The Indonesian Family Life Survey

This report describes the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS); presents some of the findings suggested by descriptive analyses of the survey's population, health, and education data; highlights important policy issues the findings shed light upon; and suggests areas where more rigorous, multivariate analyses are needed. Conducted in 1993 and 1994 by RAND, in conjunction with Lembaga Demografi at the University of Indonesia, the IFLS consists of a national household survey and matched community survey. The household survey contains 13 provinces comprising about 83 percent of the Indonesian population. The community survey contains data on the availability, prices, and quality of health, family planning, and school facilities in the household respondents' immediate communities. Several features of the IFLS make it unique among surveys in Indonesia as well as many other developing countries. First, it is a multipurpose survey, collecting a broad array of detailed demographic, health, education, and economic information on individuals, households, and communities. Second, the IFLS contains information on individuals of all ages, including current as well as retrospective data. Third, the matched household and community surveys enable researchers to integrate individual, household, and community data, so they can better understand how surrounding conditions influence family behavior and can more readily assess the effects of existing and potential public policies and programs.