Press release No. 21 of June 15, 2022

• Basically two surveys are held in the 2022 Census
• Data collection in the census of buildings and housing is carried out from May to November 2022
• Data collection from households is carried out from mid May to mid August 2022
• At the same time, a follow-up survey for quality assurance is held until early November 2022

WIESBADEN – In mid May, data collection for the census started among over 30 million people in Germany. Households are surveyed over a period of roughly three months, that is, from mid May to mid August. Data collection for the census of buildings and housing will be finished in November 2022. Data are collected online and in personal interviews all over Germany.

The 2022 Census Act stipulates that people are obliged to provide information in the surveys conducted for the census. The legal census reference date is 15 May 2022. This means that all data collected refer to that date and are therefore comparable.

The census of buildings and housing started already on 9 May in some Länder
The letters on the census of buildings and housing were sent to the owners or managers of residential buildings and dwellings in several waves between mid May and early June (about 23 million letters). The owners surveyed provide information on their real property, for instance, on the year of construction or the size of the dwelling, and should do so preferably online. This survey runs until November 2022.

Household interviews are held over a period of roughly 12 weeks, while a few households will provide further data afterwards
On 16 May 2022, the personal interviews of the 2022 Census started among 10.3 million people at randomly selected addresses. In the personal interviews, the interviewers ask questions on all persons in the household. About 100,000 interviewers hold personal interviews all over Germany. Roughly three quarters of the respondents answer additional questions, preferably by online questionnaire, after the personal interview. The household survey will be finished in mid August. It is laid down by law that data collection can be carried out after that only in duly substantiated exceptional cases, for example, where implausible information has to be checked.

For a small number of the households already surveyed, a follow-up survey is conducted in parallel to the main survey and will be finished in early November 2022. Some questions from the household survey are asked again to a subsample to assure the census quality.

Further information on the 2022 Census and pictures for reproduction are provided www.zensus2022.de. There you will also find sample questionnaires of the 2022 Census surveys (in German). If you are interested, we will be pleased to find you interview partners to discuss census issues.

Follow us on www.twitter.com/zensus2022!

For further information: www.zensus2022.de/contact