Microcensus 2024: Bavaria's citizens are shaping the future with data

Microcensus 2024: Bavaria's citizens are shaping the future with data

Microcensus 2024: Important data for society

In Bavaria, as in the rest of Germany, the microcensus is carried out every year. This survey, often referred to as a small census, provides valuable information about the economic and social situation of the population. So far, around 70,000 citizens in Bavaria have taken part in the survey. The majority of respondents gave their answers over the phone, while many also used the online option. Your participation is crucial as it helps ensure policy decisions are based on sound data. By the end of the year, around 50,000 people will be contacted by the State Statistics Office to receive their information. A total of 120,000 people in Bavaria are obliged to take part.

The microcensus is the largest annual household survey in Germany. Every year around 120,000 people in Bavaria provide information about their living and working conditions. This information helps to better understand the economic and social situation of households and to improve the quality of life of the population. Only through reliable and high-quality data can political decisions, such as those aimed at combating poverty or supporting families and pensioners, be made in a targeted manner.

Long-term developments in view

Annual data collection makes it possible to observe long-term trends. For example, changes in the labor market participation of mothers can be tracked over the last ten years. The employment situation and the increase in home office positions are also recorded. This data is important not only for politics, but also for society as a whole, as it provides a better understanding of the realities of people's lives.

Politicians can only make well-founded decisions if they can rely on reliable and representative results. For this reason, there is a legal obligation to provide information as part of the microcensus. The personal information of the respondents is strictly secret and may not be traced back to individual persons.

How does the survey work? Households are selected using a mathematical-statistical random process. First, buildings or parts of buildings are selected, and then volunteer survey officers determine which households will be surveyed. These representatives can identify themselves with an ID and will then be asked to participate in writing. Respondents have the opportunity to give their answers either in a telephone interview or online. Around 130 trained survey officers are deployed in Bavaria for this purpose.

So far, around 70,000 of the 120,000 people to be surveyed have fulfilled their obligation to provide information. Around half of those surveyed answered the questions by telephone, while slightly less than half preferred the online survey. The traditional paper questionnaire is being used less and less.

Difference between microcensus and census

There is often confusion between the terms “census” and “microcensus.” The census is the largest official statistic in Germany and is carried out every ten years to determine the official number of inhabitants. In the last census survey in 2022, around 13 percent of the population was surveyed. In contrast, the microcensus takes place annually and only surveys one percent of the population. The focus here is on the economic and social situation of people.

For detailed information about the microcensus, those interested can visit the official website of the Bavarian State Office for Statistics. There you can also find explanatory videos that explain the survey process in more detail.

The text was provided by the Bavarian State Office for Statistics.

www.statistics.bayern.de The Bavarian State Office for Statistics is the central information service provider for official statistics in Bavaria, based in Fürth and Schweinfurt. His main tasks include collecting and processing over 350 legally mandated statistics.