Time Use Survey serves as a key source for advancing the economic and social development of society. It provides insights into how different sexes and age groups allocate their time to both paid and unpaid works. These insights help inform policies designed to boost productivity and promote a more balanced distribution of roles.
Survey objectives
- Study and analyze the impact of demographic, social, and economic characteristics on time use patterns across various activities such as work, study, leisure, sleep, social interactions, and others.
- Provide accurate and reliable information on the economic contribution of the household sector by analyzing home-based productive activities, whether for personal consumption or for sale.
- Identify the patterns and habits that influence time management, helping to support more effective decision-making for achieving personal or professional goals.
- Provide accurate data on the time spent caring for children and the elderly, along with an analysis of activities related to unpaid care services.
- Provide insights into achieving an effective balance between work and life, work and family, as well as work and education, while analyzing how these balances affect individuals’ well-being and productivity.
Data collection tools
Key concepts
• Household:
It is an individual or a group of individuals, whether related or not, who share a residence and meals and live in the same dwelling at the time of the survey. The following individuals are considered part of the household:
- Saudi citizens who usually reside with their family but were absent during the survey due to being temporarily outside the Kingdom, such as: Businesspeople, individuals traveling for medical treatment or tourism, and students studying abroad.
- individuals who usually reside with the family but were absent during the survey due to being on evening work shifts such as: Physicians, nurses, fishermen, airport staff, guards. etc
- Servants, drivers and members of the same household.
- Family members who are on a trip in the Kingdom.
• Head of the household:
The head of the household is the person designated by the household as its leader from among its resident members. This person is typically responsible for making decisions on household matters and must be at least 15 years old. If the household consists of children and their mother, and a relative who does not reside with them looks after their affairs, that relative is not considered the head of the household and is not registered as a member of it, as they are registered as a member of another household. In this case, the mother is considered the head of the household.
• Saudi Classification of Activities for Time-Use Statistics:
It is a guide used to categorize an individual’s or household’s daily activities into primary and secondary categories, based on economic, social, and cultural criteria, with the aim of monitoring lifestyle patterns and measuring the balance between work and leisure, as well as productive and non-productive activities.
• Main activity performed during this time:
The time an individual spends (in hours and minutes) performing various tasks and activities, whether related to paid formal work, unpaid work, household management, or caring for children or the elderly.
• Secondary activity performed during the same time:
Any additional activity carried out alongside the main activity, performed concurrently, and considered of less importance than the primary activity.
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It is a type of household survey conducted within the field of social statistics, enabling the identification of differences between genders and age groups in how time is used.
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The survey aims to:
- Study and analyze the impact of demographic, social, and economic characteristics on time use patterns across various activities such as work, study, leisure, sleep, social interactions, and others.
- Provide accurate and reliable information on the economic contribution of the household sector by analyzing home-based productive activities, whether for personal consumption or for sale.
- Identify the patterns and habits that influence time management, helping to support more effective decision-making for achieving personal or professional goals.
- Provide accurate data on the time spent caring for children and the elderly, along with an analysis of activities related to unpaid care services.
- Provide insights into achieving an effective balance between work and life, work and family, as well as work and education, while analyzing how these balances affect individuals’ well-being and productivity. -
Available in both Arabic and English.
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Head of the household and household members aged 15 years or older.
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You can verify the identity of the field researcher through the following steps:
1. Ensure the field researcher is wearing the official uniform of GASTAT (vest, cap, and ID badge).
2. Observe that the researcher is using a tablet belonging to GASTAT
3. Request to view the researcher’s ID badge or digital ID, which can be verified via Tawakkalna app.
4. Confirm receipt of a text message indicating successful participation in the survey. -
The General Authority for Statistics is committed to the highest levels of privacy and confidentiality for all citizens and residents within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia who participate in the survey. GASTAT will not disclose any identifying or personal information related to individuals, nor any other data provided in Time Use Survey, to any person, entity, or organization.
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No, the questionnaire is completed over multiple visits because its reference period is 7 days starting from the first visit to the household. Therefore, it cannot be completed in a single visit.
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No, it is not necessary
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Every household member aged 15 years or older.
Privacy Policy
The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) is a government entity with an independent legal personality. It is the only official statistical reference for implementing, supervising, and regulating the statistical work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It provides statistical products in social, economic, and environmental fields to support policymakers and decision-makers in advancing the implementation of development plans.
You can contact us by clicking on contact us link in our website, or send an email to: info@stats.gov.sa
Date of last update:
The last update on the privacy notice was made on (update date).
What is personal data?
Any data, regardless of its source or form, that may lead to identifying an individual specifically, or that may directly or indirectly make it possible to identify an individual, including name, personal identification number, addresses, contact numbers, bank and credit card numbers, photos, and videos of an individual, and any other data of personal nature.
What personal data is collected?
Various types of personal data and information is collected, which cover all aspects of life in the Kingdom: (demographic, social, economic, environmental, and cultural), including but not limited to:
Full name, age/date of birth, sex, address, contact information (e.g.: email address and phone numbers), ID number, marital status, current job information, previous job information, information about dependents/spouse/household.
How is personal data collected and what is the purpose?
Personal data is collected and obtained "directly or indirectly", using various methods, which include:
- Direct methods of obtaining personal data:
- Field visit to the household or establishment by GASTAT’s staff or one of its representatives.
- Phone call by GASTAT’s staff through the unified phone number: 199009.
- Self-completion on GASTAT’s website.
Indirect methods of obtaining personal data:
Collect cookies and data on how you use our site, including your visit date and time, and the type of browser you use.
By collecting data, GASTAT aims to produce official statistics that serve the public interest, i.e., any personal data collected, whether it belongs to the individual, or on behalf of another individual, will be used for statistical purposes and the production of official statistics.
How do we use your personal data?
We use personal data collected directly or indirectly to produce official statistics that serve the public interest, and support policymakers and decision makers in advancing the implementation of development plans. GASTAT is the only official statistical reference for implementing, supervising, and regulating the statistical work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
How do we share your personal data?
Your personal information won't be given to any third party for the purpose of direct marketing. We are also dedicated to protecting the confidentiality of all Saudi Arabia’s resident data, and not disclosing it. GASTAT abides by the participation guidelines that the regulators have approved. We also pledge to enforce the laws governing data confidentiality, non-disclosure, and personal data protection vigorously and strictly.
The legal basis for collecting and processing personal data:
According to the policy of personal data protection issued by the National Data Management Office, the legal basis for collecting and processing personal data is:
- our explicit consent, and you can withdraw your consent at any time except for some exceptions explained above, and to do so you can contact the Data Governance Department.
- Legal Obligation: The regulations and bylaws in force - including Royal and High Orders - are a legal basis on which GASTAT can rely if the collection and processing of personal data is necessary to comply with these statutory requirements.
- Public Interest: Statistics collected from personal data aim to support policymakers, and decision makers to advance the implementation of Saudi Arabia's development plans.
How do we store your personal data?
Your personal data is stored securely in the technical assets of GASTAT in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Your personal data is kept for a specified period, after which we dispose of this data securely so that it cannot be accessed or restored again, based on GASTAT’s data preservation and destruction policy.
Rights of personal data owner:
Under the personal data policy, you have the following rights, which depend primarily on the purpose of collecting and processing personal data:
- Right to access personal data: you have the right to request a copy of your personal data, such data will be provided to you within seven working days via email DPO@stats.gov.sa.
- Right to dispose personal data: you have the right to request the disposal of your personal data in certain circumstances that do not contradict with the legal basis based on which data was collected.
- Right to restrict data processing: you can restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances and for specific period of time.
- Right to object to processing: you have the right to object to the processing of your personal data that is not inconsistent with the legal basis.
- Right to transfer your personal data: you have the right to ask us to transfer your personal data - collected directly from you - to another party, or to deliver it to you for a fee. This right cannot be exercised if your consent is the legal basis for processing.
Except as otherwise specified, you are not required to pay any fees for exercising these rights, and in the event that a request is made to exercise one of these rights, you will be responded to within (7 days) from the request date.
Furthermore, it should be stressed here that some of these rights (the right to data disposal, the right to data transfer, and the right to object to processing) are not absolute rights but rather depend on the primary purpose and the legal basis mentioned earlier. Other than that, they are regarded as absolute rights.
For more details about the processing of your personal data and how to exercise your rights, you can contact the Data Protection Officer at GASTAT using the contact information provided below:
Email: DPO@stats.gov.sa
Except as stipulated, you are not required to pay any fee for the exercise of these rights, and if an application is made to exercise one of these rights you will be answered within (7 days) of the date of application.
It must also be emphasized here that some of these rights (the right to destroy data, the right to transmit data, the right to object to processing) are not absolute rights, but rather depend on the main purpose and statutory basis referred to earlier, and otherwise are absolute rights.
For more details about the processing of your personal data and how to exercise your rights, you can contact the Authority's Personal Data Protection Officer according to the contact data below:
Email: DPO@stats.gov.sa
How to submit a complaint?
If you have any complaints or issues regarding our adherence to the National Data Management Office's policy regarding the protection of personal data, you can contact the Data Governance Department via email at info@stats.gov.sa.
You can email the GASTAT’s Data Governance Department at DPO@stats.gov.sa to file a complaint if you are dissatisfied with how we handled your complaint or if we did not reply to you within three working days.
If GASTAT’s Data Governance Department does not resolve your complaint within 7 days, you may also file a complaint with the National Data Management Office about how we use your personal data.
Address of National Data Management Office:
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh.
Website: Complaints (sdaia.gov.sa)