Survey of 9,000 Abu Dhabi households sheds light on demographics of capital’s population

The Household Income and Expenditure Survey aims to to help government planning and to improve living standards.

ABU DHABI // Researchers will monitor 9,000 households for a year in a detailed study of family incomes, expenditure and living standards.

The information will be used to identify patterns, calculate disposable household income, reveal the breakdown of spending between each individual in the home and identify factors affecting spending such as income, education, occupation and nationality.

"This is intended to support the decision-makers in developments, provide data to the Government and raise living standards of individuals and families," said Abu Baker Al Amoudi, executive director of the Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi, which is carrying out the Household Income and Expenditure Survey.

“It also aims to know the living styles of different categories of Abu Dhabi society and their spending habits.”

The survey will monitor 2,500 Emirati families in the capital, 2,700 in Al Ain and 500 in Al Gharbia, and 1,200 expatriate families in Abu Dhabi, 400 in Al Gharbia and 700 at random.

“It’s a very scientific data-collection survey about income, expenditure and consumption,” said Bader Al Hamdani, the centre’s business surveys manager.

The centre has already deployed 400 field staff to conduct the survey from Sundays to Thursdays between 4pm and 9pm until September 30, 2014. After that, it will take six months to collate and analyse the data before it can be used.

“The information will be kept highly confidential. They will have very confidential files for every family,” said Dr Mohammed Rashed Al Dhaheri, the director of field surveys at the centre.

“All surveyors have been trained to work together and informed about the safety and security procedures in the field.”

Mr Al Amoudi said the survey would also help to determine families’ average food budget.

“We will know what the requirements are for commodities and goods for families so that we will be able to predict the things we need in future.

“All these targets will be supported by this modern data, which will help to create policies.”

Jasim Al Qubaisi, the centre’s director of methodology, analysis and quality assurance, said: “I ask that all residents help to make this survey successful and to achieve the end goal.”

This is Abu Dhabi’s third Household Income and Expenditure Survey but the first to be conducted by the centre.