Frequently Asked Questions

What is the International Survey of Adult Skills?

The International Survey of Adult Skills is one of the largest international surveys of adult skills ever conducted. The survey is being conducted across 32 countries in the current round of interviews.

These countries include:

Over 250,000 adults across 38 countries participated in the first round of the survey between 2010 and 2017.

The information collected by ISAS is important for policymakers, educators, and researchers trying to develop educational and training policies and programmes to improve adults' skills. The information collected will be compared with the results from other countries that are participating in the research.

ISAS collects information about:

• your experiences of education and work
• how you use skills in everyday life
• your thoughts on society
• your background including ethnicity
• your perception of your health

There are also some activities to complete which look at reading skills, number skills and problem solving skills in a real life context.

Who will contact me?

A representative from Kantar Public or NatCen will contact you to arrange a convenient time to complete the interview. They will carry a card which looks like the one below:

What do I get for taking part?

Everyone who takes part in the survey will receive a Love2Shop gift card to say thank you for your time. For more information about the Love2Shop gift cards and where they can be used, or to check the balance on your card, please visit their website at https://www.love2shop.co.uk/

How long does the survey take to complete?

The time taken to complete the survey varies for each person but on average it will take around 1 hour 45 minutes.

Do I need to prepare?

No, none of the questions we ask need you to have any prior knowledge of a topic or prepare anything in advance.

Do I have to answer the questions?

Taking part is voluntary. You can choose which information you are happy to provide during the interview – you do not need to share anything you are uncomfortable with.

Who are Kantar Public and NatCen?

Kantar Public and NatCen are both independent social research organisations. You can find more information about them at the following websites if you would like to learn more:

• Kantar Public
• NatCen

How did you get my details?

Your address was selected at random from a list of private household addresses held by the Royal Mail. We are only able to use these selected addresses, so we really do hope that you will take part - we are not able to speak to anybody else.

If anybody in the household is eligible, one adult will be selected to participate when our interviewer visits your address. The person will be selected at random, as this is the only way that we can be sure that we end up speaking to a truly representative group of people across England. We will always ask permission from a parent or guardian before interviewing anyone under the age of 18.

Have you sent anything explaining more about the research?

We sent a letter to your household which explained more about the research and who we are, with an accompanying leaflet. The letter would have looked like the one below:

How will the results be used?

This survey will provide the Department for Education with the information it needs about adult skills, so it can assess how its policies are working and what changes may help to improve policies in the future.

The survey is being conducted in over 30 countries across the world which means the Government will be able to compare England with these other countries.