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Description

RELATE describes an individual's relationship to the head of household. This variable is largely compatible with the IPUMS variable RELATE, though some changes have been made.

The relationship codes are divided into two categories-relatives (codes 1- 10) and non-relatives (codes 11-12). The codes for relatives are self- explanatory. The non-relative codes are divided into three groups: "Partner, friend, visitor", roughly described as persons who do not pay or work for their accommodations (unless they share ownership); "Other non-relatives", including those persons paying or working for accommodations; and "Institutional inmates".

Comparability

The general code (two digits) is comparable across all countries. Detail codes in the third and fourth digits preserve detail not available in all countries. Differences between countries in the detail codes are discussed below.

Canada
The Canadian censuses of 1852, 1871, and 1881 did not enumerate relationship to the head of household. Future releases of NAPP censuses will include an imputed relationship to head of household variable for Canadian households. This variable will be equivalent to IMPREL for the 1850-1870 censuses in the IPUMS.

Great Britain
British relationships have been recoded from a separate variable (GB81A413, GB81B431, and GB51A412). The British census did not distinguish between fostered and adopted children. These groups are combined in a new code 0305. In all other countries adopted children receive the code 0304, and foster children the code 0306.

In addition, the NAPP codes for RELATE preserve separate codes for step aunts/uncles, great aunts/uncles, adopted nephews and nieces, grand-step nephews/nieces, grand nephew/niece in law, and distinctions between first and second cousins. These categories are not available for other countries.

We have added the following codes to preserve detail available in Britain, but not elsewhere:

• 0503 : Adoptive parents 1023 : Step aunt or uncle 1024 : Great aunt or uncle 1035 : Step nephew/niece 1036 : Adopted nephew/niece 1037 : Grand step nephew/niece 1038 : Grand nephew/niece in law 1043 : First cousin 1044 : Second cousin 1302 : Families of institutional inmates 1303 : Foundlings/orphans

Norway
Warning: Users should note that household relationships and the markings of new households are independent fields on the Norwegian censuses. The first person in a Norwegian household does not necessarily have a code for household head (RELATE code 0101). Users who wish to construct household level statistics should select the first person in each household by using PERNUM and selecting the person with PERNUM = 1. Norway 1865 has a lot of missing relationships.

Households are defined as people eating together, and these household breaks are maintained in the data. However, not all people who are in position 1 in a household were recorded as household heads. In particular, people who ate separately but resided in the same structure are likely to have been recorded as living in separate households, while not being designated as a household head.

RELATE retains two codes specific to Norway, 0603 for retired people receiving special benefits from farms - a group known to be mostly parents, and 1208, for paupers living with others at the expense of the municipality.

The 1801 census contained the category "inderster", identifying individuals who are lodging in the household but who also maintain their own residence. We have coded these persons as "visitors". Many are related to the household head. In addition, the census does not distinguish between spouses of these visitors and spouses of lodgers, but most appear to be the spouse of visitors and are also included in this category. Children of visitors and lodgers are also included with visitors.

United States
RELATE is not available for 1850-1870, but IMPREL produces similar results. As a convenience, the extract system is set up so that users may include RELATE in extracts of the 1850-1870 samples. In those years, RELATE contains the information that is documented in the IMPREL variable description. Beginning in 1880, data on household relationship was asked of every person. The general relationship code is reasonably comparable across years. The detailed code makes distinctions that cannot be made in all years.

RELATE preserves all codes from IPUMS. The code for foster children has been moved from 1206 to 0306, and the code for concubines and mistresses has been moved from 1130 to 0203. Neither of these groups is particularly large as can be seen from the RELATE codes and frequencies.

Researchers should be aware that the LDS transcription of the United States census of 1880 did not preserve non-familial relationships between household members. Thus, information about specific categories of non-relatives is not consistently available in the complete-count 1880 census.

The general relationship codes (the first two digits of the code) are representative of the population, and may be used to generate accurate population statistics.

The detailed relationship codes (all four digits) are representative of the population for familial relationships.

Universe

Availability

• Canada: 1891, 1901
• Great Britain: 1851, 1881, 1881
• Iceland: 1801, 1901
• Norway: 1801, 1865, 1875, 1900
• Sweden: 1900
• United States: 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1880, 1900, 1910