Using activity diaries: Some methodological lessons

Descriptions of how people use time can tell us much about quality of life, social and
economic well-being, and patterns of leisure, work, travel, and communication. Self administered
activity diaries are one of the main methods available for capturing data on
time use. This paper discusses some of the methodological issues surrounding the use of
self-administered activity diaries as a tool for capturing data on communication and travel
activities. Its main concern is to highlight the lessons learnt from the use of selfadministered
activity diaries as a supplementary method of data collection in a recent
study. This study assessed whether different levels of access to, and use of, Information
and Communication Technologies (ICTs) enable different paces of life in different
communities, and how this process might be contributing to social and spatial
polarisation. The insights gained into how activity dairies can be successfully applied are
relevant to research within any discipline where this method of data collection is being
considered.