How many people live in Germany's cities and towns? Is there enough living space for all citizens? Do we need more schools, university places or homes for the elderly? Where does the state need to invest more in the future? In order to answer these and other questions, another census will take place in 2022.
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Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ
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Why is the census being conducted?
- The census serves as an important basis for planning and decision-making in politics, administration and business. Infrastructure measures, such as the construction of schools and daycare centers, can be better planned on the basis of the census. Last but not least, the census provides important data for science and is also used as a data basis for many official statistics. The census is based on EU Regulation (EC) No. 763/2008, which requires all EU member states to conduct a census every ten years, at the beginning of each decade.
- First and foremost, civil registers are considered the source of the data. To improve the quality of the survey, a household survey is conducted on a sample basis.
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Who conducts the census?
The 2022 census will be carried out by the statistical offices of the federal states. In the preparatory phase, the federal and state statistical offices work together. They prepare the survey, coordinate uniform and timely implementation and ensure compliance with quality standards. The Federal Statistical Office is responsible for developing the necessary technical applications. The statistical offices of the federal states are responsible for conducting the surveys in their respective federal states. They independently collect the data for the building and housing census and organize the establishment of survey offices in the municipalities. Their main task is to recruit survey officers and coordinate the survey on site. Finally, the data collected are processed centrally by the Federal Statistical Office.
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How do I know that it is an official surveyor of the city of Wolfsburg?
On ID card with seal in conjunction with ID card/passport.
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Why am I being interviewed?
- A so-called register-based procedure is used in the 2022 census. A random sample was drawn from the data already available in the administrative registers. This comprises around 10% of the population. Nationwide, around 10.2 million people will therefore be surveyed as part of the household survey. In Lower Saxony, this figure will be around 800,000 people. The City of Wolfsburg has no influence on this and receives these addresses from the Lower Saxony State Office for Statistics.
- For the sampling, the Federal Statistical Office used a mathematical-statistical random procedure to draw addresses at which all people living there would be surveyed. The methodological basis for this was developed in a scientific sampling research project. In the household survey, entire addresses are always drawn at random and then all the residents living there. It may happen that no one in a circle of ten acquaintances takes part in the household survey - but perhaps everyone is in the sample.
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Who is obliged to provide information?
In accordance with Section 23 of the Censuses Act 2022, citizens who are surveyed as part of the random sample are obliged to provide information. Accordingly, all persons of legal age and minors who run their own household are obliged to provide information. For persons who cannot provide information independently (e.g. children, people with disabilities, etc.), the information must be provided by proxy. In case of refusal to provide information, the provision of information can be enforced by imposing a penalty payment. The statutory obligation to provide information remains unchanged.
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Why is there a duty to provide information?
The census results form the basis for numerous statistics, projections and planning. For this reason, it is important that the results are reliable. The obligation to provide information (Sections 23 to 26 of the Census Act) is necessary to ensure that the required quality of the census results can be achieved through sufficient response.
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When will I be interviewed?
The surveys will take place between May 16 and July 31 of this year. The survey is related to the cut-off date of May 15, regardless of when you are surveyed.
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Who receives my data?
Your data will be entered into the specified system by the Wolfsburg survey office. No other office of the City of Wolfsburg receives the data. The census data is subject to statistical secrecy in accordance with Section 16 of the Federal Statistics Act. A special high-security environment has been set up to protect the census data. The data do not leave this high-security environment. The employees of the City of Wolfsburg and the survey officers are bound to statistical secrecy and thus also to the protection of the names and addresses of persons surveyed. Violation of this obligation may result in severe fines or imprisonment.
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Why do I also have to provide information on the building and housing census (GWZ)?
The GWZ is conducted by the Lower Saxony State Office for Statistics. Owners, administrators and other persons authorized to dispose of or use all buildings with residential space or apartments are surveyed.
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Will the survey be conducted despite Corona?
Yes, in-person interviews will be conducted during the 2022 Census in accordance with applicable infection control requirements. On-site interviews are short, low-contact, and are to be completed at or outside the door.
Survey officers are equipped with FFP2 masks and disinfectants.
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Why are there two questionnaires?
The 2022 Census has two objectives. Objective 1, the survey to determine existence, is carried out by the survey officer. Objective 2 is completed by the citizens themselves, either online or in paper form.
- Objective 1: existence determination: quality assurance of the official population count by detecting over- and undercounting and thus identifying dead bodies and missing items in the data stock.
- Objective 2: additional characteristics that are not or not sufficiently reliably contained in the population registers.
- Persons in the sample are obliged to provide both types of information.
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Are the questionnaires also available in other languages?
In addition to German, the online questionnaire is available in 14 other languages (Arabic, Bulgarian, Croatian, English, French, Greek, Italian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Turkish). There are translation aids for the budget sheet. These will be provided by your results office if needed.
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Who can I contact if I have further questions?
You can reach the local Census 2022 survey office by phone at 05361 28-5081. The contact information can also be found on the initial notification and IDEV letter.
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Why is the census being conducted?
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Privacy
The protection of your personal data and privacy is taken very seriously during the surveys for the 2022 census. In order to be able to guarantee data protection within the survey office, the survey office is separated from other administrative offices in terms of space, organization and personnel. The employees of the survey office and the survey officers who carry out the surveys on site undertake to maintain statistical secrecy before taking up their duties. This commitment is binding for all participants even after the end of their work at the survey agency. The data obtained during the surveys are subject to strict data protection regulations and are always kept under lock and key. Furthermore, the data may not be passed on to other governmental or non-governmental agencies and may not be evaluated or processed by the survey agency for its own purposes.
- More information on the census
Explanatory videos on the census 2022
What is the census?
How does the census work?
Census household survey - what is it?
How secure is my data?
Procedure of the household survey
The survey officers visit the addresses assigned to them in advance and announce the visit to the persons obliged to provide information in writing with a proposed date. The cover letter is intended to inform the respondents in advance about the census and data protection. The contact details of the census inquiry office are also given. If the proposed appointment is not convenient, it can be rescheduled by telephone.
At the appointment, the survey officers come to the respondents' homes, identify themselves and together fill out a questionnaire with sociodemographic characteristics such as name, date of birth, gender and origin. One person in the household can provide information on behalf of other household members. Subsequently, the respondents receive a sheet with access data for the second part of the questionnaire, which is preferably to be completed independently online. If the sample households do not have the option of online participation, the questionnaire can also be completed by hand and then returned to the survey agency by mail.
All households at these selected addresses are required to provide information pursuant to Section 23 of the Census Act 2022 (ZensG 2022).
Survey of dormitories and shared accommodations
In the context of the census, residential homes and shared accommodation play a special role: Due to a relatively high fluctuation as well as different reporting regulations, an above-average number of outdated and/or incomplete data in the existing administrative registers can be assumed for them. For this reason, a census is conducted at these institutions, unlike in the household survey.
Procedure of interviews in dormitories
The procedure of the survey in dormitories (for example student residences, ...) is very similar to the procedure of the household sample. After prior announcement of an appointment, survey officers visit the respondents at the address, fill out the first questionnaire together and hand over access data for the second part, which is preferably to be filled out online. The difference lies in particular in the full survey and in some additional questions in the first part of the interview.
Procedure of interviews in community accommodations
Community accommodations are facilities that generally serve the longer-term accommodation and care of persons with accommodation needs. These include, for example, facilities for people with disabilities, homes for the elderly and nursing homes, facilities for children and young people, and so on. These areas are characterized by the fact that there is no own household management by the residents. To provide an overview, preliminary surveys were already conducted at the beginning of 2021 by the Lower Saxony State Office of Statistics to generate the institution, purpose of the facility, number of places and other important information in advance.
Residents in shared accommodations are not surveyed in person. Here, the managers of the facilities are obliged to provide information on behalf of the clients. The scope of the information provided is much smaller than in the case of surveys of other addresses. For this purpose, the facility managers are given access data for the online questionnaire, in which the relevant data of the residents can be entered manually or imported and thus transmitted directly in digital form. A personal survey on site does not take place.
Contact
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Contact
City of Wolfsburg
Census 2022 Survey OfficePO Box 10 09 44
38409 WolfsburgContact person:
Ms. Thurow
Head of survey office
Telephone: 05361 28-5081Mrs. Hoppe
Deputy head of the survey office
Telephone: 05361 28-5082