Islanders are at the heart of Jersey and their opinions matter. Every year Statistics Jersey asks about the experiences and opinions of Islanders to help inform Government policy. Since 2005, this survey has given tens of thousands of Islanders the opportunity to share what life is like for them and play their part in shaping Jersey’s future.
Latest survey information
The survey is currently closed.
The most recent JOLS survey was JOLS 2024. JOLS 2025 will begin collection in June 2025.
How we select people to take part
Only households specifically chosen can complete the survey. This is to ensure that we have a random, unbiased group of people that truly represents Jersey.
We use a comprehensive list of addresses to invite around 3,500 households to take part in JOLS. Only one person per household should complete the survey; to get a good mix of ages responding, we ask the householder with the next birthday, and who is 16 years or older, to complete it.
Once an address has been selected to participate in JOLS, it isn’t selected again for at least three years.
How the data is used and past reports
Data collected in JOLS is used only for statistical purposes. Individual responses are aggregated and only this grouped data is used to produce statistics. Statistical techniques are used to ensure that individuals cannot be identified by any published statistics based on JOLS.
Reports using this survey data can be found on our release calendar.
How the questions are chosen
The survey collects detailed information on a wide range of social issues about Jersey. It provides everyone in the Island with a better understanding of life in Jersey, primarily so that policy decisions can be made from a more informed standpoint.
Individual Government departments and other non-government organisations may request topics to be included in the questionnaire. These requests are considered by Statistics Jersey, assisted by an advisory panel. The final decision on which topics and questions are included is made by the Chief Statistician. Statistics Jersey independently runs the survey, undertakes the analysis, and publishes the results
Questions are included in the survey for one of three distinct purposes:
- to provide benchmark data or to measure change
- to provide information to assist the development of policy
- to gauge public opinion
The survey has a set of core questions covering demographics, economic activity and household structure to ensure that key census variables can be monitored annually. Several of the regular questions are designed to feed into the Island Outcome Indicators (IOIs).
See the list of topics covered in previous survey in contents of past surveys: