Internet use and digital skills survey

What kind of survey is it?

The internet use and digital skills  survey assesses how and for what purpose people in Estonia use computers and the internet. 

Who commissions the survey?

The survey is conducted in cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications.

How often is the survey conducted?

The survey is carried out in the second quarter of each year. 

Why are the data needed?

The information and communication sector has an impact on the whole Estonian economy and development of society. The survey looks at which ICT tools are used and what is done with them. It also examines the use of Estonian public services, thereby providing valuable information on the services provided by the state. The results of the survey are used to reflect on the changes ahead and to plan action. The data are also useful for enterprises, associations, and federations. The indicators are comparable with those of surveys carried out at the same time in other EU countries.

How are the participants selected?

The survey sample is drawn at random from the in-house statistical population register.  The survey population consists of 16–74-year-old permanent residents of Estonia and members of their household. The name and address of the person interviewed is known only to the interviewer and interviewers supervisor. The data collected are used in an aggregated form, no individual data are examined. Statistics Estonia ensures the protection of all respondents' data in accordance with the Official Statistics Act and the Personal Data Protection Act. 

Participation in the survey is voluntary and in completing it, people are expected to show a sense of civic duty: the state must help its citizens and citizens must help the state. Each person's circumstances and life journey are unique. Therefore, no one else can replace a person in the survey. A person has the right to refuse to participate in the survey, but in this case, a piece of the whole picture is lost. Participation in the survey is necessary so that the state can rely on truthful and reliable information when making decisions that affect us all.

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 sample 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 through 

• an online questionnaire
• a phone interview 

For best service, the survey interview call is recorded with the consent of the respondent.

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

What happens to the collected data?

Until the end of the data collection period, your answers can only be accessed by Interviewers Supervisors and the Fieldwork Supervisor. If you were interviewed by phone, your interviewer will also be able to see your answers.

Once your answers have been entered, the data 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 since they need the specific data to produce official statistical indicators and to prepare datasets for publication in Statistics Estonia’s public database. The data published this way are aggregates and do not allow the identification of specific individuals. It means that your data are disseminated as aggregated and anonymised data.

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.

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

This survey can be answered online at https://estat.stat.ee. The interview is conducted by a specially trained interviewer. The names of Statistics Estonia's interviewers can be checked . If you have any questions, please contact our customer support by phone at +372 625 9300 or by email at klienditugi [at] stat.ee (klienditugi[at]stat[dot]ee).

How are the participants thanked for their contribution?

Five €50 gift vouchers are drawn among all respondents.

The sample person can consent to participate in the prize draw when filling in the questionnaire.

Where are the results published?

Data from the internet use and digital skills survey are published in the statistical database under the headings Economy and Social life. The data are also available in the dedicated section on information and communication technologies.