Cash draw due tomorrow

Monday 29 January 2024

Just 10% of people approached have agreed to take part in the spending surveys which help determine the cost of living in Guernsey.

The Household Expenditure Survey is used by statisticians employed by the States to work out how much we all spend on certain essential and luxury items. That data can then be used to develop States policies including decisions like how much should be brought in through taxes and other revenue raising measures and how much should be paid out in benefits.

Those taking part in the surveys are entered into a cash prize draw to encourage people to sign up and to thank them for contributing. 

The first quarterly cash prize draw for the current cohort of households taking part in the survey will be drawn tomorrow,  Tuesday 30 January, with one lucky winner due to receive the top prize of £150.

A runner up will win £100 with a third prize of £50 also given out.

There will be a further three cash prize draws this year on 30 July, April and October with anyone signing up HERE entered in to those.

Pictured: The survey helps determine the cost of living and helps the States monitor the amount we spend on average on shopping for essential and luxury items, which in turn can help policy makers make decisions.

So far 760 letters have been issued, inviting randomly selected households to take part in the Household Expenditure Survey, and 550 of them were either visited by States employed fieldworkers or have made contact with the office.

However, only 10% of them have agreed to take part in the survey so far.

An additional 83 households have volunteered to take part and 33 of them have completed the survey.

Data already gleaned from the survey responses show that the oldest person taking part is 87 with the youngest 'main shopper' to date being 21.

It's hoped that as wide a range of people will take part in the survey as possible to ensure that all members of the community are represented.

The survey itself asks questions about what we buy, how often and where from. 

A fieldworkers will visit everyone who enrols on the survey to complete a questionnaire, before household members are asked to keep a record of everything they buy in shops or online over the following two weeks.

Further information about the survey can be found HERE.