FAQ on surveys

Why do surveys need to be done ?

STATEC conducts surveys to provide a reliable and representative picture of the economic, environmental and social situation in Luxembourg.

STATEC monitors, among other things, economic growth, unemployment, price trends and economic and social inequalities. Thanks to STATEC's data, citizens, companies and policy makers are able to make informed decisions. STATEC develops diagnoses and forecasts and measures the evolution of certain economic, environmental and social behaviors of individuals and companies in Luxembourg.

Statistics are used to define policies, to support the choice of decision-makers and to understand the evolution of society, and thus to foresee ways to improve it. All STATEC statistics are based on European laws and/or regulations. STATEC's statistics have no commercial purpose and are only carried out for the improvement and well-being of the Luxembourg population.

Do I have to participate in the STATEC surveys ?

In order to obtain the most complete and reliable results, it is very important that individuals/households and businesses respond to the STATEC surveys for which they have been invited to participate. Without this collaboration, STATEC could not produce reliable and representative data.

Note that not all Luxembourg residents can be involved in every STATEC survey. For this reason, STATEC usually draws a randomly representative sample that aims to represent all residents. Your results therefore reflect a large number of other similar people in Luxembourg. This is why your participation is so important.

Your answers are covered by the professional secrecy guaranteed by the law of July 10, 2011 on the organization of the National Institute of statistics and economic studies. This law stipulates that public administrations, municipalities and public establishments as well as all natural or legal persons are obliged to provide the statistical information requested by STATEC within the deadlines set in its request (Art. 13-15).

How to identify a STATEC survey / investigator ?

STATEC surveys are conducted face-to-face, by telephone, by paper or by electronic questionnaire. The mode of participation depends on the subject of the survey. For some data collection, STATEC uses the services of subcontractors who are selected in accordance with public procurement procedures. The subcontractors who regularly work for STATEC are: infas, LISER, T.I.P BIEHL & PARTNER, TNS-Ilres. For some surveys, STATEC also has its own freelance interviewers.

If you have been selected for a STATEC survey, you will receive a letter of invitation, informing you of the purpose of the survey and the steps to be taken to participate in it. If you have not received a letter or if you are unsure of the identity of an interviewer, you can check if the survey is actually conducted by STATEC:

• by looking up the name of the survey in the list of surveys of individuals and/or enterprises on the STATEC website
  
• by checking whether the interviewer carries a legitimation card (badge) with a photo issued by STATEC or LISER
• by contacting the STATEC information office:

o   Tel: (+352) 247-84219 / Email: info@statec.etat.lu

How was I selected ?

Your name was selected at random from the National Register of Natural Persons (more information on guichet.lu).

Your name and address will be used exclusively for contacting you for the survey.

The majority of STATEC surveys are sample surveys. When you are selected to be part of a survey sample, STATEC cannot replace you with someone else or remove you from our random selection. In this case, it would no longer be a random sample and the quality of the results would be affected.

I have already participated in a STATEC survey. Why did you select me for another survey ?

It can happen that a person is selected several times, because the selection of participants is done randomly. Each survey is subject to a new random sample, but given the small geographical area of our country, the probability of being selected is higher than in a larger country. Your participation is therefore essential: your results represent a large number of other people in Luxembourg.

How does STATEC get my phone number ?

STATEC only uses cell phone numbers if they are listed in the phone book or if they are given to STATEC personally (e.g. in the case of a follow-up).

What happens with my contact information and answers when the survey is completed ?

After the data collection is completed, the results are processed anonymously. Your contact information is used exclusively to contact you and your responses are kept separate from your contact information throughout the production process.

No individual information is disseminated by STATEC. Only aggregate indicators are calculated for the total population by aggregating all personal information collected at the sample level.

STATEC is required by law to ensure the confidentiality of the data collected and processed. Its agents, representatives and subcontractors are criminally liable for any disclosure of personal data. STATEC is committed to ensuring a high level of computer security.

Who uses the data from the STATEC surveys ?

The data and results are used by :

• citizens;
• national and European policy makers;
• organizations that work in different fields such as education, health or housing;
• academic researchers and those working for public institutions;
• students and teachers;
• journalists.

How can I access the results of STATEC surveys ?

On the statistics portal, you will find all the information derived from the surveys. The results are often presented in STATEC publications, which are widely covered by the media. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to be automatically informed of each new publication. We are also present on social media, namely Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.