Definition: Initial household

EU-SILC

Sample household from wave x is said to have been “split“ if its sample persons from wave x reside at the time of wave x+1 in more than one private household within the national territories included in the target population.

When a split has occurred, one (and only one) of the resulting households shall be defined as the “initial” household, while one or more of the others are termed �split-off” households.

The following approach shall be used in order to distinguish between �initial” and “split-off” households: 

- if any sample person of the wave x still lives at the same address as the last wave, then his/her household shall be defined as the “initial” household. All sample persons who have moved shall form one or more “split-off” households,

- if no sample person lives at the address of the last wave, then the household of the sample person who had the lowest person number in the register for the last wave shall be the initial household. Where this person is no longer alive or in a private household within the national territory of the target population, the initial household shall be the household of the sample person with the lowest person number.