Hi everyone, I’m working with SIPP to look at people who move during the year. According to the Census definitions, if TMOVER is between 2 and 7 the person is a mover, and the month they start their new residence is given by ERH_BMONTH.
Using these variables, I get a sensible hump-shaped seasonal pattern in most years. Fewer moves in winter, more in summer. It looks good for 2018 through 2024.
But when I use the same approach on the 2014 SIPP, Waves 2–4, the distribution looks strange: huge spikes in January (~20%), really heavy numbers in March/April, and very low values in autumn. It makes no sense.
Since TMOVER and ERH_BMONTH have the same definitions in those waves, it’s not a coding or variable issue. Could this be a sample design problem with those panels? Has anyone else seen this before or figured out what’s going on? Maybe I am missing something straightforward.
