Transcript UN Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses: Results of the Survey on Proposed Changes for the 2020 Census Round Session 3 United Nations.

UN Principles and Recommendations for
Population and Housing Censuses:
Results of the Survey on Proposed
Changes for the 2020 Census Round
Session 3
United Nations Statistics Division
United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Revising the Principles and Recommendations for Population
and Housing Censuses
New York, 29 October – 1 November 2013
Background

International census guidelines provide standardized
methodological guidelines to census-taking
o Principles and Recommendations for Population and
Housing Censuses
o Handbooks and technical reports

Developed for each census round through consultative
process involving experts from countries, UN regional
commissions, and other international and regional
organizations
United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Revising the Principles and Recommendations for Population
and Housing Censuses
New York, 29 October – 1 November 2013
Background (contd.)

International methodological guidelines based on national
best practices in census taking

Review of national experiences, therefore, precedes
development of international standards

As 2010 census round ends in 2014, international community
starts developing international standards for censuses of the
2020 round, using 2010 round experiences as valuable input

Based on results of an international programme review on
the 2010 World Population and Housing Census Programme,
UN Statistical Commission in 2012 welcomed early initiation
of work for the third revision of the Principles and
Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses
United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Revising the Principles and Recommendations for Population
and Housing Censuses
New York, 29 October – 1 November 2013
Survey to Solicit Input of Countries

May 2013 UNSD conducted a world-wide survey on
what should be enhanced, revised, added to, or deleted
from, the next revision of United Nations Principles and
Recommendations for Population and Housing
Censuses

9 questions on questionnaire

Responses from 40 countries and some organizations
United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Revising the Principles and Recommendations for Population
and Housing Censuses
New York, 29 October – 1 November 2013
Structure and/or Balance of Content

Mixed suggestions, but overall no changes needed in
the structure
o Satisfied with current structure and content
o Satisfied with current structure, but suggest some
changes to content to take into account contemporary
practices in census taking
- innovations in methodology and technology

Welcome revision of the United Nations Principles and
Recommendations, but urge for collaboration with
regional revisions
United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Revising the Principles and Recommendations for Population
and Housing Censuses
New York, 29 October – 1 November 2013
What to Change in View of 2010 Census Experiences

What to change in the current global P&R in terms of
additions, expansions and deletions, also taking into
account experiences of the 2010 census round

Most of the suggested changes relate to augmentation
relative to: (a) emerging census methodologies, (b)
methods of enumeration, (c) contracting out of census
operations, (d) use of technology in censuses, (e)
providing access to micro-data, (f) data confidentiality,
(g) data archiving, (h) estimation of census costs, (i)
data dissemination strategies, (j) quality setting and
management, (k) census evaluation, and (l) census
publicity strategy
United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Revising the Principles and Recommendations for Population
and Housing Censuses
New York, 29 October – 1 November 2013
Innovations in Census Taking
 Use of alternatives to the traditional census
 Innovative methods of data collection
 Use of technology in census operations
United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Revising the Principles and Recommendations for Population
and Housing Censuses
New York, 29 October – 1 November 2013
Planning and Operational Aspects

Contracting out of census operations

Maintaining data confidentiality

Quality setting and management

Census publicity strategy

Estimation of census costs
United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Revising the Principles and Recommendations for Population
and Housing Censuses
New York, 29 October – 1 November 2013
Evaluation, Dissemination and
Utilization

Census evaluation

Dissemination strategies

Providing access to micro-data

Data archiving and preservation
United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Revising the Principles and Recommendations for Population
and Housing Censuses
New York, 29 October – 1 November 2013
On the Definition of Population and Housing
Census and its Key Features
 Generally recommended not to change the definition
 Some suggestions for change due to use of alternative
methodologies
United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Revising the Principles and Recommendations for Population
and Housing Censuses
New York, 29 October – 1 November 2013
Suggested Changes on Core Population and
Housing Topics
 Some countries noted that determining core topics for
international use is problematic due to regional and national
differences, and availability of data from other sources,
e.g., literacy, and household deaths
 Consequently, decision on core topics carefully considered
United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Revising the Principles and Recommendations for Population
and Housing Censuses
New York, 29 October – 1 November 2013
Suggested Changes on Core Population and
Housing Topics (contd.)
 New topics for consideration
o
Environmental and energy-related issues
o
Secondary place of residence
o
Reason for migration
o
Daily commuting
United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Revising the Principles and Recommendations for Population
and Housing Censuses
New York, 29 October – 1 November 2013
Suggested Changes on Core Population and
Housing Topics (contd.)
 Topics on which difficulty experienced
o
Literacy
o
Fertility and mortality topics
o
Disability
o
Same-sex consensual unions
o
Occupation
o
Industry
o
Income
 ICT (suggested to be made non-core)
 Occupancy status of housing units to distinguish between
“holiday home” and “secondary residence”
United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Revising the Principles and Recommendations for Population
and Housing Censuses
New York, 29 October – 1 November 2013
Formulation Questions on Sensitive Topics
 Mixed reaction on whether or not specific recommendations
are needed on formulating questions
o
No need for specific recommendation on formulation (sensitive
topics and relevant information to be collected differ by
country; national experts with local knowledge of what works
are better suited to formulating the questions)
o
Guidelines needed particularly for questions on disability
United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Revising the Principles and Recommendations for Population
and Housing Censuses
New York, 29 October – 1 November 2013
Release of Micro-data

Given high demand for census micro-data, countries
want more guidelines emphasizing on:
o Concerns about privacy, confidentiality, and
impact on public acceptance of census
o Procedures to protect confidentiality of microdata and avoid disclosure of individual, geocoded and small-area data

Some countries want a separate publication of topic

As micro-data dissemination and data confidentiality
are evolving topics, propose to collect and publish good
national practices on UNSD census programme website
United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Revising the Principles and Recommendations for Population
and Housing Censuses
New York, 29 October – 1 November 2013
Data Archiving and Preservation
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
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Countries noted that topic is not included in current P&R
and should be in next reversion because archiving and
preservation
o Are important for detailed analysis by researchers
and academicians
o Are key to sustainability of census products
Need standards on terms, methods of archiving and
preservation of digital census micro-data and related
documentations
Guidelines on archiving of historical census documents
important as technologies change and countries move
from paper, microfilm media to keep records of their data
and documentation
United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Revising the Principles and Recommendations for Population
and Housing Censuses
New York, 29 October – 1 November 2013
Usefulness of Recommended Tabulations
 Two categories of countries
o
o
Found the tabulations very useful
Important for harmonization of census outputs
among countries
However, trend is making available detailed
census data through user-friendly databases
Tabulations not relevant
National tabulations
Regional tabulations
 May have tabulations available on UNSD census
programme website instead of as part of the publication
United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Revising the Principles and Recommendations for Population
and Housing Censuses
New York, 29 October – 1 November 2013
Recommendations
 Suggest guidelines to augment or include new text relative
to:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
emerging census methodologies
methods of enumeration
contracting out of census operations
use of technology in censuses
providing access to micro-data
data confidentiality
data archiving
United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Revising the Principles and Recommendations for Population
and Housing Censuses
New York, 29 October – 1 November 2013
Recommendations (contd.)
 Suggest guidelines to augment or include new text relative
to:
8)
9)
10)
11)

data dissemination strategies
quality setting and management
census evaluation
census publicity strategy
Discussion on core topics particularly with regard to disability and
formulating questions to measure it
United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Revising the Principles and Recommendations for Population
and Housing Censuses
New York, 29 October – 1 November 2013