Award-winning Project To Develop New Statistical Approach

Every ten years, EUROSTAT asks in a Europe-wide survey how much time people spend on various activities – such as paid work, housework, caring for the family, social life, travel and leisure time. Every five years, another statistical survey asks how people handle their income and what they spend money on. Those who have taken part in such EUROSTAT initiatives have had to record their answers in pen and paper or in simple computer diaries. Intelligent applications ( Smart Surveys ) are now to be developed and tested in practice. Seven European countries are involved in the Smart Survey Implementation joint projectinvolved. In addition to the German Statistical Office (Destatis), the University of Mannheim is the only German institution to be involved.

The financing of the Mannheim sub-project amounts to more than 200,000 euros for the next two years. The project will start on May 1, 2023. In addition to Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, France, Italy and Slovenia are also involved in the project.

“We want to bring the previous survey methods into the 21st century and enable daily entries using a smartphone app,” explains the study leader of the Mannheim sub-project, Prof. Dr. Florian Keusch, Chair of Data Science and Methodology at the University of Mannheim.

The advantages of surveys conducted on smartphones are obvious: Data entry is more accurate because entries can be made promptly instead of having to think about them on the sofa in the evening. In addition, smartphones have sensors and tools that make data entry easier: the geo-position of the user is determined automatically, invoices can simply be photographed.

But the big problem is the acceptance of such an app. This is where the Mannheim sub-project comes in: “We want to test on a large scale whether the different population groups in Germany are willing to download an app from the Federal Statistical Office and use it for official statistics,” says Keusch. In a first step of the project, the potential obstacles are therefore inquired about. With these findings, it is planned in a second step to test strategies on how best to convince users of the advantages of digital processes.

The other six participating countries partly have a different starting point. Digital pioneers like Norway are already much further ahead when it comes to app usage. The official system there has long been digitized. And in the Netherlands, interviewers are allowed to help respondents download such an app. This type of assistance is not possible in Germany. The study should therefore be adapted to the national requirements. “Ultimately, EUROSTAT expects uniform results from us, which will mean that in a few years the Smart Surveys methods will be standard everywhere,” summarizes the Mannheim study leader.