# CSO SLIC Survey. My household has been selected, am I legally obliged to participate?



## vandriver (10 Jun 2013)

CSO SURVEY ON INCOME AND LIVING CONDITIONS

My household has been selected to complete this survey which involves an hour long survey with a field operative at my home. I am requested to have pay slips, P60s etc ready.

Simple question; do I have to take this survey (ie am I legally required) ?

Edit:The title should say SILC survey!!


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## WizardDr (10 Jun 2013)

The Statistics Act 1993 is legal basis. There is a voluntary disclosure inder s24 and an obligation. S26 provides for an obligatiory requirement.

These are different. Yours may be s26.

They have an obligation about confidentiality.

Does that help?


24.
 Invitation to provide information on a voluntary basis.

26.
 Direction to provide information.

27.
 Persons required to provide


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## dereko1969 (10 Jun 2013)

[broken link removed]

_The Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) is an annual survey conducted by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) to obtain information on the income and living conditions of different types of households. The survey also collects information on poverty and social exclusion. A representative random sample of households throughout the country is approached to provide the required information. *The survey is voluntary from a respondents perspective; nobody can be compelled to co-operate*. The 2003 survey, the first in the series, commenced on June 16th 2003._
_This survey will be conducted throughout the European Union as the European Council and the Commission has given high priority to fight against poverty and social exclusion. The European Union requires comparable and timely statistics to monitor this process._
_Data is required in both cross-sectional (pertaining to a given time in a certain time period) and longitudinal (pertaining to individual-level changes over time) dimensions. Therefore certain households will be surveyed on an annual basis._

I think these surveys are hugely valuable to society and in a way are a bit like jury service, no one wants to do it but it behoves us to do so, and if everyone decided not to partake where would we be?


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## STEINER (10 Jun 2013)

I did this survey a few months back on behalf of an elderly relative who was ill.  I was actually baby-sitting the house as the front door had just been painted and it was open to dry.  The survey guy had knocked on the door before and a niece was a bit dubious about the survey.  It was no big deal, just questions about income, spending, savings, lifestyle, housing etc etc.  He just had a list of random house numbers that he had to survey on his laptop and submit to the CSO in Cork.


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## SarahMc (11 Jun 2013)

I've done this too, and the quarterly household survey. I was never asked for P60s etc, just took me at my word.


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