Transcript Quality of registers used for the Dutch census Eric Schulte Nordholt Senior researcher and project leader of the Census Statistics Netherlands Division Socio-economic and spatial.

Quality of registers used for the
Dutch census
Eric Schulte Nordholt
Senior researcher and project leader of the Census
Statistics Netherlands
Division Socio-economic and spatial statistics
[email protected]
Presentation at the Expert Group Meeting on Censuses
Using Registers in Geneva (22-23 May 2012)
Contents
• Quality in official statistics
• Register-based statistics compared to statistical
surveys
• Combining research
• Data considerations in the Dutch Census of 2011
• Introduction to the quality framework
• Results Source hyper dimension
• Results Metadata hyper dimension
• Results Data hyper dimension
• Conclusions
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Quality in official statistics
Definition of quality in statistics according to
Eurostat “Code of practice”
Product quality
– Relevance
– Accuracy
– Timeliness and punctuality
– Comparability and coherence
– Accessibility and clarity
Process quality
– Best methods
– Cost efficiency
– Low response burden
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Register-based statistics
compared to statistical surveys
(1)
• Costs (++)
• Response burden (++)
• Relevance (-)
– Not all variables are included in registers
– Less direct control over data content
• Accuracy (0)
• Timeliness (-)
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Register-based statistics
compared to statistical surveys
(2)
Administrative registers offers
• Total coverage at a low cost
– Statistics for small groups possible
(compared to sample surveys)
• Annual (or more frequent) data for all variables
– Annual “censuses”
• To produce statistics based on administrative
data has proved to be efficient
• Register-based statistics have to be
supplemented by information from sample
surveys
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Combining research
Development
of a quality
framework for
administrative
data
Data decisions
on secundary
sources in the
Dutch Virtual
Census of 2011
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Data considerations in the Dutch
Census of 2011 (1)
Last traditional census: 1971
Unwillingness (nonresponse) and reduction of
expenses  no more traditional censuses
Alternative: virtual census
1981 and 1991: Population Register and surveys
Development 90’s: more registers →
2001 and 2011:
integrated set of registers and surveys
European Census Act → hypercubes
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Data considerations in the Dutch
Census of 2011 (2)
Registers:
Population Register (PR), >16.6 million records
Jobs file, containing all employees
Self-employed file, containing all self-employed
Unemployment Benefit Register (UR)
Social Security Register (SR)
Education Register (ER)
New Housing Register (HR)
Surveys:
Survey on Employment and Earnings (SEE) stopped
Labour Force Survey (LFS)
Housing survey (HS)
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Introduction to the quality
framework
METADATA:
Focuses on the
SOURCE: - Focus on data source as a whole
(availability of the)
- Contact information related
information required to
- Delivery related aspects
understand and use the
- and more
data in the data source
DATA:
- Technical checks
- Accuracy related
issues
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Results Source hyper dimension
Low frequency
of delivery
Suffers
Purpose
seriously from dataprovider
selective
unclear
undercoverage
Important
variables
are
missing
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Results Metadata
hyperdimension
Time period in
source can’t be
transferred easily
to the time point
needed
Time differences
in reporting
periods
Unique
keys
can’t be
easily
used for
linking
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Results Data hyper dimension completeness
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Results Data hyper dimension –
accuracy
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Results Data hyper dimension –
accuracy
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Conclusions
Quality of official statistics is an important aspect,
especially when use is made of integrated data
The virtual census has proved to be a successful
concept in the Netherlands
The quality framework is a useful tool for making
data decisions in the virtual census
The quality study will be extended to be able to
determine how all census variables will be derived
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