Household finance and consumption
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Household Finance and Consumption Survey 2026
What is the aim of the survey?
The Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS) is primarily aimed at collecting data on household wealth (assets and liabilities), income, consumption and financial obligations.
The HFCS is conducted on a mandatory basis in all European Union (EU) Member States. From 2026 onwards, the survey will be conducted in accordance with Guideline (EU) 2025/333 of the European Central Bank of 31 January 2025 on statistical information to be reported on household wealth, income and consumption. In Slovakia, the survey is conducted by the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS) in contractual cooperation with the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic.
When and where will the survey be conducted?
The survey is being conducted in Slovakia for the sixth time.
Data collection will take place from 12 October 2026 to 31 April 2027 and will be carried out in two phases:
- 12 October to 31 December 2026 – by means of an online questionnaire, with the option of a personal interview;
- 4 January to 31 April 2027 – through personal visits by an interviewer.
Based on a random sample, 4,160 households in 322 municipalities have been selected to participate in the 2026 survey.
Who will answer the questions?
The respondents to the survey are members of the selected households.
What will we ask?
TThe survey covers topics relating primarily to household finances, including, for example, ownership of real estate and other assets, loans, investments, savings, income and expenditure.
How are the hosuehold data provided to the Office protected?
All collected data are used exclusively for the needs of state statistics, are confidential and protected according to the Slovak and European legislation.
The final statistical information is always published in an aggregated form and the data on a specific household and on persons is non-identifiable from them
Can the respondent refuse to fill out the questionnaire?
National legislation imposes an obligation on the selected respondent to provide the required information, pursuant to Act No. 540/2001 Coll. on state statistics in the current version.
Pursuant to Decree No. 425/2023 Coll. of the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic, issuing the Programme of State Statistical Surveys for 2024–2026, as amended, the Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS 1-93) is included among state statistical surveys and is conducted using statistical questionnaires HFCS/A 1-93, HFCS/B 1-93 and HFCS/C 1-93.
We thank all respondents who participate in the surveys. By taking part, they help improve our understanding of social and economic issues and contribute to obtaining high-quality and reliable statistical information. Their participation thus contributes to identifying appropriate solutions and supporting positive change.
How will the questionnaire be completed? How will the survey be conducted?
- The Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic will contact the selected household in writing, by means of a letter providing information about its inclusion in the survey. The letter will include the name of the interviewer, i.e. the person responsible for conducting the survey on behalf of the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic, as well as their email address and telephone number.
- A selected household may verify whether the contact is genuinely related to a survey conducted by the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic and whether the household has been selected for participation by contacting the heads of the eight regional workplaces of the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. Their contact details are also provided in the accompanying letter or in the following table:
Contacts of the heads of departments responsible for field surveys in the regions of the Slovak Republic format (XLSX 24 kB) or format (ODS 17 kB) . - For households randomly selected for the first phase of data collection, i.e. the online questionnaire from 12 October to 31 December 2026, the contact person specified in the letter provides methodological assistance with completing the questionnaire and resolving login-related issues. The contact person can also arrange a personal visit by an interviewer if completing the online questionnaire is not possible or if, while completing the online questionnaire, the household decides that it would prefer a personal interview.
- Login credentials will be provided to the selected households by employees of the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic.
- The online questionnaire is available at: https://blaise.statistics.sk/ru26/
- During the second phase of data collection, from 4 January to 31 April 2027, conducted through personal visits by an interviewer, the household will also be contacted by letter. The letter will specify the name of the interviewer, i.e. the person responsible for conducting the survey on behalf of the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic, together with their email address and telephone number. The letter will also specify the exact date and time of the interviewer's visit to the household. During this phase of data collection, the online questionnaire will not be available.
- During the personal visit, the interviewer representing the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic will present official authorisation to conduct the survey.
- The relevant municipality or city will also be informed separately about the implementation of the survey and will assist in addressing respondents' questions.
When and where will the results be available, and where can I find the outputs from previous waves?
All results are published in various formats on the National Bank of Slovakia website.