Household crime is at its lowest level since 1998. How do we know this? Because you told us.

The facts we get directly from you are used to make policy decisions, so if you are asked to take part in one of our household surveys, please do.

It’s true, because you told us.

We can gain a true picture of how our nation is doing thanks to the information you give us in CSO surveys. So, when we produce a statistic, you’ll know it’s a true fact, because you told us.

How do I know if an interviewer is from the CSO?

All CSO field staff carry an official CSO identity card with their picture and contact details.

How is my information recorded?

• Computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI): if your household is chosen, you could be interviewed, briefly, in your home, and the interviewer will record your answers on a tablet computer.
• Telephone-assisted personal interview (TAPI): some surveys need a follow-up phone call three months later to update your answers. You will know it is us calling because the CSO’s phone number will appear on your phone’s screen – 021 601 8989.
  If we can’t reach you on your mobile phone after three attempts, we’ll send you a text message inviting you to call us back on Lo Call 1890 998 958 or 021 601 8989.

How do I know my information is secure?

The CSO takes security very seriously. We guarantee the anonymity of every respondent and confidentiality of survey answer we receive from people generous enough to help us compile our statistics. We’d like to thank you for your trust in us.

We take every precaution to ensure the security of the information that we collect. For example, the hard discs of all CSO tablet computers are encrypted to the highest industry standard. Those tablets also have a layered system of passwords to prevent unauthorised access and all data is transmitted from the tablet to CSO headquarters via a secure and encrypted data tunnel.

We make sure that the results of each survey are published in aggregate format only. Personal data at household/individual level is never published which means it is impossible for individuals or households to be identified. This confidentiality is guaranteed by law under the Statistics Act, 1993.

Because confidentiality is so important to our work we have developed a CSO Code of Practice on Statistical Confidentiality.

For more information about our surveys and how your data will be used, please contact us:

Email: households@cso.ie
Tel: (021) 453 5626
LoCall: 1890 252 293