
• old age benefits
• other pensions
• unemployment benefits
• family-related allowances
• sickness benefits
• invalidity benefits
• education-related allowances
• housing allowances
• survivors benefits
• free government dwelling
• subsidized government dwelling
• food subsidies
• regular support received from non-profit institutions serving households: cash, e.g. scholarships
• regular support received from non-profit institutions serving households: goods and services
• regular support received from non-profit institutions serving households: free dwelling
• regular support received from non-profit institutions serving households: subsidized dwelling
• regular inter-household transfers received from: free dwelling

Income data were collected separately for each person receiving income. Components of income for an individual were collected directly from the individual. Negative values (business losses) were included when computing self-employment income.

6. Expenditure data

Expenditure data are not collected from this source.

7. Other Data Collection Issues

The following other topics are covered:

• demographic characteristics
• education attainment of members
• employment status of members
• occupation of members
• housing characteristics
• savings
• indebtedness

Non-response: There is no substitution for non-response, whether by non-contact or by refusal.

DATA PROCESSING, ANALYSIS AND DISSEMINATION

Answers are pre-coded on data collection forms to the extent possible.

Extreme values are retained without change. Neither in-kind receipts nor consumption of own production is included in the estimates.

Treatment of owner-occupied housing: Values of owner-occupied housing are included in the total income/expenditure estimates and are valued using the current market value.

The following information is used in this valuation:

Treatment of selected groups/values in analysis: No households/units are excluded from analysis because of incomplete response. Missing values are retained without change . Supplementary sources are not used to adjust estimates for under- or over-reporting. No groups are excluded from data analysis.

Weighting:
No weighting factors are used for sampling, non-response or benchmarking.

Sampling errors: Sampling errors are not computed.

Tabulation and Analysis: Statistics are presented showing averages per year and statistics are analysed and tabulated for households and for individuals separately.

The following classifications are used for tabulation and analysis of income statistics:

• age of reference person or head of household
• sex of reference person or head of household
• occupation of reference person or head of household
• other characteristic of reference person or head of household
• income percentiles
• principal source of household income
• expenditure classes in monetary terms
• household size

Documentation and Dissemination:
Published survey reports: indkomster 2000, june 02
Published methodological information: indkomster 2000, june 02

Additional statistics (or special tables on request) are available for public use, with charges.

Separate tables are published for the following special population groups:

• households with wages/salaries as main source of income
• low income households

Files of unidentifiable unit data are available (or available on request) for public use, with charges.