Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union
1.2. Contact organisation unit
Eurostat, Unit F4: Income and Living Conditions; Quality of life
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
European Commission
DG Eurostat
5, Rue Alphonse Weicker L-2920 Luxembourg
LUXEMBOURG
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
18 September 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
18 September 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
25 November 2025
3.1. Data description
Time use surveys (TUS) measure the amount of time people spend doing various activities, such as paid work, household and family care, personal care, voluntary work, social life, travel, and leisure activities. The survey consists of a household interview, a personal interview, a weekday diary and a weekend diary. Time use surveys are used to support equality, family, social, transport and cultural policies and to measure the value of household production. Data are acquired by interviewing the sampled individuals directly and letting them fill in the diary.
HETUS 2020 results are organised in 14 tables in Eurobase. The first ten tables provide information on the time spent, participation time and participation rate by sex and different characteristics (age group, professional status, month and period of the year, day of the week, etc.). The eleventh table shows the participation rate in the main activity by the time of the day. Additionally, two tables focus on time dedicated to significant activities, such as eating and screentime, while one final table illustrates time spent on any simultaneous activities.
Eurostat will publish further indicators in 2026.
3.2. Classification system
The main classification system used in the Harmonised European time use surveys (HETUS) is the "Activity coding list" (ACL). The ACL assigns a code to the activities (primary and secondary) that the person is doing during the day. For that purpose the 24 hours of the day are split in 144 slots of 10-minutes and ACL codes are given to each of the 10-minutes slots. The activities described by the respondents themselves are coded according to the Classification of activities for time use - 2018 (ACL 2018). Afterwards, during the harmonisation processes, Eurostat implements an aggregation of activities, going from the initial 116 activities to 41 categories.
Other classifications used are the "location" where the time is spent, the "modes of transport", and "with whom" the time is spent. Please note that the tables currently shown do not contain information on these variables. They will be disseminated in 2026.
Further classifications used in HETUS 2020 wave are:
2-digit level of NUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics)
Statistical Classification of Economic Activities (NACE Rev. 2)
International Standard Classification of Occupations ISCO-08
ISCED 2011— International Standard Classification of Education.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Living conditions, time use, working time, travel, leisure, social statistics.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
This domain provides population estimates for activities according to the HETUS-ACL (see section 3.2 Classification system, above) for three main indicators:
Time spent: mean time spent on the activities by all individuals;
Participation time: mean time spent in the activities by those individuals who took part in the activity; and
Participation rate: the proportion of the individuals that spent some time doing the activities.
HETUS provide information on the main activity and on the secondary or parallel activity the individuals are doing during each of the 144 slots of 10-minutes of which a day consists of. It is the respondent who decides which is the main and which is the secondary activity.
The three indicators are compiled by sex and
age group
household composition
highest level of education attained (according to ISCED-2011)
self-declared labour status, i.e. according to the information on labour status as perceived by the respondent
professional status (according to the ILO definition of employment, unemployment and not in the labour force)
day of the week
month and period of the year.
Finally, one table shows the participation rate in the main activity groups by sex and time of the day.
Partipating countries have collected information on private households and individuals (household members).
Eurostat publishes information on households and household members (individuals from the age of ten).
3.6. Statistical population
According to the HETUS 2018 guidelines, the survey should cover all persons living in private households aged at least 10 years old.
Individuals living in institutions (nursing homes, homes for the elderly, children's homes, rehabilitation centers and penitentiary) are excluded from the survey population.
3.7. Reference area
The first countries published on Eurobase are: Bulgaria, Germany, Estonia, Austria, Finland, Norway and Serbia.
3.8. Coverage - Time
The data collection period for the European countries participating in HETUS wave 2020 is:
2019-2021: Estonia
2020-2021: Finland
2021-2022: Austria, Serbia
2022: Germany
2022-2023: Bulgaria, Norway
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Time spent, participation time and participation rate, see also section 3.4 Statistical concepts and definitions, above.
According to the HETUS Guidelines, the survey should cover a full 12 months period, i.e. 365 consecutive days. Each respondent should fill in the diary for two days, one weekday (Monday to Friday) and one weekend day (Saturday, Sunday).
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
The data were collected on the basis of a gentlemen's agreement between participating countries and Eurostat.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Universities and certified research centres can apply for access to TUS microdata for scientific purposes. The HETUS 2020 microdata are not yet available.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
HETUS microdata as received by Eurostat do not contain any administrative information such as names or addresses that would allow direct identification. Access to the microdata is nevertheless strictly controlled and limited to specified Eurostat staff. After data treatment, records are aggregated for all further use.
8.1. Release calendar
No release calendar.
8.2. Release calendar access
Not applicable.
8.3. Release policy - user access
In line with the Community legal framework and the European Statistics Code of Practice Eurostat disseminates European statistics on Eurostat's website (see item 10 - 'Accessibility and clarity') respecting professional independence and in an objective, professional and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably. The detailed arrangements are governed by the Eurostat protocol on impartial access to Eurostat data for users.
Every ten years. About 18 countries are participating and plan to transmit data to Eurostat in the HETUS 2020 wave.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Not available.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Not available.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
Two databases are available online: HETUS waves 2000-2010 (tus_00) and HETUS wave 2020 (tus_20).
National data are accompanied with quality reports analysing the accuracy, coherence and comparability of the data.
11.1. Quality assurance
The countries participating in the 2020 wave followed the HETUS 2020 guidelines, and data were validated at national level.
Eurostat checked, validated and harmonised the data, allowing the presentation of comparable data among countries.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Time use statistics have overall good quality. National Time Use Surveys are considered as reliable sources applying high standards with regard to the methodology. However, the TUS, like any survey, is based upon a sample of the population. The results are therefore subject to the usual types of errors associated with random sampling.
To avoid publication of figures that are unreliable, all estimations derived from a sample size of fewer than 20 observations are replaced with : (not available) and marked with the flag "u". For figures based on a sample size of fewer than 50 observation, the value is given alongside the flag "u".
Additionally, the flag "m" is used to indicate missing values for countries where calculations cannot be performed.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
Time use data are used by policy makers and by researchers, e.g. to answer questions on the following topics: how much time is spent in paid work compared to unpaid work, and how is this different for women and men? Is housework fairly distributed between women and men? How much time do people spend to travel to and from work? How much time do people spend on care activities? How much time do people spend on volunteering? What activities do people carry out in their leisure time?
Time use data also provide the basic data to produce household satellite accounts.
Further indicators to address user needs will be published in 2026.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
User satisfaction is not measured. Some countries have organized user satisfaction surveys, as well as feedback meetings for data users.
12.3. Completeness
Not requested.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Accuracy depends on the sample size, sampling design effects and the structure of the population under study. In addition, sampling errors and non-sampling errors need to be taken into account. Sampling error refers to the variability that occurs at random because of the use of a sample rather than a census, while non-sampling errors are errors that occur in all phases of the data collection and production process. The NSIs decided on the sampling design from their own precision needs. That is why the sampling designs and sample sizes differs from one country to another.
Weight calculation methods differ between countries. In the past, calibration techniques or post stratification were used. In general, calibration vectors were not identified or post-stratification variables were not reported. Two weights are included in the database: first, the diary day weight (marked by the variable name WGHT1), and second the individual weight (marked by the variable WGHT2).
13.2. Sampling error
The sampling error will be presented once the metadata from all the participating countries will be available.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Non-sampling error consists of three elements: Coverage error, measurment error and non-response error.
Coverage error (overcoverage) was identified in the data collection and dropped from the sample. Under coverage might be more serious, because it is not known.
Non-response error occurs in four different types in the household sample of the TUS. First, cluster non-response, where all persons are missing in a household; second, unit non-response, where some persons in a household are missing but the household is, nevertheless, included in the survey. The third type of non-response is missing diaries, where one or both diaries are missing. The fourth type is item non-response, where answers to one or more variables are missing at the household or individual levels, or a diary is only partially filled in. Unit non-response is measured by its ratio to the final sample. The non-response error depends on the distribution and quantity of non-response. Demographic background and education influence the social behavior of people and their activities. In literature, there are studies in which demographic background, education and income have skew distributions according to non-response. The national response and nonresponse rates can be found in the national metadata files.
Only very few NSIs reported item non-response rates. In the diaries, an episode is defined as a time slot denoted by the same code. Missing episodes are difficult to observe because respondents record activities and their duration into diaries by themselves. Unobserved item non-response arises when a respondent forgets to record an activity in the diary, and this situation occurs when, for instance, a person travels home from work and stops for shopping. If the shopping stop is not recorded then the number of episodes is too low. The average episode numbers then describes some kind of filling intensity of diary keeping and missing episodes are unobserved item non-response.
In general, processing errors are not identified.
14.1. Timeliness
Not applicable (data are transmitted to Eurostat on the basis of an agreement).
14.2. Punctuality
Not applicable.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Participating countries followed the HETUS 2020 guidelines with harmonised survey design and classifications. Therefore the data should be largely comparable between countries.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Comparability over time is sought by ensuring that as many survey elements as possible remain consistent. However, to maintain relevance, the Classification of Activities for time use has been updated, transitioning from the ACL00 to the ACL18 code list. Eurostat has also introduced new groupings of activities for the database, resulting in a total of 41 categories of activities.
Finally, some countries collected data during the COVID-19 pandemic, which might have impacted the survey results.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Working hours in Labour Force Statistics should in principle be reconcilable with those obtained from the Time Use Survey. This will be analysed once all participating countries have delivered data to Eurostat.
15.4. Coherence - internal
HETUS estimates have full internal coherence, as they are all based on the same corpus of microdata and they are calculated using the same estimation methods. Arithmetic and accounting identities in the production of TUS datasets are observed.
In general TUS are considered to be relatively costly and burdensome. This applies to both the respondents (filling in detailed diaries, individual, and household questionnaires), and the statistical offices (coding of diaries, treatment and validation of data, compilation of aggregated results, etc.).
National metadata provide some information on national costs and measures taken to reduce the burden of the survey.
Reported errors are corrected in the disseminated data as soon as the correct data have been validated.
Data may be published even if they are missing for certain countries, or flagged as provisional or of low reliability for certain countries. They are replaced with final data once transmitted and validated.
Whenever new data are provided and validated, the already disseminated data are updated. There is no specific updating schedule for incorporating ‘spontaneously’ provided new data.
18.1. Source data
Data files from national time use surveys, consisting of diaries, individual questionnaires and household questionnaires, see also HETUS 2018 Guidelines (HETUS wave 2020).
18.2. Frequency of data collection
The general recommendation is to collect TUS every 5-10 years.
Currently, apart from the HETUS 2020 wave, also the data for the HETUS 2000 and 2010 waves are available at European level.
18.3. Data collection
Data are acquired by interviewing the sampled individuals directly and letting them fill in the diary, see also HETUS 2018 Guidelines (HETUS wave 2020).
18.4. Data validation
Prior to the dissemination of the harmonised data, Eurostat checked the data quality and consistency. The results were then validated by the Member States.
18.5. Data compilation
Individual replies are aggregated in order to show results for different population groups (by age, by sex, by highest level of education attained, by professional status, etc.).
Time use surveys (TUS) measure the amount of time people spend doing various activities, such as paid work, household and family care, personal care, voluntary work, social life, travel, and leisure activities. The survey consists of a household interview, a personal interview, a weekday diary and a weekend diary. Time use surveys are used to support equality, family, social, transport and cultural policies and to measure the value of household production. Data are acquired by interviewing the sampled individuals directly and letting them fill in the diary.
HETUS 2020 results are organised in 14 tables in Eurobase. The first ten tables provide information on the time spent, participation time and participation rate by sex and different characteristics (age group, professional status, month and period of the year, day of the week, etc.). The eleventh table shows the participation rate in the main activity by the time of the day. Additionally, two tables focus on time dedicated to significant activities, such as eating and screentime, while one final table illustrates time spent on any simultaneous activities.
Eurostat will publish further indicators in 2026.
25 November 2025
This domain provides population estimates for activities according to the HETUS-ACL (see section 3.2 Classification system, above) for three main indicators:
Time spent: mean time spent on the activities by all individuals;
Participation time: mean time spent in the activities by those individuals who took part in the activity; and
Participation rate: the proportion of the individuals that spent some time doing the activities.
HETUS provide information on the main activity and on the secondary or parallel activity the individuals are doing during each of the 144 slots of 10-minutes of which a day consists of. It is the respondent who decides which is the main and which is the secondary activity.
The three indicators are compiled by sex and
age group
household composition
highest level of education attained (according to ISCED-2011)
self-declared labour status, i.e. according to the information on labour status as perceived by the respondent
professional status (according to the ILO definition of employment, unemployment and not in the labour force)
day of the week
month and period of the year.
Finally, one table shows the participation rate in the main activity groups by sex and time of the day.
Partipating countries have collected information on private households and individuals (household members).
Eurostat publishes information on households and household members (individuals from the age of ten).
According to the HETUS 2018 guidelines, the survey should cover all persons living in private households aged at least 10 years old.
Individuals living in institutions (nursing homes, homes for the elderly, children's homes, rehabilitation centers and penitentiary) are excluded from the survey population.
The first countries published on Eurobase are: Bulgaria, Germany, Estonia, Austria, Finland, Norway and Serbia.
According to the HETUS Guidelines, the survey should cover a full 12 months period, i.e. 365 consecutive days. Each respondent should fill in the diary for two days, one weekday (Monday to Friday) and one weekend day (Saturday, Sunday).
Accuracy depends on the sample size, sampling design effects and the structure of the population under study. In addition, sampling errors and non-sampling errors need to be taken into account. Sampling error refers to the variability that occurs at random because of the use of a sample rather than a census, while non-sampling errors are errors that occur in all phases of the data collection and production process. The NSIs decided on the sampling design from their own precision needs. That is why the sampling designs and sample sizes differs from one country to another.
Weight calculation methods differ between countries. In the past, calibration techniques or post stratification were used. In general, calibration vectors were not identified or post-stratification variables were not reported. Two weights are included in the database: first, the diary day weight (marked by the variable name WGHT1), and second the individual weight (marked by the variable WGHT2).
Time spent, participation time and participation rate, see also section 3.4 Statistical concepts and definitions, above.
Individual replies are aggregated in order to show results for different population groups (by age, by sex, by highest level of education attained, by professional status, etc.).
Data files from national time use surveys, consisting of diaries, individual questionnaires and household questionnaires, see also HETUS 2018 Guidelines (HETUS wave 2020).
Every ten years. About 18 countries are participating and plan to transmit data to Eurostat in the HETUS 2020 wave.
Not applicable (data are transmitted to Eurostat on the basis of an agreement).
Participating countries followed the HETUS 2020 guidelines with harmonised survey design and classifications. Therefore the data should be largely comparable between countries.
Comparability over time is sought by ensuring that as many survey elements as possible remain consistent. However, to maintain relevance, the Classification of Activities for time use has been updated, transitioning from the ACL00 to the ACL18 code list. Eurostat has also introduced new groupings of activities for the database, resulting in a total of 41 categories of activities.
Finally, some countries collected data during the COVID-19 pandemic, which might have impacted the survey results.
