By April 2027, residents of 322 towns and villages in Slovakia may be approached with a survey about income, savings, and debts. This is part of the sixth wave of a Europe-wide study conducted by the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS) and the Statistical Office (Štatistický úrad SR) (Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic).
For participation, 4160 households across the country were randomly selected. We explain what this survey is, whether you can refuse, and how safe it is.
What is this survey and why is it conducted?
This is an international project Zisťovanie o financiách a spotrebe domácností (HFCS) (Household Finance and Consumption Survey), coordinated by the European Central Bank. It is conducted every few years in all eurozone countries to get a real picture of the financial situation of residents, not just average economic indicators.
Unlike data on average wages, this study shows:
how much people really save;
what assets they have (real estate, investments);
how big their debts are (mortgages, loans);
how they cope with unexpected financial difficulties.
The collected information helps the government and the National Bank make decisions based on real life — for example, to assess which population groups suffer most from inflation or rising interest rates.
Is participation in the survey mandatory?
Yes, for the selected households participation is mandatory. This is regulated by the Slovak law "On State Statistics" (Zákon č. 540/2001 Z. z. o štátnej štatistike) (Law No. 540/2001 Coll. on State Statistics).
Although the invitation from the Statistical Office says "a request for cooperation," the law does not allow refusal for those included in the sample.
How will the survey be conducted and what will be asked?
The process consists of two stages.
From October 12 to December 31, 2026: selected households will receive an invitation letter with instructions to complete an online questionnaire.
From January 4 to April 30, 2027: for those who did not complete the questionnaire online, a Statistical Office employee will visit in person to conduct an interview.
The letter will definitely include the name and contact details of the interviewer. If you have doubts, you can call the relevant regional office of the Statistical Office to verify that it is not a scam.
Main topics of questions:
Income: salary, business income, social benefits.
Property: ownership of real estate, cars, other valuable assets.
Savings and investments: bank deposits, stocks, pension savings.
Consumption: main household expense items.
How safe and anonymous is it?
Government bodies guarantee full confidentiality. All collected data are processed anonymously and used exclusively for statistical and research purposes, as assured by the National Bank.
From the published results, it will be impossible to identify the financial situation of a specific family or person. Data are protected according to Slovak and European legislation, including GDPR.
The results of the current study are planned to be published by the National Bank of Slovakia during 2028. The previous wave, for example, showed that almost every fourth Slovak family lives "from paycheck to paycheck," without sufficient financial reserves.
