The use of time by people in different circumstances in rural areas is potentially of great policy importance since the additional time taken to access services etc. determines how people and families organise their lives and the extent to which they can participate in social and economic activities.
The UK Time Use Survey 2000 marks an important step forward in the development of knowledge on individual and household behaviour from different backgrounds and in different settings. However, the size of the sample from rural areas (the survey was undertaken some time before the new rural_urban definition was available), means it is difficult to draw firm conclusions about time use patterns in rural as opposed to urban areas or between different types of rural area.
In this study we will explore the potential for undertaking a time use survey that will be methodologically valid for rural policy purposes. This will involve assessing the extent to which the existing survey might be used for this purpose (and possibly implementing a 'secondary analysis' of such data), assessing whether there is wider governmental and other support for such a survey and the likely costs.