Household budget survey
This survey is carried out in all European Union Member States. It provides a valuable data source for the development of social policies: How much can Luxembourg residents spend per month? Can some groups spend more or less than others? And will life in Luxembourg become more expensive or cheaper?
To give an answer to these important questions, STATEC conducts this annual survey among several households in Luxembourg. STATEC also uses the information from the survey to calculate inflation (the depreciation of the currency) and to compare households’ spending patterns in the different EU Member State.
Who participates?
Each year, STATEC draws a sample of 5,000 private individuals, at random, from the National Register (RNPP). If your household has been drawn from the register, you will receive an invitation letter from STATEC, inviting you to participate in the household budget survey.
How to participate?
As the data are collected in a face-to-face interview, you will be invited to contact your interviewer, indicated on the invitation letter from STATEC, to make an appointment at your convenience.
If you do not contact your interviewer, he/she will visit you in the days following the invitation letter. The interviewer will collect information about your household finances, the composition of your household and your accommodation. Additionally, you will be asked to record the expenses of all the members of your household in a diary, which the interviewer will bring along.
Survey period
The survey takes place over the whole year (1 January to 31 December). After receiving your invitation letter from STATEC, you will be asked to fill in one of the three questionnaires with the daily expenditures of all members of your household for exactly 15 consecutive days. To complete the whole survey, it will therefore take 15 days from the date you start the questionnaire about daily expenditures.
Legal framework
The answers are covered by the professional secrecy guaranteed by the law of 10 July 2011 on the organization of the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies. The same law also underlines the obligation of participation in STATEC surveys (Article 15 of the law).
Documents
Housing expenditure
Various expenditures
Food expenditure
Results
The results of the survey are disseminated via STATEC publications and the Statistics Portal.
Every five years since 1988, Eurostat has been collating and publishing data from the Household Budget Surveys in the European countries. However, the HBS project is run under a Gentlemen's agreement, which was reached in the Statistical Programme Committee during its meeting of 1989.
Specific questions
Is my participation during 15 days representative for the Luxembourg population?
Households drawn from the RNPP will participate in this this survey at different times of the year, so that the whole year is well covered and the results representative.
Please note that not all households in Luxembourg can be involved in this study. Therefore, 5.000 households were randomly selected to represent all resident households in Luxembourg. Your results therefore reflect a large number of other similar households in Luxembourg. This is why your participation is so important.
When will I be rewarded for my participation?
STATEC rewards every household that participates in this survey to thank it for its cooperation and effort:
- 65 euros for a one-person household
- 85 euros for a household of 2 to 3 people
- 105 euros for a household of 4 or more people
Payment can take up to 3 months from the date your questionnaire was submitted (by you or your interviewer) to STATEC. Payment is realized by the State Treasury and not by STATEC.
How do I know that the interviewer indicated is really part of the STATEC team?
The “Household Budget Team” has a list of active interviewers working on behalf of STATEC. If you have any doubt, please contact our team on 247 88420 or by email: ebm@statec.etat.lu.
Each STATEC interviewer also has a legitimation card (badge) which he or she must present to you before starting the survey.équipe au 247 88420 ou par email :
Can I participate in the survey by telephone?
An initial face-to-face contact with a STATEC interviewer is essential so that the latter can distribute the questionnaires to be filled in by you. Explanations about the survey can then be given by telephone. To ensure good quality of the survey, we ask you to give the interviewer your telephone number on his or her first visit. On request, the interviewer will give you a stamped envelope in which you can return your completed questionnaires to STATEC.
Do I have to participate in the survey this year knowing that another member of my household was already selected the previous year?
Yes, the survey is still mandatory. It may happen that a household is selected more than once, as the selection of participants is random. A new random sample is taken for each survey, but due to the small geographical area of our country, the probability of being selected is higher than in a larger country. Your participation is still essential: you represent a large number of other households in Luxembourg.
Is my data safe?
STATEC handles your data with care. The information collected by STATEC is only used for statistical and scientific purposes. Individual information shall not be distributed or disclosed in any way. Any STATEC employee or interviewer breaking statistical confidentiality will be subject to prosecution under the law.
Contact
- Tel. : (+352) 247-88420 / Office hours: 9AM-12PM and 2PM-4PM
- Email : ebm@statec.etat.lu
Publications
Methodology
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