Diary

Types of Diaries

Time-use diaries usually have shorter reference periods than expenditure diaries. The most common methodology is a diary where the respondent accounts [Page 198]for all his or her activities in a period of 24 hours. If different respondents get assigned different days, the data are used to construct a synthetic week using data from other respondents with similar characteristics. Sometimes, respondents are asked to record their activities at random times during the day when they are signaled by an electronic device. In other time-use surveys, the diary is used as a recall aid for in-person or phone interviews. Time-use researchers have often found that when people are asked about what they spend time on, they often overestimate or underestimate time spent relative to what they actually record in diaries.

Travel surveys use diaries to record trips. Some examples are the 2001 National Household Travel Survey, which recorded information about one travel day, and the 1995 American Travel Survey, which was a 3-month travel survey structured in the form of a calendar. Media exposure diaries are used by companies in the United States like Nielsen and Arbitron to measure the size and composition of the television and radio audiences, respectively, in specific geographic media markets. The Nielsen TV Diary covers television tuning and viewing for all household members in their home for a 7-day week, while the Arbitron radio diary is for one person and covers radio listening anywhere it may take place during a 7-day week.

Diaries are also widely used in health, mental health, and by researchers in various areas of psychology. Diary studies have been used to investigate symptoms, medications, pain levels, substance use, unsafe sexual practices, depression, anxiety, addictions, use of health services, and many other medical issues.

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