How to get access to PIAAC data
Introduction
The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is an OECD survey measuring key information-processing skills in literacy, numeracy and problem solving among the adult population aged 16-65. The first cycle of PIAAC was conducted in three rounds (2011-2012, 2014-2015 and 2017) in 37 countries. The second cycles’ first round has been conducted between 2022 and 2023 in 31 countries and the first international report will be published in December 2024.
It is possible to get access to PIAAC data for research purposes. PIAAC data provide unique opportunities to analyse cognitive skills needed at the labour market and in the society. Moreover, PIAAC data makes it possible to analyse the connection between cognitive skills and a range of variables such as educational attainment, participation in formal and non-formal education, labour market situation, income, health, and the use of skills at work and outside work.
Most countries in the Nordic-Baltic context have annual individual-level register data at their statistical offices. The register data can in most cases be linked to PIAAC data from both cycle one and cycle two.
The availability of PIAAC data linked to registry data expands the analytical potential as it makes it possible to conduct longitudinal studies and thus follow persons with different skill levels over time for example in the education system or in the labour market. By use of registry data for years before PIAAC data are collected, it is for example possible to compare skills measured by grade point average from lower secondary school with skills as adult measured in PIAAC cycle one and two.
PIAAC data alone or linked to register data facilitates a better understanding of issues of relevance for the society including:
- Performance of education and training systems.
- The extent and dimensions of illiteracy and poor literacy.
- Gaps between education and the labour market for different groups.
- Equity in access to education and intergenerational mobility.
- Young people’s transition from education to work.
- Identification of at-risk populations.
- Links between key cognitive skills and variables, such as demographics, educational background, health, etc.
Access to PIAAC data
One of the main objectives of the Nordic-Baltic PIAAC network is to facilitate the use of PIAAC data alone or linked to register data for research purposes. The table below gives overview information about the possibilities to get access to these data.
Possibilities to get access to microdata at individual level from PIAAC alone or linked to national register data.
| Type of data | Organisation giving access | Submit applications and sign confidentiality agreements (yes/no) | Free of charge (yes/no) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public use files from countries conducting PIAAC, including possible suppressions | OECD through the PIAAC webpage | No | Yes |
| National PIAAC data without suppressions | National statistical offices through remote access systems | Yes | It depends on agreements with national research institutes |
| National PIAAC data without suppressions linked to national register data | National statistical offices through remote access systems | Yes | No |
| National PIAAC data without suppressions linked to national register data from two or more Nordic and Baltic countries | From two or more national statistical offices through separate remote access systems | Yes, with each of the national statistical offices in question | No |
In none of the listed types of data, it is possible to directly identify individuals.
The availability of annual individual-level register data for several decades from statistical offices in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, makes it possible to use PIAAC data from cycle one and cycle two linked with register data for research purposes. One exception is that it is not possible to link register data to PIAAC cycle one in Norway. In Latvia, register data are not available.
The sections below give more information about access to different types of data.
Public use files from the two cycles of PIAAC
Microdata on individual level from all countries participating in PIAAC cycle one, except for Australia, is available for downloading from the OECD PIAAC website for data and tools (see Data – PIAAC, the OECD’s programme of assessment and analysis of adult skills). The data is suppressed to a certain extent, so that it is not possible to identify an individual, not even indirectly. This website includes variable descriptions and tools available for analysing data. Data are available in csv format, SAS format and SPSS format. Data from PIAAC cycle two will be available for downloading right after the first international results are published in December 2024.
The OECD webpage also includes a data explorer for PIAAC that makes it possible to create tables with PIAAC results adjusted to user needs by country, see PIAAC – Select Criteria (oecd.org)
Data protection laws for some countries mean that selected variables are not included in the public use files or that part of the information from specific variables are suppressed. For instance, detailed information about country of birth and earnings is missing in some of the countries. The complete list of missing variables for each country in the Nordic-Baltic PIAAC network is available at the OECD PIAAC webpage.
It is not possible to link the public use files with national register data.
Access to national PIAAC alone or linked to register data
At national statistical offices access to individual level microdata is restricted due to data confidentiality. This also applies to PIAAC data alone or PIAAC data linked to registry data. However, it is possible to access de-identified individual level microdata for research or statistical purposes. De-identified data is data where it is not possible to directly identify an individual. However, access to individual level microdata requires an application, which is processed by the national statistical office in question. An application usually contains a description of the purpose of the project, the analyses and variables needed from PIAAC and registers respectively including years of register variables. After the application have been processed, confidentiality agreements are signed, before access to individual level microdata are given.
To request microdata from PIAAC alone or linked to register data, the researcher, project, or person requesting the microdata needs to be affiliated with an organisation in the country from which microdata is requested. The application process differs slightly between countries but in all cases, it requires submission of an application. The specific criteria for each country are available from the national statistical office’s webpage (see links below). In Denmark, use of PIAAC data also require permission from the Ministry of Children and Education.
In most cases, there is a fee for getting access to microdata. In some countries access to national PIAAC data alone is free of charge for national research institutes. Typically, access to microdata is obtained through the national statistical office’s remote access system. In the remote access system, the microdata is displayed on the computer screen and can be processed using the software available in the remote delivery system. Only results can be downloaded to the user’s own computer.
Descriptions of how to access register data is available from the website of each country’s statistical office. Select the country or countries of interest and click on the links below for more detailed information.
Denmark: Data for research (dst.dk)
Estonia: Use of confidential data for scientific purposes (stat.ee)
Finland: Application for a user licence and changes to licences (stat.fi)
Norway: Access to microdata (ssb.no)
Sweden: Ordering microdata (scb.se)
Access to cross-national data
It is possible to access de-identified individual level microdata from PIAAC alone or linked to register data from two or more countries in the Nordic and Baltic region, which makes cross-country comparisons possible. The principles for accessing microdata are the same whether the microdata is requested from one or several countries. The microdata is usually obtained through the national statistical office’s remote access system from each of the countries in question. This means that the researcher, project, or person requesting the microdata must be affiliated with an organization in each of the countries from which microdata are requested. Since the user cannot extract microdata from the remote access system, it is also not possible to process microdata from several countries in a single data set. However, it is often possible to transfer own material to the storage space of the remote delivery system, e.g., scripts needed for the purpose. Thus, the processing of the microdata takes place within the remote access systems of the different countries, the results are downloaded and can then be compared between countries. Under particular circumstances, depending on legislation in each of the Nordic and Baltic countries, it might be possible for the statistical offices to cooperate, so that the requested microdata from two or more countries for a specific Nordic-Baltic research project can be stored in one remote access system at one of the statistical offices.
For more detailed information, use the links to national statistical offices provided above.
Available register data in the Nordic and Baltic countries
Register data from statistical offices in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, and Sweden covers a broad range of areas such as demography, education, labour market, living conditions, businesses, occupations, and income. The national statistical offices have centralized documentation of annual microdata on individual level from surveys and registers available for research. The links to the Metadata from the Statistical offices are available below.
Denmark: Data – Statistics Denmark (dst.dk)
Estonia: ESMS metadata
Finland: Statistics Finland
Norway: Variable lists – SSB
Sweden: Microdata documentation – Statistics Sweden (scb.se), Longitudinal integrated database for health insurance and labour market studies (LISA) (scb.se)
Selected register variables to link with PIAAC
To facilitate analyses based on linked PIAAC and register data, the network has selected examples of register variables that might be fruitful to combine with PIAAC data. Further, the network has created metadata for these variables. The selected registry variables include:
- Education variables.
- Labour market variables.
- Income variables.
When working with register data from different countries, it is important to be aware of the fact that data may not be fully comparable between countries. Differences may be due to different legislation,definitions, categories, reference periods, actuality, and quality issues related to specific variables.
To facilitate the use of linked PIAAC and register data for research, metadata have been compiled for the selected register variables, which are available here; Nordic-Baltic handbook (pdf). It provides an overview of the major differences that may affect country comparisons. The metadata information makes it easier for researchers to make decisions on which register variables to use and to adjust the analyses according to the availability and comparability of information from different countries.
For the majority of the selected register variables the actuality of the information is between 1 and 2 years. For Sweden for example, this means that information about highest completed education in spring 2023 is available in spring 2024 and information on labour force status for November 2023 is available in December 2024. The metadata contains information about definitions of the variables, data source including target population, categories, reference periods, actuality, and a brief overview of quality issues.
