Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses: Major changes Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

World Programmes Timeline

World programmes UN Statistical Commission on censuses Principles and recommendations for population and housing censuses

1947

Supplementary P&R

56 58 65 66 74 Year 80 84 87 94 98 04 06

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Map of the 2000 World Programme

The 2010 World Programme of Population and Housing Censuses and changes in the Principles and Recommendations for conducting censuses

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

2010 World Census Programme   Endorsed by the United Nations Statistical Commission in March 2005 and adopted by the United Nations Economic and Social Council in July 2005 Three essential goals of Programme: • for Member States to carry out a population and housing census during the period 2005-2014 and to disseminate census results in a timely manner • • to agree on a set of acceptable international principles and recommendations governing the conduct of a census to facilitate countries in conducting censuses

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Revision of the Principles and Recommendations 

Principles and Recommendations for Population and

Housing Censuses, Rev. 2 adopted by the United Nations Statistical Commission in March 2007  English version available on UNSD website in September before translation into the other 5 UN official langages  http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/sources census/default.aspx

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Principles and Recommendations Main features of the review process   • • • Extensive international consultative process Gradual process through regional and international consultations Meetings E-mail exchanges On-line discussion forum

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Principles and Recommendations - major changes Orientation  Emphasis on production of outputs for evidence-based decision making  Recognition of an integrated statistical system for the production of outputs  Non-prescription of data sources for outputs

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Outputs/tabulations    Basic/essential tabulations  Top priority    Providing minimum statistics for countries in difficult circumstances Population (20) Housing (7) Recommended tabulations  Adequate for meeting essential data needs for evidence-based planning, monitoring and implementation of national policies   Population (33) Housing (19) Optimal tabulations  Meet the needs of most data users nationally and internationally

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

On the recommended tabulations  Reflect essential data needs - relevance at national and international levels  Potential for production of detailed statistics at lowest geographical level  Developed independently of source  Produced at least once in the period 2005 2014

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Set of recommended tabulations  

Number of recommended by broad topic (51 tables)

• • • • • • • • •

Geographical and internal migration characteristics – 6 International migration characteristics – 4 Household and family characteristics – 3 Demographic and social characteristics – 2 Fertility and mortality - 4 Educational characteristics - 3 Economic characteristics – 8 Disability characteristics – 3 Housing characteristics - 19 Produced at least once in the period 2005-2014 Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Metadata for recommended tabulations 

All recommended tabulations require metadata



Metadata necessary for understanding underlying concepts and methodology



Type of metadata

• • • •

Core topics represented Source of statistics Type of population count Definition of urban/rural Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Core topics    Main variables for recommended tabulations • • Population - 31 core topics with 25 direct and 6 derived Housing - 21 core topics Permit national and international comparability of data by use of common concepts and definitions Developed through international consultative process

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Changes in core topics - Population

Non-core to core

 Date of birth of the last child born alive       Births in the past 12 months Household deaths in the past 12 months Deaths among children born in the past 12 months Country of birth Year or period of arrival Disability status

Core to non-core



Alternate core topics

  Time worked Place of previous residence Place of residence at a specified date in the past

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Changes in core topics – Housing

New core

 Fuel used for cooking   Main source of drinking water Information technology and communication devices in the household

Core to non-core

  Year or period of construction Useful floor space  Rental and owner-occupied housing costs

Separate core topics – previously one

  Type of toilet Sewage disposal

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Principles and Recommendations - major changes  Introducing definition of Place of usual residence (a) The place at which the person has lived continuously for most of the last 12 months (that is, for at least six months and one day), not including temporary absences for holidays or work assignments, or intends to live for at least six months; OR (b) The place at which the person has lived continuously for at least the last 12 months, not including temporary absences for holidays or work assignments, or intends to live for at least 12 months.

 Impact on regional and international data comparability

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Principles and Recommendations - major changes New classification of living quarters that:  With clearer distinction between conventional and non-conventional housing units  Enlarges the taxonomy of collective living quarters

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Principles and Recommendations – major changes: Previous classification of living quarters Living quarters Housing units Collective living quarters Impro vised Conven.

dwellings Basic dwellings Temp.

Hous. units Mobile Hous. units Marginal Hous. units Not for habit.

Other Hotels Insti tutions Camps Other Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Principles and Recommendations – major changes: Revision 2 classification of living quarters Living quarters Conventional dwellings Has all basic facilities Does not have all basic facilities Housing units Improvised Other housing units Mobile Hous. units Temp.

Hous. units Marginal Hous. units Not for habitation Other Collective living quarters Hotels Institutions Camps Other Hospitals Correctional Military Religious Retirement Students Staff quarters Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Principles and Recommendations - major changes

Alternative approaches

  Introducing elaboration of alternative approaches • • • Traditional census – most countries Register based census Rolling surveys (with national variants) UNSD website – national examples of alternative approaches

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Concerns raised against traditional censuses  Periodicity of data production  Prohibitive costs  Untimeliness of census results  Under-coverage  In some cases questionable data quality  Inflexibility

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Register based census - Prerequisites

      Personal identification number Comprehensive and functioning system of registers Legal basis Public trust Unique and uniform coding systems Record linking across registers

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Register based census - Advantages

     Timeliness of data Reduced cost associated with data compilation Reduced respondent burden Maximizes use of data collected by different agencies Flexibility in terms of reference date and periodicity

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Register based census - Disadvantages

     Lack of flexibility – expanding data items Completeness of data limited to data available in registers High initial investment setting up registers Need continuous financial and other resources to sustain registers Harmonization of concepts and definitions across register could be an issue

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Rolling surveys - Prerequisites

 Convincing stakeholders  Substantial annual funding  High level of professional staff throughout decade  Complex methodology to minimize sampling and non-sampling errors

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Rolling surveys - Advantages

 Proving data more frequently  Enhancing the value of information by constant updates  Spreading the cost of data collection over a period of time  Room for technological innovations

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Rolling surveys - Disadvantages

 Technically demanding   Multi-year planning and testing necessary Possibility of double-reporting

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

National examples of variants of rolling surveys

  USA approach based on a combination of • Traditional 10-year census using the short form, and • American Community Survey (continuous cumulative survey) French rolling census (continuous cumulative survey)

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

USA approach - Traditional censuses with yearly updates

 Census year: Total population count and basic characteristics based on short questionnaire  Every year: Large household survey that replaces decennial long form  Data from survey used to model estimates

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

USA approach - Traditional censuses with yearly updates

Some issues  Requires building and keeping the address frame up to-date  Some operational risks likely reduced – short questionnaire only  Work in progress – lessons learnt on the go

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

French approach - rolling census

 Data collected each year used for modeling of estimates  • • Quinquennial rolling cycle: Every year, Y, data are produced on the basis of data collected in Y-4, Y-3, Y-2, Y-1 and Y with the average on Y-2 For communes less than 10,000 – full count once in a five year period For communes over 10,000 – sample of 8% of dwellings each year for five years

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

French approach - rolling census

Some issues  Inventory of buildings – continuously updated building register   Close relationship between statistical office and communes Work in progress – lessons learnt on the go

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

Principles and Recommendations – major changes       Contracting out Funding for the census Quality assurance (instead of quality control) Enhanced section on census mapping including on geo-coding and contemporary GIS Focus on hard to capture and enumerate population groups • • Homeless Indigenous populations Promotion of, and training on, use of data

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007

   Printing underway Translation into all UN official languages Accompanied by: • set of handbooks • • technical reports web-based knowledge base  Other activities of the 2010 World Programme

Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, 15-19 October 2007