Adult education survey
Information on data details relevant for research project proposals
- Region: removed
- REFMONTH: recoded into quarters
- LOCNACE: aggregated to 1-digit level of NACE
- Citizen, birthplace: aggregated into 3 groups (national, another EU country, non-EU country)
- Birthfather, birthmother: aggregated into 3 groups (national, another EU country, non-EU country) (2016 AES)
- HATLEVEL, DROPLEVEL, FEDLEVEL:
- ISCED 1997 level 5 and 6 conflated (2007 and 2011 AES)
- ISCED 2011 level 7 and 8 conflated (2016 AES)
Description of the data collection
Scope of the survey
The Adult Education Survey (AES) covers adult participation in education and training (formal, non-formal and informal learning) and is one of the main data sources for EU lifelong learning statistics.
Data collection
The survey covers the resident population aged 25-64. The 12 months before the interview are used as the reference point for participation in education and training
The survey provides the following information:
- participation in formal education, non-formal education and training and informal learning
- characteristics of the learning activities
- volume of instruction hours
- reasons for and obstacles to participation
- access to information on learning possibilities
- employer financing and costs of learning
- self-reported language skills
Available time series
The survey was carried out in 2007, 2011 and 2016. Results are available in the database. The next survey is planned for 2022.
Available microdata
Please consult our glossary for an explanation on the country codes used below.
2007 AES (pilot survey)
The first wave of the survey is referred to as 2007 AES and took place between 2005 and 2008 in 29 countries which are either EU countries, candidate countries or European Free Trade Area (EFTA) countries. It was a pilot project set up within a common EU framework to provide a methodological manual, including a standard questionnaire and quality reporting.
The 2007 AES scientific use files include 26 national datasets:
BE, BG, CZ, DK, DE, EE, EL, ES, FR, HR, IT, CY, LV, LT, HU, NL, AT, PL, PT, RO, SI, SK, FI, SE, UK, and NO.
The total net sample size is around 183 000 individuals.
Ireland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, and Iceland did not take part in 2007 AES. Malta, Switzerland, and Türkiye carried out the survey, but the data from these 3 countries are not available in the scientific use files because the national authorities did not allow the data to be disseminated.
2011 AES
The second AES data collection, referred to as 2011 AES, took place in 2011 and 2012. It was the first one carried out in accordance with EU legislation and 31 countries took part.
The 2011 AES scientific use files include microdata from 30 countries:
BE, BG, CZ, DK, DE, EE, IE, EL, ES, FR, IT, CY, LV, LT, LU, HU, MT, NL, AT, PL, PT, RO, SI, SK, FI, SE, UK, NO, CH, and RS.
The total net sample size is around 225 000 individuals. Some national samples include individuals aged less than 25 or more than 64, and these are included in the anonymised microdata.
Croatia, Iceland, and Liechtenstein did not take part in 2011 AES. Türkiye conducted an AES in 2012, but the data are not available in the scientific use files because the national authorities did not allow the data to be disseminated.
2016 AES
The third AES data collection, referred to as 2016 AES, took place in 2016 and 2017 and 35 countries took part.
The 2016 AES scientific use files include microdata from 33 countries:
BE, BG, CZ, DK, DE, EE, IE, EL, ES, FR, HR, IT, CY, LV, LT, LU, HU, MT, NL, AT, PL, PT, RO, SI, SK, FI, SE, UK, NO, CH, MK, BA, and RS.
The total net sample size is around 240 000 individuals. Some national samples include individuals aged less than 25 or more than 64, and these are included in the anonymised microdata.
Iceland and Liechtenstein did not take part in 2016 AES. Albania and Türkiye conducted an AES in 2016, but the data are not available in the scientific use files because the national authorities did not allow the data to be disseminated.