The American Time Use Survey (ATUS), sponsored by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and conducted by the United States Census Bureau (USCB), is a time-use survey which provides measures of the amounts of time people spend on various activities, including working, leisure, childcare, and household activities.
Of the eligible households, those representing a range of demographic characteristics are selected to participate in the survey.
[5] The ATUS sometimes includes special questions, called modules, at the end of the interview.
[7][8][9] ATUS data are used by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) to account for the value of household production,[10] the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) in their Passenger Travel: Facts and Figures report,[11] and the Economic Research Service (ERS) to examine how time use patterns of eating affect health.
[12] ATUS data have also been used to help research worker productivity, social isolation, and how working parents balance the activities in their lives.