CBS will never just show up at your door

Statistics Netherlands (CBS) will never visit you or call you unannounced

Is there somebody from CBS on the phone or at your door?

We regularly ask people living in the Netherlands to take part in one of our surveys. We will usually ask you to complete an online questionnaire. However, we may also call you or visit you at home for a face-to-face interview. This allows us to collect information from as many different people as possible and produce reliable statistics.

How can you know for sure that this is a CBS survey?

CBS will always send a letter first, to explain which survey you have been invited to take part in, what you will need to do and where you can ask questions. It will also tell you whether we will call you or visit you at home.

An interview at home

A CBS staff member will always be able to identify themselves with a CBS ID card and may visit you during the day or in the evening from Monday to Saturday. If you are not at home, they will leave a note in your letterbox.

A telephone interview

You may be called between 9.00 and 21.00 from Monday to Saturday. When a CBS staff member calls you, they will ask you a few questions to check whether you are the person who has been invited to take part in the survey.

Unsure?

If you are unsure whether it really is a CBS survey or a CBS staff member, you can call CBS on 045 570 64 00. We are available Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 17.00.

Improving our telephone interviews

For training and quality assurance purposes, we sometimes record phone calls or have a CBS staff member listen in. You will always be informed when this happens. You may also indicate that you would prefer to take part without the call being recorded. We guarantee that any recordings made are handled confidentially and securely. If you have any questions about this, please contact CBS on 045 570 64 00. We are available on Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 17.00.

Want to know more about face-to-face interviews?

Click here to read the article ‘Waarom is meedoen aan CBS-onderzoek belangrijk?’ (only in Dutch), in which a CBS staff member explains why we sometimes visit people at home.