The history of time use data collection

The importance of measuring how people spend their time is increasingly being acknowledged in a number of disciplines. This chapter describes the more than 100-year history of attempts to capture how time is allocated. Requiring respondents to recall one or two days of activities in a 24-hour time diary is the most unbiased and reliable measurement. This method has been thoroughly investigated and refined to the point where it compares well with measurement by objective instruments. The procedure can be administered by telephone and online interfaces. Work on the standardization of activity classifications and minimal data items began after World War II and has since continued with the backing of international agencies. Reasons for collecting information about time vary, with different advantages emphasized at different times. But because the diary technique collects data about all activities over the day, the applications of this data are wide and not yet exhausted.