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Who lives here?
The census should provide information
Photo: Edith Geuppert / picture alliance / dpa
Millions of people will receive mail from the Federal Statistical Office by mid-August.
The reason for this is a census that was supposed to take place in 2021 and was postponed due to the corona pandemic.
What do you need to know about this? The overview.
What is the census?
The 2022 census is a census of the population.
The aim is to find out how many people live in Germany, how they live and work.
There is also a census of buildings and dwellings (GWZ).
The aim is to get a reliable database for further planning, according to the website of the 2022 census.
Interviews take place from mid-May to around mid-August.
The statistical offices of the federal and state governments work together to achieve this.
However, not all people in Germany are interviewed.
Who is interviewed?
In the past, all people were addressed in censuses.
That's different now.
The municipal registers now provide initial data.
A little more than ten percent of the inhabitants of Germany are addressed directly as a random sample.
That's about 10.3 million people.
How does the survey work?
Addresses are determined by a random process.
The State Statistical Office or the municipal survey office will contact the people who are to take part in the survey.
An interviewer then announces the visit by post about a week in advance.
In a short personal survey, it should be determined how many and which people live in the apartment.
Then the selected persons get access to an online questionnaire, which they have to fill out.
Data on gender, marital status or nationality are requested.
You can see what such a questionnaire can look like here.
The exact deadlines vary from state to state.
Do I have to participate?
Yes.
Those selected are obliged to take part in the survey.
The basis for this is the obligation to provide information laid down in Section 23 of the Census Act.
Anyone who refuses will receive a warning.
After the second reminder, a fine of up to 5,000 euros threatens, according to the consumer advice center.
I live in a dorm.
What do I have to consider?
In the case of halls of residence or communal accommodation, there is no random sample, a so-called full census takes place there.
Dormitories include student dormitories, shared accommodations are, for example, care facilities or prisons.
In about 9,000 dormitories nationwide, all people are interviewed directly.
The process is then the same as for individual apartments.
On the other hand, according to the census website, the management of around 53,000 communal accommodations assumes the obligation to provide information to the residents.
What is the building and housing census all about?
The census should also record the stock of apartments and buildings in Germany.
All owners, administrators and other persons who have rights of use to buildings or apartments must provide information.
Is my data safe?
The website of the 2022 census states that the statistical offices of the federal and state governments are taking security precautions to ensure the best possible protection of data.
In addition, it should not be possible to draw any conclusions about individuals from the publications of the census.
In May, the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection rejected criticism that the online questionnaire page was run via a US IT service provider, which could violate the protection of personal data.
At no time was there any danger to the data entered in the questionnaire.
However, the website has been changed in such a way that the IT service provider is no longer used for the questionnaire.
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