What you should know of the survey on Social Services Entities

The Economic Survey on Social Services Entities is an statistical operation that is part of the Economic Survey on Social Services (Annual Statistical Action Programme 2020, action 05 02 18), implemented by the Law on the Statistical Plan for Catalonia 2017-2020.

These statistics are produced via a collaboration agreement between the Statistical Institute of Catalonia (Idescat) and the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Families.

2. What are its goals?

The main goal is to offer information on the activity and the economic scope of private and non-profit entities as part of the Social Services Accounts in Catalonia.

The specific goals are as follows:

• To provide information in relation to the entities (specifically on the services and staff employed) that has not been included in the directory of the survey to centres.
• To find out about the volume of activity, expenditure and finance of the entities.
• To find out the volume of investment of the entities.

3. Who is it aimed at?

The survey is aimed at a sample of private, socially-oriented entities selected at random and broken down by whether they are included in the directory of the survey to centres, according to the number of services provided and according to the target population for services.

The sample is taken from the entities on the Register of Social Entities, Services and Establishments (RESES) of the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Families on November 2019.

4. When is the data collected?

The field operation will take place between the months of October and December 2020.

5. How can the survey be answered?

Data collection will be by means of the CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interview) system using an electronic questionnaire

The social services entities have received a letter or e-mail signed by the directors of Idescat and the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Families, which specifies the objectives and characteristics of the survey. They are also supplied with an Internet address in order to be able to answer the survey (with a user name and password).

6. Is it compulsory to respond?

In accordance with Chapter V of Law 23/1998, 30 December, on Statistics in Catalonia (and given the public nature of the statistics included in the Statistical Plan for Catalonia), collaboration from the population and the businesses in answering surveys is obligatory.

The goal of the compulsory response is to ensure an adequate quota of answers and as such more reliable statistical results, as expressed in Article 38 of Law 23/1998, 30 December, on Statistics in Catalonia: "All citizens, entities and institutions are obliged by law to offer the information requested of them, and this information must be complete and true."

7. How well protected is the survey information?

Data of an individual nature from the surveys is covered by statistical confidentiality in the terms established by Law 23/1998, 30 December, on Statistics in Catalonia.

As such, the individualised data gathered in the questionnaires may not be made public or be communicated to any person or entity, or to the public administrations (unless they are also bound by statistical confidentiality).

In this regard, all Idescat staff and that of other bodies that participate in official statistics in Catalonia make a solemn declaration of the preservation of statistical confidentiality and face severe penalties if they violate it.

Similarly, the obligation to preserve statistical confidentiality is extended to the publication of results. As such, both Idescat and other bodies in the Statistical System of Catalonia take special care to avoid the detection of data of an individual nature in the information that is published in tables.

8. Where can I find the survey results?

The results will be published during the first half of 2021 on the Idescat website.

9. Where can I request more information?

During the field operation, a telephone line will be available as well as an email address exclusively for dealing with any doubts or queries in relation with the survey:

• Telephone: +34 935 573 090
• E-mail address: serveissocials at idescat dot cat