Schedule of CSO Household and Person Surveys

Labour Force Survey

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a year-round, nationwide survey of households that provides the official measure of employment and unemployment in the state including quarterly labour force estimates, along with data on social topics. The data collected by the LFS helps us to build an accurate picture of Ireland’s ever-changing workforce and goes on to inform the development of economic and social policies on a national and European level. For more information, see Labour Force Survey (LFS).

Household Budget Survey

The Household Budget Survey (HBS) is a nationwide survey to gather data on household spending and living costs from randomly selected Irish households. This data helps us to follow the changes in the price of goods and allows us to track the rate of inflation, differences in spending habits, and the impact of the cost of living.  For more information, see Household Budget Survey.

Survey on Income and Living Conditions

The Survey on Income & Living Conditions (SILC) is a nationwide survey carried out since 2004 as part of an EU-wide programme. The SILC serves as the official source of individual and household living conditions and income levels, as well as key national poverty indicators. These indicators include the ‘at risk of poverty’ rate, the ‘consistent poverty’ rate and the rates of ‘enforced deprivation’. For more information, see Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC).

Growing Up in Ireland Survey

The Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) Survey is a national study focused on understanding the lives of children, young people, and their families in the state across different stages of their lives. Conducted by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in conjunction with the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE), this survey plays a vital role in understanding the evolving needs of children and young people and improving long-term outcomes, with insights gained helping to inform policies and services that support children and families in Ireland.

• GUI Cohort ’24 focuses on nine-month-old babies born in 2024 and their families. Experiences in infancy are very important in shaping a child’s future, and so beginning the survey when the baby is this age allows us to track the impact of their early experiences through childhood and beyond. For more information, see Growing up in Ireland Cohort '24.

• GUI Cohort ’08 have participated in the survey since they were nine months old. This stage of GUI ’08 gives an opportunity to follow up on the lives and issues faced by people aged 17 or 18 in Ireland today. This will help local, national and European policy makers formulate decisions about services for young people and their families. For more information, see Growing up in Ireland Cohort '08.

Crime and Victimisation Survey

The Crime and Victimisation Survey (CVS) gives us a clearer picture of the prevalence of crime and victimisation in Ireland. The most recent survey on this topic by the CSO was undertaken in 2019, so it is important to get an up-to-date view of how crime and victimisation impacts our lives. The CVS measures people’s perceptions about and reactions to crime. Participants are asked to rate their response to a series of questions relating to the impact that crime has on their lives and their opinions on how effectively crime is dealt with in Ireland, see Crime and Victimisation Survey.

Irish Health Survey

The Irish Health Survey (IHS) collects information on the use of health care services, participants’ health status, and health determinants that can impact people’s health such as nutrition and smoking. The survey provides reliable data about the health of people in Ireland, which can then be used in public health policies, see Irish Health Survey.

Pulse Survey

Pulse surveys are quick and easy online surveys that are open to everybody who is 18 years and older living in Ireland to take part. These surveys serve to take the ‘pulse’ of the country regarding particular times, events or issues through the frequent release of short and easy-to-access surveys on digital platforms. The most recent Pulse survey, COVID – Our Lives 5 Years On, is designed to measure the impact of the pandemic on education, work, wellbeing and other aspects of life that may have changed over the last five years. For more information, see Pulse Surveys.

Reuse Survey

The Reuse Survey is designed to give us an accurate picture of how households across the nation reuse and dispose of items, discard waste and are possibly affected by noise and radon pollution. This survey is part of our ongoing series of short surveys offered to citizens on our CSO Survey Panel. For more information, see Reuse Survey.

Information and Communications Technology

The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Household Survey is an annual survey that covers a range of topics related to internet use and use of ICT by households and individuals. The ICT Survey serves as an official source of data on connectivity, human capital, use of internet services, and integration of digital technology in Ireland, and helps us to measure the progress of EU countries towards a digital economy and society. For more information, see ICT Household Survey.

Trust Survey

The purpose of the Trust Survey is to collect information on people’s self-reported interpersonal trust, satisfaction levels with various public services, trust in different public institutions and levels of government. It also sets out to explore the key drivers behind those levels of trust (reliability, responsiveness, integrity, fairness and openness). Data gathered from this survey assists government departments, agencies and others in developing policies and services to enhance trust in public institutions. It will also allow us to learn from international best practices related to trust, measure trust levels over time in Ireland and see how we compare internationally.