Microzensus 2025: This is how the population in Rhineland-Palatinate is interviewed!

Microzensus 2025: This is how the population in Rhineland-Palatinate is interviewed!

The microcensus, an important annual survey, has been carried out in Germany since 1957 and collects comprehensive data on the social and economic aspects of the population. In 2025, over 20,000 households were selected in Rhineland-Palatinate to take part in this comprehensive survey. Some of the participating households are even interviewed twice a year, which enables a detailed analysis of the respective changes. The survey happens either in writing online or via a paper sheet. The State Statistical Office of Rhineland-Palatinate therefore asks the selected households for participation in order to guarantee the quality and reliability of the results.

The microcensus is based on an area sample. This means that the addresses are mathematically selected random to ensure a representative sample of the population. Households can be interviewed up to four times in a period of five years. This makes it possible to observe dynamic changes in the living environment of the participants. In about 50 percent of households, the repeated survey takes place in an interval of 13 weeks, for the others once a year.

Details on data collection and data protection

The data collected in the course of the microcensus are subject to strict rules of statistical confidentiality. According to §16 of the Federal Statistics Act, no conclusions can be drawn about individuals during the evaluation. This means that particularly sensitive information that could allow identification are not published. Data protection is handled even more strictly here than in other surveys to guarantee the anonymity and the protection of the respondents.

The results of the microcensus are of great relevance for a variety of social and political questions. The data serves as the basis for EU programs for employment and combating poverty. They flow into reports from the federal government and in international statistical comparisons. Essential topics that are treated include the structure of households, the labor market and the living conditions of the population.

diverse subject areas of the microcensus

The microcensus includes numerous elevations, including labor market participation, income, living conditions and internet use. In the core question program, central features such as household size and the individual living conditions of the respondents are covered. The questions are aimed at marital status, employment as well as educational paths and retirement provision.

A 70%subordinate sample is provided for the scientific community, the so-called Scientific Use File, which enables valuable knowledge without any conclusions to be obtained without any conclusions. The survey of the microcensus is mandatory for all selected household members, including minors. This collection of information is published in various formats, whereby only aggregated data is published that deal with statistically secret information on frequencies of certain characteristics.

The microcensus is therefore an indispensable statistical basis for numerous social analyzes and a concise mapping of life realities in Germany, which are also important internationally. The constant adaptation of the questions and methodology ensures that the results are of great relevance and meet the current social and economic situation.