Guyana, 1975 (WFS)

The following description of this survey appeared in the 1991 edition of Dynamic Database: A Catalogue of Survey Data Files, Voorburg: International Statistical Institute.

Basic Information

• Name of survey: Guyana Fertility Survey
• Executive agency: Statistical Bureau, Ministry of Economic Planning and Finance
• Date of fieldwork: 1975
• Universe: All women, 15-49, (except full time school girls aged 15-19)
• Coverage: National, 92%
• Size: 4642
• Weights: Self-weighting
• Contents: WFS Core Mark 1 + fertility regulation module and detailed union data
• Supplementary surveys: Household (n = 4666 households)

Additional Information

Household and individual surveys were conducted in an integrated field operation by female interviewer, mainly public health nurses, working part-time rather than in a full-time team.

Data from the household survey were aggregated: sex of household head; number of males/females aged 0-14, 15-49, 50+ years; and number of males/females attending school. Household possessions were also ascertained. No information on individual household members is available.

In common with most other WFS surveys in the Caribbean, the union (marriage) history in the individual questionnaire was expanded to include non-cohabiting relationships. A history of sexual partnership was taken with allowance for more than one type of union or relationship (visiting, common law, marriage) with the same partner. A special code for each union/relationship denotes whether a new or the previous partner is involved. The total number of partners is recorded but, unlike the Jamaican WFS SR file, a separate dated history of partnerships is not available. The SR file contains a complete non-live birth history.

Release Conditions

Data may be used for academic research, provided that credit is given in any publication resulting from the research to the agency that conducted the survey and that two copies of any publication are sent to:

Public Use Files

Available files include the household data, and the individual standard recode data and dictionary, in the original WFS format. In addition, the individual standard recode data and dictionary dictionary are available in ISSA format. The table below lists the file names and descriptions.

Note: There is no codebook for the Guyana household raw data file. The OPR library contains a copy of the questionnaire used for the household survey, but it is of little use in deciphering the household raw data file.

Key References

1. Ministry of Economic Development, Guyana Fertility Survey 1975: Country Report, Georgetown, 1979. Vol.1 & Vol.2

2. Balkaran, S.B., Evaluation of the Guyana Fertility Survey 1975, WFS Scientific Reports no 26, 1982.