Microcensus 2026 starts: 130,000 Bavarians give an insight into life!

Microcensus 2026 starts: 130,000 Bavarians give an insight into life!

The 2026 microcensus will start in January 2026 and is expected to survey 130,000 citizens. This is the largest annual household survey in Germany, which has been carried out since 1957 and asks around 1% of the population about their living conditions. In Bavaria, around 130,000 people from around 65,000 households are currently affected. The respondents are selected using a mathematical random procedure, so that a representative database is created.

This survey is organized by the federal and state statistical offices and serves as an important basis for political decisions. The microcensus provides comprehensive data on the structure, economic and social situation of the population. This includes information on family, household, labor market, employment, training and migration.

Why is the microcensus important?

The statistics from the microcensus are used by parliaments, administrations, science and the media. The data obtained is crucial for various programs to combat poverty and social exclusion, as well as for the planning of EU regional and social funds. They are also relevant for the federal government's poverty and wealth reporting as well as for the pension insurance report and the monthly reporting on unemployment in the EU. The use of the data often extends into the economic strategy of the federal and state governments.

The microcensus includes a core question program that collects basic information on households, individuals, employment, childcare, education and internet use. Additional survey parts delve deeper into topics such as income, living conditions and the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). Loud Destatis The survey does not use comprehensive administrative data, which is why questions about income are unavoidable. Auxiliary details such as name and address will only be used to organize the survey and are subject to strict confidentiality.

Special features and survey methods

In the survey, respondents can choose between an online survey, a personal interview or a postal survey. All members of the selected household are required to provide information, even minors and sick people must be interviewed. The results of the microcensus provide detailed insights into the population structure and social situation and are available for Germany, federal states and larger cities. The publication of the first results will be staggered, with core questions usually being available at the end of March of the following year.

The microcensus is designed as a rotating panel, which enables valuable cross-sectional and trend analyses. These surveys are particularly important for analyzing the life chances of different social groups and making regional inequalities visible. The methodology and the continuous adjustment of the survey design are designed to ensure high data quality and validity.

Overall, the microcensus is not only a national but also an important international instrument that enables the comparability of social data within the EU. Further information on the objectives and methodology of the microcensus can be found at forschungsdatenzentrum.de.