Press release No. 26 of July 27, 2022

WIESBADEN - The 2022 Census surveys have been going on in Germany for more than two months – successfully and on schedule. The Federal Statistical Office and the statistical offices of the Länder have set up information desks to answer questions by telephone, in writing and via social media. The telephone hotline established by the Federal Statistical Office has alone received more than 123,000 calls to date. In addition, more than 53,000 written questions have been submitted to the statistical offices of the Federation and the Länder via the census website at www.zensus2022.de. In the weeks around the Census Day in May, users shared more than 400 comments and questions concerning the census every day on the joint Twitter channel @zensus2022.
Here, we would like to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the census.

Frequently asked questions about the census of buildings and housing

Can I complete a paper questionnaire for the census of buildings and housing?
The people requested to participate in the census of buildings and housing receive a letter containing the login details for the online questionnaire. Those who cannot answer the questions online, or do not want to do so, can use a paper questionnaire. Depending on the Land concerned, a paper questionnaire is sent automatically if no information has been received online after a few weeks, or a paper questionnaire can be requested by telephone. The details can be found in the respective letter.

Why are letters sometimes sent to the wrong people in the census of buildings and housing?
For the census of buildings and housing, data from different administrative register were used to identify one person per residential property who is responsible for providing information. Despite all the care taken by the administrative agencies and in the further data processing, mistakes may have occurred or out-of-date information may have been used. In isolated cased, letters may be sent to people who do not or no longer own the residential property or who are deceased.
If you have inherited the property or administer the estate, please complete the questionnaire, even if your name is not printed on the letter. It is also possible to enter information about the new owner in the questionnaire. Or you can state that the owner is deceased or unknown. If you complete the questionnaire, it can be avoided that another letter is sent to the person initially contacted if no answer has been received after some time.

Why is only my co-owner contacted, while I am not?
In the 2022 Census, we attempt to contact only one person for a specific residential object. This is how we try to minimise the burden placed on the people. The purpose of the statistics is not to determine exactly who owns the buildings. The goal is rather to get the answers from a person who is able to provide the information. The question of who is contacted also depends on the administrative registers used.

My residential property data are already available at other authorities. Why am I surveyed nevertheless?
There is no register in Germany containing the required information on all buildings with residential space and on dwellings for the whole of Germany. These data have to be collected so that reality can be reflected in a precise and
up-to-date manner – including all demolitions, new constructions and other changes made to residential property.

I have entered incorrect information in the questionnaire on the residential object. How can I correct the data?
In the census of buildings and housing, you can use your login details to access the online questionnaire again and complete it (again). Please note that in this case you have to complete the whole online questionnaire again. It will not be sufficient to enter just the corrected data in the questionnaire. You may also report your data again by way of the online questionnaire if you have already completed and sent a paper questionnaire. It is not possible to report your data again in a paper questionnaire. In this case please contact the Land statistical office responsible for you. The contact details are contained in the letter you have received or at www.zensus2022.de/contact.

Frequently asked general questions

For how long will the surveys run?
The personal interviews conducted by interviewers will generally be finished by mid-August, that is, 12 weeks after the census reference date. Roughly three quarters of the respondents answer additional questions, preferably by online questionnaire, after the personal interview. Data collection for the census of buildings and housing will be finished in November 2022. Almost 80% of the people covered by this survey have already reported their data.

Why have I received a reminder although I have sent the questionnaire?
If you have transmitted the completed questionnaire online, or sent it by post, please disregard the reminder. Due to printing and mail delivery times, overlaps may occur between sending the reminder and your sending the questionnaire. This may happen especially when the reporting deadline had expired. If, after sending the online questionnaire, you were directed to the window for generating the transmission confirmation, data transmission was successful.

What can I do if I have lost the letter containing my login details?
If you have lost the letter regarding the census of buildings and housing, please contact the Land statistical office of the Land in which the residential property is located. The contact details are available at www.zensus2022.de/contact.
If you have lost the letter regarding the household survey or the survey in residential establishments, please contact the municipal survey office responsible for you.

What is the legal basis on which the 2022 Census is conducted?
The census has been ordered by a European regulation (No 763/2008) for the European Union countries. In Germany, the legal basis for conducting and preparing the 2022 Census is the 2022 Census Act, the 2022 Census Preparation Act and the Federal Statistics Act. In addition, there are legal regulations in the individual Länder regarding the conduct of the census. Strict confidentiality of the information collected in the census is guaranteed by compliance with the provisions of the Federal Statistics Act.

Are my data safe? Where are the data stored?
Confidentiality in handling any information is of central importance in the census. Any personal data are kept strictly confidential. Only anonymised data may leave the safe area of the statistical offices. Individual data must not be passed on to other institutions or third parties. Drawing conclusions about individuals is not possible.
Specific security requirements apply to every data transmission, ensuring that information cannot be read, copied, changed or deleted without authorisation. All census data are stored only in computer centres of the Federation.

Frequently asked questions about the household survey

Why do short interviews have to be held in the household survey? What questions are asked?
In the household survey, interviewers ask just a few questions in a personal interview: name, sex, marital status and citizenship. The short personal interview is necessary for meeting the census quality requirements in terms of determining population figures that reflect reality. Together with the interviewers, the question can be settled as to who really has to be surveyed in the census and exactly who lives at the addresses selected at random. About three quarters of the roughly 10.3 million respondents will be asked additional questions such as on education, training and employment. These questions may easily be answered, for example, through the online questionnaire.
All questions can be viewed online (in German) at www.zensus2022.de/Musterfragebogen.

I cannot keep the appointment proposed. What can I do?
The randomly selected households receive a first letter announcing the date generally about one week before the interview. You may change the appointment by contacting the interviewer. The contact details are given in the letter.
If the interviewers do not meet any person obliged to provide information in the household at the first date announced, they will announce a new interview date in a second letter.

Do I have to let the interviewer enter my home?
There is no need for respondents to let the interviewer enter their home. The short personal interview can be held at the front door. The other questions can be answered online.

How can I identify legitimate interviewers?
The census interviewers show an official identity card. It is only valid in connection with an official photo identification. In addition, the interview date is always announced by letter. If you are unsure, the municipal survey office canverify the legitimateness of the interviewer. The contact data can generally be found in the letter.

About 10.3 million people selected at random are surveyed in the household survey of the 2022 Census. In addition, all owners or managers of residential space in Germany are surveyed in the census of buildings and housing (roughly 23 million people obliged to provide information).

More information on the 2022 Census and its surveys is available at www.zensus2022.de. Various fake news are doing the rounds especially in social media. At www.zensus2022.de/factcheck we rectify the most frequent fake news. In addition, the Federal Statistical Office and the statistical offices of the Länder are available for questions at www.zensus2022.de/contact and www.twitter.com/zensus2022. 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