Interviewer instructions
Question 13 Appliances of the Dwelling
The last question of the Dwelling form has the intention of knowing most exactly the socioeconomic level of the household or the households that reside in the dwelling you are enumerating. The specialists in social science and statistics have come to the conclusion that one of the best ways of measuring the social and economic level of persons who inhabit a dwelling is through the registering of the appliances like radio, stove, electric iron, black and white television set, color television set, refrigerator, washer, bath warmer, telephone, vacuum cleaner, hot water tank, automobile vehicle that is not used for work or is principally for recreation. It is supposed that together with the evaluation of the state of the dwelling and the measuring of the education level, establishing if the households possess or not this type of appliances is a good indication of the social and economic level of the people who compromise the respective household.
As you will observe, it concerns those appliances that can be owned by one or more members of the household in question, but that are used by all of them. You should mark with an X, in each case, if in the household exists or not each one of the mentioned appliances.
[To the left of the text is a form.]
{Definitions respective of each type of appliance that is included in question 13}
In the case of the appliance radio or television in black and white or in color you should register if they "have" it or they "do not have" it in each household the type, size and number of them not being important. About the stove you should be careful that it concerns an appliance or mechanism made with the purpose of cooking or heating food. This means that an electric or gas grill, for example, or portable stove, a collection of stones or logs used in an improvised manner by the residents of a dwelling each time they want to eat, with the purpose of heating or cooking food is not taken to be a stove.
By what is referred to as "electric iron", it is clear that you should register only irons that work via electricity.
The refrigerator is found in a large amount of Costa Rican households due to, among other things, the increase of populations or human settlements that have electricity service. Nevertheless, refrigerators that work with other types of energy exist. In the case of those that are run on for example butane gas, consequently, you should register as "refrigerator" the appliance that is used to store in the cold food or materials that are perishable, the type of energy that it needs so that its motor works is not important. All this does not concern a freezer or other appliances that people use to keep their food cold, in which case you should indicate that the dwelling does not have a "refrigerator".
The washer does not offer major problems in comprehension since it only is an electric or gas machine that washes clothes.
The same thing does not occur with mechanisms that are employed to heat water that the members of a census household use both to bathe as well as to clean equipment. Two types of appliances exist that are used in dwellings to heat water: "bath heater" that is also known as "termo-hit", and the "hot water tank". The first is an electric appliance that is placed near the spraying or water exit and is connected to it to heat this water once it is connected by means of a "switch", to interrupt or connect to the electrical current.
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On the other hand the "hot water tank" is a deposit of metal of other material that is used to heat a good amount of water and keeping it hot during a more or less long time of the day. This appliance is generally electric but the case can be given that you will find tanks for heating water by other means of energy. The "hot water tanks" are connected generally to the pipe that brings water to the baths and kitchens. Two different lines exist to write down what refers to "Bath heaters" and "Hot water tanks". If it has only a tank do not write down heater and if it has only a heater do not write down tank; it can be that it has both or it does not.
As to what "telephone" refers to, simply register if the dwelling that you enumerate "has" or "does not have" this service by the ICE.
The "vacuum cleaner" does not exist in all the houses in our country, but it is very probable that you will find in your segment dwellings households that have this type of appliance.
Finally, something about the "vehicle (not for work)". It is important to emphasize that here only those automotive vehicles not used for work of the Census Household should be included. In other words, you only should say yes if in the household there exists any automobile, "jeep", van, "station wagon", etc. that the family members use basically for moving from one place to another be it in pursuit of fun or pastimes be it for shopping or going to their place of work. But careful with confusing a vehicle that is used simply for going to work and from there back household or any other place! When it is specified that it concerns a "vehicle (but not for work)", it is because you should ignore those automobiles, "picks ups", "jeeps", trucks, vans, etc. that the household uses for work and with which the head of the household or any other member of the household works (transporting products, distributing articles of consumption, carrying people, etc.
