What you should know about the 2008 Social Survey: Households and Environment

The 2008 Social Survey: Households and Environment (ES-2008) is an official statistical activity that is part of the 2008 Annual Statistical Action Programme implemented by the Law on the Statistical Plan for Catalonia 2006-2009. Idescat is the organisation in charge of conducting the survey.

The goal of the ES-2008, which is in its first edition, is to investigate the habits, consumer patterns and attitudes of households in relation to the environment. The equipment in homes and the use they make of this equipment in relation to a variety of environmental factors is also being investigated, with the goal of formulating environmental policies related to households (energy savings, lowering energy consumption, sorting waste, etc.).

This study will also yield indicators that are comparable with data from the autonomous communities in Spain, and ultimately with other countries that have conducted studies of this kind.

In order to achieve these goals, the following information will be gathered, organised within the questionnaire into thematic groups:

• Identification and general data on the household
• Water
• Energy
• Waste
• Equipment and use of the home in relation to the environment
• Problems involving noise and foul odours
• Transport and mobility
• Lifestyle and consumer patterns
• Section for the person chosen

This survey will be conducted by sample of the Catalan households and people residing in them. Within each of these households, one person aged 16 or older is chosen. In order to provide results broken down by territorial areas, a sample has been designed that is encompasses all of Catalonia with a total of 3,504 individuals.

To choose the interviewees, Catalonia's Population Register was used, a government register that contains the compulsory updated information on residents included in the municipal population censuses of all the town halls around Catalonia. This register is in the care of Idescat and is regulated by the Law on Statistics in Catalonia.

The individual information on the survey is protected by statistical confidentiality in the terms set forth in the Law on Statistics in Catalonia. This means that the individualised data gathered on the questionnaires may not be made public or shared with any person or entity, including the public administration, with the exception of any person or entity that is also bound by statistical confidentiality. In this sense, all the personnel of Idescat and other organisations participating in official statistics in Catalonia must take a solemn oath to keep this information confidential, and they are subjected to stringent punishment should they violate this oath.

The obligation for statistical confidentiality also extends to publishing the results, meaning that both Idescat and the remaining organisations that are part of the statistical system of Catalonia must take special care to ensure that individual information cannot be deduced from the tabulated information that is published.

Given the public interest of the information of all the statistics included in the Statistical Plan of Catalonia, as determined by the Parliament of Catalonia, cooperation by both citizens in responding to questionnaires is legally binding. The purpose of this obligation is to ensure an appropriate number of responses and, in consequence, reliable statistical results (chapter 5 of the Law on Statistics in Catalonia).

The survey is being conducted by the company Opina under the supervision and monitoring of Idescat. It will use a combined methodology of telephone interview and in-person interview, depending on the difficulty of obtaining responses. If telephone contact is used, the telephone interview is conducted with the aid of a computer (CATI). If this is not possible, the household will be visited in order to conduct the interview in person. There is also the option of responding by Internet.

The households chosen will have previously received a letter from Idescat informing them that they will be interviewed.

The interviewers who visit households in person are required to carry the credentials issued by Idescat with their photograph, full name, national identity number and contact telephone number, which they are required to show to the interviewee.

The person in charge of the household must respond to the general part of the interview. If this person is not home, any other person who is legally of age and is capable may respond on behalf of the other members of the household.

The individual section, which refers to a specific person aged 16 or more chosen at random, may only be responded to by this member of the household. If this person is not at home, no other member of the household may be interviewed in his or her place.

The fieldwork operation will take place between 7th Mai and 31st July 2008.

The results will be published free of charge on the Idescat website (www.idescat.cat).

For any type of inquiry related to the contents of the survey, its official nature or other questions that you have have about it, you may contact us at the following:

• On the toll-free telephone number 900 701 176 or on 012 (citizen attention line of the Generalitat de Catalunya)
• The Idescat website (www.idescat.cat)