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SURVEY OF HOUSEHOLD

EXPENDITURES

AMONG EUROPEAN AND INTERNATIONAL STAFF

EN

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INTRODUCTORY NOTE

Harmonized surveys are being conducted jointly by Eurostat (the Statistical Office

of the European Communities), the IOS (Inter-Organisations Section at the OECD)

and the ICSC (International Civil Service Commission of the UN). The purpose is to

collect information in order to estimate an average expenditure pattern of

international staff families working in each duty station.

The resulting pattern is an essential element in the calculation of purchasing power

parities (PPP) and the correction coefficient (CC) applicable to the salaries of

European Union officials and Co-ordinated Organisations staff as well as other

International Organisations.

Thus, the results of this survey will affect your salaries, and you therefore have a

direct interest. Only you have the necessary information to evaluate your household

expenditure which is the object of the survey. Please note that in order to obtain

statistically reliable results, a large number of replies is vital.

The purpose of the survey is not to know what you spend but how you spend.

This means that the pattern of your expenditure will allow us to give adequate

importance to different items in a basket of goods and services at the time of

calculating the PPP.

Please note that the information you give will remain completely anonymous. Its

origin cannot be traced since there is no name or number on the questionnaire. No

basic data from the questionnaire will be communicated to unauthorised persons.

The information you give will be combined with that of other officials in order to

calculate the average consumption structure of international officials in your place of

employment.

Before each section of the questionnaire, you will find detailed instructions on how to

complete that part. Please read them carefully before you begin to fill it in.

If you have any questions, please contact Eurostat as indicated on the back cover.

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LAYOUT OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE

PART 1 Consists of some general information about your status, household

composition and your accommodation.

The remainder of the questionnaire refers to expenditures not only for you, but

for you and your household. Parts 2 to 5 refer only to expenditures in your country

of residence.

PART 2 Is a section on which you should note your dwelling-related regular bills :

often monthly ones, such as bills for gas, electricity, telephone, etc.

PART 3 Here you should record some of the daily expenditure of the household

(mainly on food and beverages) over a period of 14 consecutive days.

PART 4 Is a section in which you should note the household expenditure on items

and services purchased during the last 12 months or an average month

of this period.

PART 5 Is a section in which you should note your education and health

expenditures and reimbursements during the last 12 months.

Please take the necessary time to complete parts 1-5 of the questionnaire.

Remember that an incomplete questionnaire is not likely to be usable, and your

efforts will be wasted. However, if you forget to record the purchase of a bus

ticket or a newspaper, this will have little impact on the overall quality of the results.

If you cannot find an item of your expenditure in one of the boxes provided:

Consult the glossary annexed to this questionnaire, indicating under which

position some selected items are classified, or

Use the boxes “OTHER EXPENSES”, specifying as much as possible the nature

and the amount of your expenditure.

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Notes on part 1: PERSONAL INFORMATION

The information given in this section is essential to validate the survey results and to

gross these up to the total population of international officials in your place of

employment.

For the questions about employment status (permanent official/temporary

agent/contractual agent/other agent), gender (M/F), marital status and expatriate

status, an 'X' should be placed in the appropriate box.

For the question about grade, the appropriate code should be entered, for example

AD-5..AD-16 or AST-1..AST-11 (permanent officials); A-13..A-18, B-8..B-12, C-4..C-7,

or GFI-1..GFIV-19 (contract agents); AD-5..AD-16 or AST-1..AST-11 (temporary

agents).

Housing

The information concerning housing relates solely to your main dwelling in your

country of residence.

For the questions about accommodation status (tenant/owner) and dwelling type, an

'X' should be placed in the appropriate box.

As the accommodation cost is a very important element in the calculation of

correction coefficients, it is essential that all related questions are answered and

that the total area of living space be filled in accurately.

If you are a tenant, please record your current monthly rent excluding charges

for utilities and other services such as common lighting, elevator, etc.

Exclude any payment for garage, unless this is an integral part of your rent.

Service and utility charges are shown in part 2 (regular bills) of the

questionnaire.

If you are owner of your accommodation and if you have bought it on a mortgage

or any other loan, please state your current monthly payment (capital plus

interest) but excluding any life insurance.

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Part 1 - PERSONAL INFORMATION

Country of residence :

HOUSING (main dwelling in your country of residence)

Institution / Agency / Organisation :

Tenant * Monthly rent : (excluding charges)

Owner Monthly loan reimbursement : (including interest)

* Includes hotel, boarding house, sharing rent

Gender: M F

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD

Number of family members aged 18-64, in work:

Number of family members aged 18-64, others **:

Number of family members aged more than 64:

Number of family members aged less than 18:

City of employment :

Other (hotel, etc)

Type of dwelling:

Semi or non-detached house

1 bedroom flat

3+ bedroom flat

m² Estimated total area of living space:

Country of birth :

(excluding garage, balconies, cellar)

Expatriate (according to Staff Regulations) : Yes No

Detached house

2 bedroom flat

* ie. Persons living in the same dwelling and sharing expenditures for at least six months of the year * * Includes dependent children aged 18-26 in further education

(including yourself) *

Studio flat

Married : Yes No

Other agent :

Grade:

Official :

Contractual agent :

Temporary agent :

Total number of dependent children : (according to Staff Regulations)

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Notes on part 2: DWELLING RELATED REGULAR BILLS

This section concerns your main regular bills such as telephone, electricity, etc. We

will estimate the average annual amounts of these bills; therefore you are asked to

record the usual, or average, amount which you currently pay, together with the

frequency.

Please make sure you note the frequency (e.g. M = monthly), otherwise it will not be

possible to calculate the annual figure.

W = weekly

M = monthly

FREQUENCY B = bi-monthly

Q = quarterly

Y = yearly

(other frequency to be mentioned in the box)

Regular bills should relate to your dwelling(s) in your country of residence.

If you own a dwelling for investment purposes in your country of residence (i.e.

if usually rented out), related costs should not be recorded in this survey.

If you own or rent a second home outside your country of residence please do

not record related expenditure.

If you cannot find an item of your expenditure in the boxes provided, or if in

your country of residence there exists any other regular expenditure not

mentioned, please mark them in box 10 (OTHER REGULAR BILLS).

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Part 2 -

Amount Frequency

(normal or average)

1 Charges for dwelling(s) (including refuse and sewerage collection)

2 Water supply (if not included in charges for dwelling)

3 Electricity

4 Gas (town and natural gas, including meter charges)

5 Solid and liquid fuel for domestic heating

and other types of heating energy

6 Garage (for main residence use)

Telephone fixe/mobile and internet bills

(excluding purchase of equipment)

8 TV taxes and subscription fees for cable/satellite TV

9 Local and housing taxes

OTHER REGULAR BILLS (please specify)

10

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DWELLING RELATED REGULAR BILLS (in your country of residence)

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Notes on part 3: DAILY EXPENSES OF THE HOUSEHOLD

In this section you are asked to record day by day during 2 weeks (including week

ends), your own expenditure as well as the expenditure of the other members of your

household on food and food-related items such as restaurants and canteens. You

have a separate row for each of the 14 consecutive days.

Please complete each day's expenditure at the end of the day by recording the total

expenditure in each relevant box.

The box “restaurants, cafes, bars, take-away” refers to the expenditure on food,

beverages, ice creams, etc. made in any of these places, or when delivered to your

home/office.

The purpose of the survey is to estimate average annual expenditure of households

in your country of residence. For this reason,

If you are absent from your country of residence during the 2-week period, the

remaining members of your household should continue to record any expenditure in

your country of residence. Any private expenditure in another country should not be

recorded.

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(over 14 consecutive days, and including week ends)

Food Non-alcoholic

beverages

Alcoholic

beverages

Tobacco Canteens

(soft drinks,

mineral water, etc.)

beer,

spirits,

(cigarettes

cigars,

(at

and

1 1 1 1 1 1

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

Restaurants, cafes, bars,

take-away

Part 3 - DAILY EXPENSES OF THE HOUSEHOLD

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Notes on part 4: YEARLY OR AVERAGE MONTHLY EXPENSES

The consumption pattern will be calculated on the basis of annual expenditure.

Therefore, in this section you are requested to record the expenditure of the

household in your country of residence preferably the total amount for the last

12 months. However, in case of small or frequent expenditures (e.g. newspapers,

flowers, cinema ticket), if you find it easier, you may note your usual expenses for

an average month of that period.

Cars

We are looking for the net expenditure on vehicles. Thus, if you have purchased cars

(new or second-hand) during the last 5 years:

record in box 25a the actual price you paid for all cars during that period

(exclude loan interests if you bought any vehicle on credit), and

record in box 25b the sale price of the car(s) you sold during the same period.

Holidays

Record only the expenditure actually made in your country of residence. For

example, air tickets purchased in your country of residence should be recorded in

box 21 (planes) and a package holiday purchased at travel agencies within your

country of residence should be recorded in full in box 69 (package holidays). But a

hotel bill paid in a foreign country should not be recorded.

Purchases via Internet All purchases made via Internet are considered as expenses made in your country of

residence, provided the purchased good is delivered to your country of residence.

If you cannot find an item of your expenditure in one of the boxes provided,

mark it in box 84 (OTHER EXPENSES).

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Part 4 - YEARLY OR AVERAGE MONTHLY EXPENSES

PUBLIC TRANSPORT (excluding reimbursed, official travel)

17 Local public transport (metro, bus, tram, local train)

18 Taxi

19 Trains (excluding local )

20 Coaches

21 Planes

22 Ferries

Combined Passenger transport (by two or more modes of transport e.g. "fly and drive", etc.)

Other purchased transport services ( cable car, removal and storage services, left luggage, etc.)

CARS (purchased during the last 5 years)

25a Price paid for all cars purchased

25b Sale price in case you sold cars during the same period

OTHER EXPENSES ON PRIVATE TRANSPORT

26 Motorcycles, scooters and bicycles

27 Tyres, spare parts, accessories and articles for cleaning

28 Fuel

29 Maintenance and repair of personal transport equipment

30 Hire of vehicles, driving school, tolls and public parking

INDIVIDUAL EXPENDITURE FOR MAIN (AND OTHER )

DWELLING(S) IN YOUR COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE

31 Major transformations

32 Products and services for minor repairs and maintenance

33 Home alarm (Installation, maintenance and surveillance fees)

expenditure

average month

expenditure

last 12 months expenditure

average month

total amount during the

last 5 years

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23

OR

OR expenditure

last 12 months

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Part 4 - YEARLY OR AVERAGE MONTHLY EXPENSES

FURNITURE AND OTHER HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS

34 Furniture and furnishings (beds, tables, lighting equipment, pictures, etc.)

35 Carpets and other floor covering

36 Household textiles (curtain material, pillows, futons, blankets, towels, etc.)

37 Glassware, tableware, household utensils

38 Non-durable household products (detergents, cleaning products, etc.)

expenditure in

last 12 months

expenditure in

average month OR

41 Audiovisual equipment (tv, CD player, radio, video recorder, DVD player, etc.)

Photographic and cinematographic equipment

(still cameras, camcorders, film projectors, etc.)

43 Information processing equipment (computer, printer, typewriter, etc. )

44 Telephones, answering and fax machines

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LEISURE - SPORTS - RECREATION - CULTURE

45 Cinema, theatre, concerts, dancing, museum, zoo

Recreation and sporting services

(sport clubs, sport events, sport and dance lessons, etc.)

47 Recording media (DVD, CD, video-cassettes, CD-roms, diskettes, films)

Photographic services

(film development, enlarging, wedding photography, etc.)

49 Musical instruments

Durable goods for indoor and outdoor recreation

(camper vans, boats, horses & related equipment, ping-pong tables, etc.)

Equipment for sport, camping and open-air recreation

(balls, nets, rackets, skis, fishing rods, tents, sleeping bags, etc.)

Tools and equipment for house and garden (electric drills, shovels , door fittings, small electric accessories,

53 Toys, games

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46

48

50

51

40 Small electric household appliances (coffee mills, fans, kettles, etc.)

39 Major household appliances including heating/cooling appliances

(refrigerators, washing machines, space heaters, water boiler, etc.)

ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES AND ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT

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- Part 4 - YEARLY OR AVERAGE MONTHLY EXPENSES

54 Gardens, flowers, plants

55 Pets, pet food and related products and services

CLOTHING AND FOOTWEAR

59 Clothing accessories (gloves, ties, scarves, hats, belts, etc.)

60 Footwear for men, women and children

expenditure in last 12 months

expenditure in average month OR

56 Men's clothing

57 Women's clothing

58 Boy's and girl's clothing (including baby wear)

PERSONAL CARE AND MISCELLANEOUS GOODS

61 Hairdressing, beauty care for men and women (solarium, sauna, etc.)

64 Jewellery, clocks and watches

65 Travel Goods (suitcases, handbags, travel goods, push-chairs, etc.)

62 Electric appliances (electric razors, hairdryers, etc.)

63 Cosmetics, other goods for personal care (perfumes, shampoo, etc.)

BOOKS- NEWSPAPERS - MAGAZINES

66 Books

67 Newspapers, magazines and periodicals

68 Miscellaneous printed matter and stationery

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31 MAY 2005Part 4 - YEARLY OR AVERAGE MONTHLY EXPENSES

HOLIDAY SERVICES

69 Package holidays

70 Hotels, motels, camping

DOMESTIC SERVICES - DRY CLEANING

71 Domestic services (cleaner, gardener, baby-sitter, etc.)

72 Dry cleaning and laundry of clothing

expenditure in

last 12 months

expenditure in

average month OR

INSURANCE AND OTHER SERVICES

78 Car insurance

79 House/ flat insurance

80 Health and accident insurance (complementary to basic medical insurance)

81 Postal services, stamps, parcels

82 Financial services (bank charges, money transfer fees, etc.)

83 Other services (expenditure on passports, fees for legal services, etc.)

OTHER EXPENSES (please specify)

84

REPAIRS

73 Repair of furniture, furnishings and carpets

74 Repair of household appliances and electronic equipment

75 Maintenance/repair of musical instruments and recreation durables

76 Repair of footwear

77 Repair of clothing

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Notes on part 5: EDUCATION AND HEALTH

This section concerns your expenditures and reimbursements for education and

health in the 12 last months. Please input your expenditures in the first column, and

your reimbursements in the second column.

EDUCATION

85 Educational fees (in your country of employment)

86 Creche, playschool, kindergarten

87 Music and language courses

HEALTH EXPENSES

Medical, dental and paramedical services (hospital and out-patient) 88

89 Prescription and non-prescription drugs and vitamins

90 Therapeutic appliances and equipment, other medical supplies

Part 5 – EDUCATION AND HEALTH

last 12 months

expenditure in last 12 months

reimbursement in

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COMMENTS

Please use this space to record your own comments. Any additional information or

comments on the questionnaire or its contents, as well as your comments on general

availability and other aspects of shopping at the duty station, will be helpful.

Thank you for your participation, and please send the completed questionnaire to the

address mentioned at the back page.

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For any further information, please contact:

Eurostat

Telephone: (+352) 4301 35108 Email: estat-c3-fbs@ec.europa.eu

Address:

European Commission Eurostat/Unit C3 BECH A2/033 L-2920 LUXEMBOURG