Public Health Survey 2026

In April 2026, a selected group of residents of Vestland aged 18 and over will be invited to take part in the Public Health Survey. The survey is online, and those who are selected will receive an invitation by SMS or email.

The Public Health Survey 2026 in Vestland is a collaboration between the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and Vestland County Council. The results will show the state of health, well-being and quality of life among the adult population in Vestland. The data will be useful for both the municipalities and the county council.

What do we ask about?

The survey questions cover various factors that affect health and quality of life within the following themes:

  • local neighbourhood and housing conditions
  • lifestyle habits
  • social support and quality of life
  • physical and mental health

More about the Public Health Survey on the Norwegian Institute of Public Health’s website.

It is safe to respond

We protect your privacy. Responses from the survey are stored and processed in accordance with applicable data protection regulations. It will not be possible to identify individuals in the statistics.

Questions and answers

The survey in Vestland starts on Thursday 16 April and runs until 28 April 2026.

The Public Health Survey 2026 will be sent to a selected group of residents of Vestland aged 18 and over. Only those who receive an invitation by email or SMS can respond.

The public health surveys provide new and unique local knowledge about how residents themselves perceive their own quality of life, well-being and health. The questions cover various factors that influence public health: the local environment, mobility, work, housing, accessibility, injuries and lifestyle habits. This knowledge is important for the county council and the municipalities when planning and developing good local communities and more relevant services and measures for the population.

Knowledge and statistics from the survey will be shared with politicians and employees in the municipalities and the county council, as well as with researchers. Voluntary organisations, clubs and associations may also benefit from the results.

The county council is also responsible for keeping an overview of the health status and influencing factors in the county, pursuant to the Public Health Act Section 21 and the Regulation on overview of public health. Public health surveys like this are a tool for maintaining that overview.

Participation is voluntary, but we encourage everyone who is invited to respond to the survey. Your responses provide valuable knowledge for your municipality.

Participants are randomly selected from the National Population Register.

We already have a solid knowledge base about children and young people through the Ungdata survey. Ungdata is a survey of children and adolescents in which school pupils answer questions about how they are doing and what they do in their spare time. The Ungdata survey is conducted every three to four years and was most recently carried out in Vestland in 2024.

In addition, Vestland County Council, in collaboration with the City of Bergen, carried out the Child Families Panel (Barnefamiliepanelet) survey last year. It was sent to all families with children in the county in May 2025.

The information participants provide will be processed in accordance with applicable data protection regulations. This applies to everyone who is granted access to the collected data. Access is strictly regulated—both in terms of who may access the data and which data different users are allowed to access.

If you change your mind after responding to the survey, you may withdraw your consent at any time. If you want your data to be deleted, please visit the Norwegian Institute of Public Health’s website to find the correct form: Your participant rights in the Public Health Survey in the counties” (FHI).