Glossary of terms

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Diary day (reference day)

A diary day corresponds to a continuous 24-hour period beginning at 4:00 a.m. and for which respondents have reported their activities.

Primary activities

A primary activity is the main activity a respondent was doing at a given time. Data on primary activities were collected from 4:00 a.m. to the same time the following day, thus the time declared by each respondent represents 24 hours.

Simultaneous activities

These are activities that are performed at the same time as the primary activity. Respondents could report up to three simultaneous activities and the time dedicated to each one. The question on simultaneous activities was not asked in the case of certain primary activities, such as personal care, education, paid work or religious observance.

Average time

Average activity times are calculated for a 24-hour day over a 7-day week. In the case of paid work, which is normally considered over a 5-day period, a simple conversion translates activities to a 5-day average. It is simply a matter of multiplying the daily average by seven to obtain the weekly total, then dividing that by five to find the 5-day average.

Average time spent on the activities

Average (in hours and minutes) obtained when the estimated total daily time spent on the activity is divided by the total number of persons in the target population.

Average time spent per participant

Average (in hours and minutes) obtained when the estimated total daily time spent on the activity is divided by the number of persons who reported that activity.

Paid work and related activities

This includes all the functions associated with paid work, including commuting to and from work as well as other related activities, such as looking for work.

Unpaid work

These non-labour market activities include housework and related activities (including shopping and child care) as well as social support, community activities and volunteering.

Personal care

This includes three primary activities: sleep (night-time or essential), meals (aside from meals or snacks in restaurants or with persons who are not members of the household) and other personal care (washing, dressing, resting or napping).

Free time or leisure

This includes the rest of the 24-hour day, the time that is not dedicated to paid or unpaid work, education or personal care. The use of free time is at the discretion of the individual. Leisure activities fall into three categories: social activities (at home, at a restaurant, in a bar, etc.), passive leisure (primarily at home: watching television, reading, listening to music) and active leisure (primarily away from home: attending or participating in recreational or sports activities).

Employment status

Part-time work includes persons who usually worked less than 30 hours per week.

Full-time work includes persons who usually worked 30 hours or more per week.