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4. Adult Education Survey 2006

The Adult Education Survey 2006 was carried out jointly by the Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat) and Statistics Finland. For this survey a total of 4,370 persons resident in Finland and aged 18 to 64 were interviewed in March-July of 2006. The response rate of this survey was 65 per cent. The survey was carried out as face-to-face interviews with and average length of about 55 minutes. The gross sample consisted of 6,800 persons.

Women responded to the survey slightly more than men (the response rates were 66 and 63 per cent, respectively). Persons with tertiary level education and persons living in rural municipalities were clearly more likely to participate than persons with secondary and basic level education and persons living in semi-urban and urban municipalities. Participation was the lowest in the Province of Southern Finland.

The survey’s sections are:

  • background data (i.a. education, occupation, work, family)

  • data describing participation in education (forms of education: adult education and training, adult education and training related to occupation and work, personnel training, other adult education and training, education leading to a qualification)

  • contents of received adult education and training

  • self-directed studying

  • on-the-job learning, learning and development opportunities offered by work

  • use of professional literature

  • view on the benefits of education and training, obstacles to education and training, experienced need for education and interest in education

  • use of IT

  • knowledge of foreign languages

  • cultural hobbies and societal participation.

The survey data are available for use to researchers at the university level upon presentation of a license to use the data and a research plan. Instructions on how to apply for a license to statistical data are available on Statistics Finland’s Internet home pages (http://www.tilastokeskus.fi/meta/tietosuoja/kayttolupa_en.html).

Previous Adult Education Surveys have been carried out jointly by the Ministry of Education and Statistics Finland in 1980, 1990, 1995 and 2000. A report has been published on the Adult Education Survey 2000 (Blomqvist, Ruuskanen, Niemi and Nyyssönen: Participation in adult education and training in Finland. Adult Education Survey 2000. Education 2002:5. Statistics Finland).

Eurostat will publish results from the European Adult Education Survey (EU-AES) during 2008 and 2009.


Source: Adult Education Survey 2006, Statistics FinlandAikuiskoulutustutkimus 2006, Tilastokeskus

Inquiries: Kirsti Pohjanpää (09) 1734 2604, Helena Niemi (09) 1734 2488, Timo Ruuskanen (09) 1734 3620

Director in charge: Riitta Harala


Updated 31.12.2008

Referencing instructions:

Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Participation in adult education [e-publication].
ISSN=2489-6926. Duration and content of education and training 2006, 4. Adult Education Survey 2006 . Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 20.4.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/aku/2006/02/aku_2006_02_2008-12-31_kat_004_en.html