Living conditions among immigrants

During the period August 2015 to June 2016, Statistics Norway will be conducting a survey on living conditions among immigrants who have been living in Norway for more than two years. The survey is funded by the Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion.

The results will be compared with the living conditions of the general population and the situation among immigrants ten years ago. The results will be used to compile official statistics, which will be accessible to everyone via ssb.no in May 2017.

A total of 9 500 immigrants have been randomly selected from the Central Population Register to answer questions on the following, among other things:

• family in Norway and background from country of origin
• own health
• work and working environment
• housing and living situation
• sense of belonging
• inclusion and discrimination
• religion
• language skills
• attitudes and values

Immigrants from the following twelve countries are included in the survey: Turkey, Poland, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Somalia, Sri-Lanka, Vietnam, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Eritrea.

Have you been selected to take part?

The survey comprises persons with a background from the following twelve countries: Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Eritrea, Iraq, Iran, Kosovo, Pakistan, Poland, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Vietnam.

A random selection of approximately 650 people from each country was drawn from the Central Population Register. Those selected have been living in Norway for at least two years. A further 1 800 were selected among those born in Norway to two parents who immigrated from Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Pakistan or Turkey.

The selected participants will receive information on the survey in the post.

How do I respond?

A few days after receiving the information from us in the post, one of our interviewers will call you to arrange an appointment for an interview. The interview will take just less than an hour, but the time will vary from person to person, according to your work situation, state of health and living habits. You do not need to make any advance preparations.

The interview can be conducted in Norwegian, English or your native language, and can take place at your home or another suitable location of your choosing, such as a library or cafe. The interview can also be conducted over the telephone if you prefer.

Everyone who participates will receive a gift voucher worth NOK 300. The gift voucher can be used throughout Norway in most types of outlets. More details are available at presentkort.no.

Please contact us if you have any questions, or if you want to arrange a time for the interview and inform us of your language preference.

Have you not heard from us?

If you have not been contacted by one of our interviewers it may be because we were unable to find your telephone number. In this case, please get in touch and give us a number we can contact you on.

Why should I take part in this survey?

Statistics Norway has the main responsibility for producing official statistics on Norwegian society. The data is collected from public registers and interviews. In the survey on living conditions among persons with an immigrant background, Statistics Norway asks questions on various aspects of life in Norway.

We cannot replace you with someone else if you do not participate. Each person who is selected represents a larger group of people. In order to obtain an accurate picture of life among persons with an immigrant background in Norway, all groups must be included in the statistics. As many people as possible should therefore answer. If, for example, many women do not respond, we will have less reliable data on how women live. It is therefore important that men and women, young and old, and people in all walks of life answer.

We protect your privacy

The survey is conducted pursuant to the Statistics Act and the Personal Data Act. Everyone working in Statistics Norway is bound by confidentiality. The information collected will only be used for statistical and research purposes and will never be disclosed or published in such a way that shows how individuals have responded.

Web page on privacy protection (http://www.ssb.no/omssb/personvern)