The General Household Survey (GHS) is a multi-purpose continuous survey carried out by the Social Survey Division of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which collects information on a range of topics from people living in private households in Great Britain. The survey started in 1971 and has been carried out continuously since then, except for breaks in 1997/98 (when the survey was reviewed) and 1999/2000 when the survey was re-developed.

From April 2000, the survey consists of two elements: the Continuous Survey and trailers. The Continuous Survey is to remain unchanged for the five-year period April 2000-March 2005, apart from essential changes to take account of, for example, changes in benefits. It consists of a household questionnaire, to be answered by the Household Reference Person (see Appendix A) or spouse, and an individual questionnaire to be completed by all adults aged 16 and over resident in the household. The household questionnaire covers the following topics:

• demographic information about household members
• household and family information
• housing tenure
• consumer durables including vehicle ownership
• migration.

The individual questionnaire includes sections on:

• employment
• pensions
• education
• health and use of health services
• smoking
• drinking in the last seven days
• family information including marriage, cohabitation and fertility history
• income.