Abu Dhabi, March 17th, 2007 (WAM) - In compliance with the directionsof General Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Princeof Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Chairmanof the Executive Council, Abu Dhabi Department of Planning andEconomy is conducting a comprehensive survey to provide a consolidateddata base with the aim of drawing sound programmes and plansfor economic and social development of society through this currentongoing survey of Family budget.

The survey is aiming to reach statistics that clearly defineand outline the patterns of consumption expenditure and the relativeimportance of its items, the cost of living, housing conditions,average family and individual income, average spending and consumptionof the family and individual, expenditure elasticity and weighingused in calculating standard consumer prices in addition to thenumerous data provided by the survey about the family demographic,economic and social characteristics.

Butti Ahmad Al Qubaisi, Asst. Undersecretary of DPE Saidthat the issue of consumption expenditure of the family is consideredone of the important surveys as it is one of the most difficultsurvey researches from the aspect of think-tank process, preparationand the automated processing of data. It requires tremendoussustainable efforts for a period that may extend to more thantwo years spent in preparation, arrangement and execution plusextracting the results derived from it and publishing them. Itis also one of the financially costly researches. The data itprovides is considered one of the most vitally important.

Al Qubaisi also mentioned that the survey aims at identifyingthe patterns of consumption expenditure in the society and theinfluence of demographic, social and economic factors on that,beside providing the weighings that show the relative importanceof the various items of consumption expenditure and using thatin preparing the standard consumer prices.

He also added that the survey aims at calculating the averageincome and expenditure of the individual and family on the differentitems of expenditure from the various sources and link that withthe influencing factors such as educational standard, profession,economic activity and so forth, and assessing the current volumeof demand on commodities and services in order to assist in predictingfuture needs of the population regarding commodities and services.

He pointed out that family survey shall be done also on computingexpenditure elasticity on various items of expenditure and providingthe data necessary for the National Accounts pertaining to thefinal gross consumption of the family sector and measuring averagewages and the effect of that on the consumption expenditure inaddition to providing the data that helps in measuring the standardof nutrition and factors influencing that.

He also said that the family budget survey will be conductedby the Specimen Method as the Department has already sought assistanceof an expert specialized in the Specimen Method in cooperationwith UNDP and the Arab equivalent to draw a main specimenfor social and demographic surveys from the family frameworkthat has been provided by the 2005 population census.

Al Qubaisi added that the size of the specimen of the familybudget survey was estimated at bout (5040) families of which(1741) were national families, (2399) non-national families and(900) group families in such a way as to cover all the zonesof the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi City, suburban Abu Dhabi,Al Ain and suburbs, the Western Zone and the Islands).

He stated that the Preparation Phase of the Survey is a fivemonths period, started last November and will end by 31 thisMarch,, during which the main survey questionnaire has been accomplishedplus the training manual, the guide for using P.D.A, guides forcodes, field and office review rules, validation rules, publishingschedules and discussing that with computer specialists, alsopreparing programmes of using P.D.A., transfer of data programmes,review, verification and extracting final results in additionto selection of staff and female researchers and training themtheoretically and practically on methods of data collection fromfamilies.

He added that the preparation phase finished choosing the specimen,acquaintance with its families and preparing maps of the workzones and allocating those zones to staff, preparing a mediaprogramme to inform about the survey and induce the familiesto cooperate with the researchers, plus preparing the printedmaterial, equipment and requirements of the research / survey,and distributing them to the different work zones, beside conductinga test run to the questionnaire to check its viability in collectingdata and identifying the field problems facing the researchersand, hence, solve or avoid them, and also estimate the time neededfor each interview more accurately plus choosing and refurbishingthe work premises.

Butti Ahmad Al Qubaisi disclosed that the second phase willtake a full year starting first April and ending 31 March 2008,indicating that this phase will involve collection of detaileddata about characteristics of families, annual income, dailyexpenditure for a whole year by using P.D.A. Data about the familiesof the specimen will be collected in all the months of the yearaccording to the sequence of data collection followed in thesurvey with consideration to coding the nationality, education,profession and the activity, then reviewing the data about dailyand monthly expenditure of the families researched as well asdata of the annual income.

He added that this phase will also include downloading of datafrom P.D.A. to the Computer and correcting mistakes and preparingthe final results for each month and each period of the research/ survey.

As regards to the Third and final Phase of Surveying the familybudget in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi Automated Preparation of dataand extracting the final results of survey, Butti AhmadAl-Qubaisi mentioned that it will take three months startingfirst April 2008 and ending 30 June of the same year, duringwhich the income and expenditure data for the last month of Surveywill be reviewed and downloaded into the main questionnaire form,coded and the data fed into the computer, in addition to checkingits lists and extracting the final results of the last monthand period and, hence, extracting the final survey results atthe level of the year of survey, review of the final results,assessing that and examining them by experts specialized in thisfield and prepare the final report and submit it to the authoritiesconcerned.