Cultural Participation Survey

Cultural activities play an important part in the everyday life of many Estonian people. But how big is their role exactly?

The Cultural Participation Survey provides an overview of cultural participation in Estonia, of the residents' cultural interests and hobbies and of the differences in cultural participation between demographic groups. 

The results of the survey help the Ministry of Culture determine how many people are affected by cultural policy decisions and what the economic impact of these decisions might be. The data also allow the Ministry to decide which cultural activities need more support or should be more accessible. 

How often is the survey conducted?

The survey is conducted every three years. The most recent survey was carried out in 2023.

How are the participants selected?

The survey population includes all Estonian residents aged 15 or over, excluding inhabitants of institutional households (children’s homes, care homes, convents and monasteries, etc.). All estimates are calculated on the basis of the total population in the area concerned. The volumes of the total population and the subpopulations are determined on the basis of the population estimate calculated by Statistics Estonia.

The Cultural Participation Survey uses random sampling: 10,000 randomly selected permanent residents of Estonia aged 15 or over are surveyed. A geographically stratified systematic sampling procedure is used, i.e. independent subsamples are randomly selected from the non-overlapping subpopulations called strata.

Approximately 1% of the population is surveyed and the results are extended to the whole population. Each person in the survey represents about one hundred inhabitants of Estonia.

How are the data collected?

Before the survey starts, a notification is sent to all the people in the sample, explaining the purpose of the survey and how they will be contacted. The notification is sent to the sampled person at the email address indicated in the population register. If no email address is available, a letter is sent by post to the address in the population register.

In this survey, data are collected online as well as by phone interviewing.

The interviewer will make a maximum of 10 contact attempts to reach the person selected for the sample.

The online questionnaire can be completed in eSTAT, Statistics Estonia's data collection application. Your answers can only be accessed by Interviewers Supervisors and the Fieldwork Supervisor until the end of the data collection period. You can log into the web environment using your ID card, Mobile-ID or Smart-ID.

See the survey questionnaire (in Estonian).

If you are interviewed by phone, your answers can only be accessed by your interviewer (until the completion of the questionnaire) and by Interviewers Supervisors and the Fieldwork Supervisor (until the end of the data collection period). For best service, the phone interview will be recorded subject to the respondent's consent.

Why does your participation matter?

Participation in the survey is voluntary. Each person's circumstances and life journey are unique. Therefore, no one else can replace the person selected for the survey. A person has the right to refuse to participate in the survey, but it means that a piece of the whole picture is lost. Your participation in the survey is necessary for the state to be able to rely on truthful and reliable information when making decisions that affect us all. 

What happens to the collected data?

Your answers are transmitted from the collection application to a section of Statistics Estonia’s data warehouse that has very restricted access and where the collected data are stored as personally identifiable information. The personal data in the data warehouse can be accessed only by a few authorised employees of Statistics Estonia. Next, the data are pseudonymised or de-identified (by removing personal identification codes, names, exact place of residence, contact details, etc.), and other data processing required for the purposes of the specific survey is done. The pseudonymised data which are used in further processing and data analysis are stored in a secure section of the data warehouse that can be accessed only by analysts of the specific domain and by mathematical statisticians. They have been authorised to access the data in order to produce official statistical indicators for publication in Statistics Estonia’s public database. The data published this way are aggregates and do not allow the identification of specific individuals.

Statistics Estonia fulfils confidentiality requirements. In the case of sample surveys, data subsets are not published if they are based on fewer than 20 records. Among other things, this helps to prevent the direct or indirect identification of respondents based on the data published.

The Official Statistics Act stipulates strict requirements for the prevention of the accidental release of personal data. For example, the data can be transmitted only to another producer of official statistics (in Estonia, this applies only to Eesti Pank) or to Eurostat or the national statistical institutes of European Union Member States, all of whom comply with the obligation to maintain confidentiality. Policymakers and researchers can apply for the right to access pseudonymised data in Statistics Estonia’s secure research work environment, in accordance with the Official Statistics Act. This is governed by a separate procedure, requiring the applicant to provide a legitimate reason for such data use and to secure the approval of the Data Protection Inspectorate or the ethics committee of the relevant scientific field (depending on the type of data). Each request for access to data is processed by Statistics Estonia’s Confidentiality Council who will decide whether the applicant’s request can be granted. For more information, visit https://stat.ee/en/find-statistics/request-statistics/use-confidential-data-scientific-purposes.

The data storage periods are stipulated in Statistics Estonia’s classification scheme which is available on Statistics Estonia’s website at https://www.stat.ee/en/statistics-estonia/document-register. Read more about the general data protection requirements at https://stat.ee/en/statistics-estonia/data-protection-privacy-policy.

Where are the results published?

The results of the Cultural Participation Survey are published in the statistical database under the social life domain. Culture statistics are also published in the dedicated section on culture.

How are the participants thanked for their contribution?

Each quarter, there is a prize draw among respondents: three people will win a €50 Partner gift voucher. Your consent for participation in the prize draw is asked in the questionnaire. The winners are chosen in October 2026 and January 2027. Statistics Estonia will contact the winners.

How can I make sure that it is a survey by Statistics Estonia?

The surveys conducted by Statistics Estonia can be found in the survey schedule on our website. This survey can be completed online at https://estat.stat.ee. The phone interviews are conducted by specially trained interviewers. The names and phone numbers of Statistics Estonia's interviewers can be checked on our website. If you have any questions, please contact our customer support by phone at +372 625 9300 or by e-mail at klienditugi [at] stat.ee (klienditugi[at]stat[dot]ee).