Approximately every ten years, the statistical offices of the Federation and the Länder carry out a survey of the time use of the population, with the latest conducted in 2022. It is a voluntary survey among households, who keep a diary of how they use their time on three days. All participating household members aged ten years and over record their time use on three specific days by noting down all activities during the full 24-hour period, ranging from work or school, hobbies, media use and travel times to shopping, child care and voluntary work.
The time use survey is the only source of official information on the amount of care work. Data from the TUS are used, for example, to calculate the "Gender Care Gap", which is incorporated into the Gender Equality Report of the Federal Government. The survey also provides information on the time spent on education, leisure activities and media consumption. The survey data therefore offer a comprehensive picture of the average time use of various population groups.
