Some critics of time use research have failed to grasp that time diary data reveal snapshots of the typical
daily behaviour of populations rather than the typical behaviour of specific individuals. Time use
researchers, for their part, have tended to forget that each diary in datasets tells the story of the
activities of a particular person, and instead have focussed on information recorded in particular
variable columns. This paper demonstrates the importance of analysing time diaries as holistic
stories rather than as collections of variable columns, using the process of identifying low quality
diaries to exclude from analysis as an example. Taking a holistic approach to diary analysis reveals that
respondents can record complete activity information without completing all columns in the diary, making
some imputation and some exclusions that researchers have made in the past unnecessary. Such an approach
also reveals a need for a more broad definition of what constitutes a low quality diary than simply
concentrating on missing main activity time. Similarly, holistic diary analysis introduces an
additional element to time use methodology – a need to explain how the researcher extracts variables for
analysis. This paper concludes with consideration how the whole diary approach improves prospects for
comparing time use results across time and across country.
Presented by:
Kimberly Fisher, ISER
Date & time:
April 26, 2006 12:00 pm - April 25, 2006 11:00 pm
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