FACS frequently asked questions

What is the main objective of FACS?

How often are people interviewed for the survey and who is interviewed?

What formats are the data available in?

What is the most detailed regional level for analysis of the data?

Before I order, how do I find out what questions/variables are included?

When are future waves/sweeps likely to be made available?

What is the main objective of FACS?

The main objectives of the survey are to:

• evaluate the effectiveness of the Government's work incentive measures in terms of helping people into work, improving living standards and improving child outcomes
• compare the living standards and outcomes for children and for families across the income distribution
• compare changes in the above across the waves since 1999

FACS also aims to provide commentary on longer-term objectives such as the Government's Public Service Agreement to eradicate child poverty within a generation.

How often are people interviewed for the survey and who is interviewed?

FACS was formerly known as the Survey of Low Income Families (SOLIF) and originally provided a baseline survey of Britain's lone-parent families and low-income couples with dependent children. It has become a 'true panel', whereby 1999 respondents have been re-interviewed in subsequent waves in 2000, 2001 and 2002, and new families added in each of these years to allow representative cross-section as well as longitudinal comparisons. From Wave 3 (2001) onwards, the survey was extended to include higher income families, thereby yielding a complete sample of all British families.

Interviews continue to be conducted annually.

What formats are the data available in?

The data are available in SPSS, Stata, SAS and ASCII tab-delimited formats.

What is the most detailed regional level I can analyse the data at?

For information on the availability of geographical variables for each of the major ESDS Longitudinal studies, see the Database of geography variables.

Before I order, how do I find out what questions/variables are included?

Variable lists and PDF user guides (including questionnaires) are freely available via Families and Children Study.

When are future waves/sweeps likely to be made available?

Waves 8 and 9 of the study are likely to be deposited with us in Summer 2010.