Does ATUS-X add value to the data?
The ATUS data files released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics are complex and considerable programming effort may be required to create even relatively simple time use variables. The ATUS-X data access system makes it easy for users to create the time use variables they want, thus making the data more accessible to a broader audience. The system aggregates time spent in user-specified combinations of activities and applies any requested filters behind the scenes and delivers this information to users in the form of a time use variable.
The ATUS-X data access system adds further value by integrating the ATUS-X data over time, in the sense that uniform codes have been assigned to variables. All codes are fully documented and variable documentation has been compiled in a convenient hyperlinked web format.