Adult Education Survey (household survey)

The Adult Education Survey (AES) is a pan-European personal survey coordinated by Eurostat, which examines the state of lifelong learning in the context of formal education, training, and self-directed learning. The survey results provide valuable insights at both the national and European levels to understand how many and what types of learning opportunities people utilise, what motivates or hinders them from further education, and whether any societal groups may require additional attention in the context of lifelong learning. Therefore, the survey results are instrumental in shaping national policies on adult education.

Probability survey

Participation in adult education by sex, age group, mother tongue, educational level, region, place of residence, social status and household’s net income; knowledge of foreign languages of population aged 20–64. Adult education is divided into three types: formal studies, in-training, and independent self-development.

Classification of Estonian administrative units and settlements (EHAK);

Estonian Classification of Economic Activities (EMTAK) based on NACE Rev. 2;

Statistical Classification of Regional Units of Estonia;

International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO 08);

International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED 2011);

Classification of Ethnicities;

International Standard Codes for the Representation of the Names of Countries (ISO 3166);

Codes for the Representation of Names of Languages (ISO 639-2)

Not applicable

The definitions are entirely based on the AES guidance materials (see the AES2022 Eurostat Manual and the CLA Manual).

Basic level of computer skills – ability to use word processing and spreadsheet programs, to copy files/folders or change their location, etc.

Blue-collar worker – service and sales workers; skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers; craft and related trade workers; plant and machine operators and assemblers; elementary occupations; armed forces occupations

Expert level of computer skills – ability to write computer programs, solve software and hardware problems if a computer does not work as it should, etc.

Foreign language – a language that is not a mother tongue

Foreign language knowledge – beginner and advanced level knowledge of a foreign language. Beginner level is defined as understanding and being able to use a few words and phrases, even if only to a small extent.

Formal education – basic, general, vocational and higher education. This is an institutionalised, structured form of learning that conforms to specific standards and typically takes place in a school environment based on level curricula. Formal education is purposeful, and it is guided by teachers with specialised preparation and qualifications. Learning objectives derive from the curriculum and the teacher, and the learning process is monitored and evaluated. Formal education is mandatory up to a certain level or age (in Estonia, until the age of 17).

Household – a group of people who live in a common dwelling (at the same address), share joint financial and/or food resources and whose members consider themselves to belong to the same household. A household may also consist of one member only.

Lifelong learning – participation of adults in education, i.e. participation in formal, non-formal, or informal learning

Minimum wage – the nationally established minimum monthly wage in the year of the survey

Mother tongue – the first language that is spoken in early childhood. A person may have more than one mother tongue.

Net income – a total sum of income from wage labour and self-employment, property income, social transfers, regular inter-household cash transfers received, and receipts for tax adjustments, from which inter-household cash transfers paid, taxes on wealth, and repayments for tax adjustments have been subtracted

Net income per household member – the sum of all household members' net incomes divided by the number of household members

Person with below upper secondary education – a person whose highest level of education is preschool education, primary education, basic education, vocational basic education, or vocational education after basic education

Person with tertiary education – a person whose highest level of education is secondary specialised education after secondary education, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral level

Person with upper secondary education – a person whose highest level of education is general secondary education, vocational secondary education, or vocational education after secondary education

Primary sector – agriculture, hunting, forestry, fishing

Proficient level of computer skills – ability to format text, create graphs with spreadsheet programs, install simpler devices and programs, etc.

Rural settlement – a small town and village

Secondary sector – mining and quarrying, manufacturing, electricity, gas and water supply, construction

Self-study (intentional self-development) – also known as informal learning. It is self-directed and pre-planned self-improvement. It encompasses any kind of conscious learning through various activities and communication channels, regardless of time and environment. Informal learning is not structured and lacks direct learning objectives, curriculums, and materials. There is no institution organising the teaching. Informal learning does not include participation in trainings or formal education system studies.

Tertiary sector – trade, services, etc.

Training – courses, seminars, private lessons, or guide-on-the-job training. Also known as non-formal education. Non-formal education is associated with both professional self-improvement and personal interests. It is goal-oriented and institutionalised learning that takes place in various environments outside of formal education. Non-formal learning can be conducted by educational institutions, training companies, employers, and private teachers. Trainings are prepared by the instructor, and there is usually also a training plan.

Urban settlement – a city, city without municipal status, and town

White-collar worker – legislators, senior officials and managers; technicians and associate professionals; clerks

Person

Since 2022, the target population consists of Estonian permanent residents aged 18–69 living in private households. Individuals living in institutional households (e.g. nursing homes, care homes, prisons) are excluded from the target population. The target population includes both people who have participated in education and those who have not. Until 2016 (inclusive), the age range of the target population was 20–64.

Estonia as a whole

2007, 2011, 2016, 2022

Not applicable

The reference period for acquiring education is one year, specifically a 12-month period prior to the time of the interview. As the survey is conducted over a period of 6 months, the responses in the results cover a maximum of an 18-month period. For example, the 2022 survey in Estonia was conducted from 1 July to 31 December 2022. Therefore, the respondents' answers regarding their training experiences cover the period from 1 July 2021 to 31 December 2022.

Data on background characteristics (occupation, workplace, household type, highest education level, health) and language skills are collected as at the time of the interview.

Survey periods:
September 2007 – December 2007;
17 October 2011 – 16 January 2012;
1 July 2016 – 31 December 2016;
1 July 2022 – 31 December 2022.

Official Statistics Act;

Regulation (EC) No 452/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2008 concerning the production and development of statistics on education and lifelong learning;

Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 October 2019 establishing a common framework for European statistics relating to persons and households, based on data at individual level collected from samples, amending Regulations (EC) No 808/2004, (EC) No 452/2008 and (EC) No 1338/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1177/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Regulation (EC) No 577/98 (Text with EEA relevance);

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/256 of 16 December 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council by establishing a multiannual rolling planning (Text with EEA relevance);

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/859 of 4 February 2021 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council by specifying the number and titles of the variables for the data set in the education and training domain (Text with EEA relevance);

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/861 of 21 May 2021 specifying the technical items of the data set and establishing the technical formats for transmission of information on the organisation of a sample survey in the education and training domain pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council (Text with EEA relevance);

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2181 of 16 December 2019 specifying technical characteristics as regards items common to several datasets pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council (Text with EEA relevance);

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2180 of 16 December 2019 specifying the detailed arrangements and content for the quality reports pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council (Text with EEA relevance)

None