Tuesday 26 March 2019
The survey has been completed by over 900 households since it began in May 2018 and will close at the end of April.
The aim is to get at least 1,000 households to take part in total so at least 100 more households are needed in the last month.
Helen Walton, Head of Data & Analysis said,
"During the last month of the survey, the fieldworkers will continue to visit randomly selected addresses and help people to complete the survey, but people can still volunteer to take part too via www.gov.gg/volunteer4hes or 717188.
Its your last chance to get involved and help ensure the results represent your experiences of the cost of living in Guernsey. No two households are the same and it is that variety that gives the full picture, so please don't feel that you can't take part because you are not a typical or average household. It's the job of the Data & Analysis team to work out the averages from the wide range or responses that we get from you.
We are aware that not everyone enjoys a good survey as much as we do, so there are incentives to help encourage people to find the time or motivation needed to take part. Your reward for completing the survey is a choice between a £25 restaurant voucher or a ticket for the prize draw. The final prize draw will take place on 31st May and there are six prizes: £500, £250, £100 plus three £50 prizes."
A fieldworker will guide householders through the main questionnaire and will input their information on regular payments and large purchases. Householders are then asked to record their expenditure on groceries and other purchases over a fortnight. The responses are anonymised.
The results of the survey are used to update Retail Prices Index (RPI) basket. Changes in the RPI are used to inform tax allowances, social security benefit rates, pension payments, wage negotiations, rental price reviews and maintenance payments, so are relevant to many Islanders. The survey runs over a full 12 months to capture seasonal changes in expenditure.
The survey team is always on hand to respond to enquiries by email hes@gov.gg or by phone on 01481 717188. To find out more or to volunteer to take part (at any time until the end of April 2019) visit www.gov.gg/hes.
The results of the last survey are published here www.gov.gg/household. See www.gov.gg/rpi for the latest RPI figures.
