The HILDA Survey: a case study in the design and development of a successful household panel study

Abstract

The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey is one of only a small number of well-established, large, nationally-representative household panel studies conducted in the world. With annual data collection commencing in 2001 there are now over 10 years of unit record data available to researchers, with the promise of many more to come. While the design of the HILDA Survey owes much to other older household panel studies conducted elsewhere, it has a number of features which make it relatively unique. This paper provides a brief history of the HILDA Survey’s progress to date, focusing first on its origins, design, content and data collection processes, before reviewing its achievements with respect to survey response and usage.