Personal surveys

Leaving out the population and housing census mandatory for all, personal surveys are mostly voluntary. For social surveys, we collect data from individuals if the data cannot be obtained from databases.

Statistics Estonia conducts various surveys, for example, on the working life, travel and time use of the population. The surveys vary in frequency, some lasting a month or two, others for two years. Some surveys take place every year and some over several years.

Why is it important to participate in a survey?

A person included in a survey sample can provide information on how people in Estonia are doing, thus helping to improve life in Estonia. Random sampling is used to include people in personal surveys. The surveys may target different age groups. Everyone's answer is important, because it reflects the situation and opinions of people with similar characteristics in the society. Please take the time to answer survey questions. Personal survey data may be submitted online, by phone or in a face-to-face interview.

How to submit data?

We recommend that you submit data electronically, at a convenient time, in the data submission environment eSTAT. A telephone interview appointment can be set up with an interviewer or by notifying customer support. If the questions cannot be answered online or by phone, an interviewer will conduct a face-to-face interview. The statistics produced on the basis of the collected data are published in the statistical database.

See also the Official Statistics Act.

How can I be 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. The survey description includes the section “How are the data collected?” with information about how respondents can answer the survey. Online questionnaires can be completed on Statistics Estonia’s website at https://estat.stat.ee. Phone interviews and face-to-face interviews are conducted by specially trained interviewers. The names and phone numbers of Statistics Estonia’s interviewers can be checked on our website. In the case of a face-to-face interview, the respondent can always ask for the interviewer’s proof of employment. 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).