Search the IPUMS-International Website Provide Feedback to IPUMS-International Look at IPUMS-International Sample Documentation Information Data Retrieval and Generation Options Return to IPUMS-International Home Page

GQ
Group quarters status

Availability
Colombia: 1964, 1973, 1985, 1993
France: 1962, 1968, 1975, 1982, 1990
Kenya: 1989, 1999
Mexico: 1960, 1970, 1990, 2000
United States: 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990
Vietnam: 1989, 1999

Universe
All households.



Description
GQ identifies households as vacant dwellings, group quarters, or private households. Group quarters are generally institutions and other group living arrangements such as rooming houses and military barracks. Some of the information available for households is not available for group quarters and vacant units.

Comparability - General
Many samples contain only private households. Others indicate group quarters status, but the concept may be ill-defined. Some samples do not give any clear way of identifying residents of group quarters.

The second digit of GQ distinguishes institutions from other types of group quarters for select samples. See the "codes" link above.

The variable NUMUNREL counts the number of persons unrelated to the household head in each household. It can be used to impose a consistent definition of group quarters across samples.

Comparability - Colombia
The current IPUMS-International samples for Colombia 1973-1993 contain only ordinary households, not group quarters. Vacant dwellings are included in 1985 and 1993. Group quarters status is not known for the 1964 data, which samples individuals rather than households. The indigenous population is excluded from all datasets.

Comparability - France
The French samples consistently distinguish between "ordinary households" and group quarters, which include persons in institutions, members of the armed forces, and persons enumerated away from their households.

Comparability - Kenya
The 1989 sample identifies persons who received the short questionnaire (travelers and some persons living in group quarters). The 1999 sample identifies persons living in institutions, but it does not currently include other people in group quarters/special populations (including travelers and persons in hotels), who received a different questionnaire.

Comparability - Mexico
There is no indication of group quarters status in 1960. "Collective" households are identified in 1970, but there is no indication of their type. The 1990 and 2000 samples include only private households.

Comparability - United States
There are two slightly different definitions of group quarters in the U.S. samples. For 1960-1970, group quarters are units with five or more individuals unrelated to the householder. For 1980-1990, units with ten or more persons unrelated to the householder are considered group quarters.

Comparability - Vietnam
The 1989 sample distinguishes between private and collective households. There is no information available on group quarters status in the 1999 sample.