Estonian Social Survey
What kind of survey is it?
The Estonian Social Survey helps to assess household and individual income distribution, living conditions, and social exclusion. Such a survey is conducted in all EU countries.
Who commissions the survey?
For the survey, the main representative of public interest is the Ministry of Social Affairs. Data are also forwarded to the European Commission and Eurostat.
Why are the data needed?
The Estonian Social Survey collects information on the experiences, opinions, economic situation, and living conditions of people living in Estonia. The survey reveals the number and types of households in Estonia, the number of children in them, and the economic situation of households. The data can be used to develop national social policies and services. Leaders, academics, and opinion formers in Estonia often talk about our people's livelihoods, poverty and deprivation, income, living conditions, and access to healthcare. This information, in many instances, comes from the Estonian Social Survey.
How often is the survey conducted?
The Estonian Social Survey has been conducted annually since 2004.
How are the participants selected?
The survey population includes all households residing permanently in Estonia, excluding inhabitants of institutional households (children's homes, care homes, cloisters, etc.). Participants are randomly selected from the population register from persons aged 14 or over. Each person brings their household to the sample. All members of that household aged 15 or over are surveyed. Each household is interviewed every 12 months for 4 consecutive years. Every year, some of the households are replaced.
Households are not repeated in the one-year sample to ensure accuracy. Re-interviewing households in several consecutive years helps to better assess changes over the year.
Approximately 1% of the population is interviewed in the course of the Estonian Social Survey. The results are extended to the whole population. This means that each person included in the survey represents about one hundred inhabitants of Estonia. 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. Those interested can find out more about the legislation in Estonia's official online publication, Riigi Teataja (State Gazette).
Participation in the Social 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 for the state to be able to 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 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 through
- an online questionnaire
- a phone interview (for best service, the call is recorded)
How can I make sure that it is a survey by Statistics Estonia?
The surveys conducted by Statistics Estonia can be found in the 2024 survey schedule on our website. Online questionnaires can be completed on Statistics Estonia’s website at https://estat.stat.ee. 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).
Where are the results published?
The data collected in the Estonian Social Survey are published in the statistical database under the heading Social life. More in-depth analyses are available on Statistics Estonia's blog. Information on survey quality and metadata can be found in the ESMS metadata section.