1. UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE
WORKSHOP ON POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUSES
FOR COUNTRIES OF EASTERN EUROPE CAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
GENEVA, SEPTEMBER 2015
UNECE STUDY ON NATIONAL PRACTICES
IN THE 2010 ROUND IN EECCA COUNTRIES
PART II: CENSUS TOPICS AND CHARACTERISTICS
Socio-demographic, geographic, economic and migration topics
IAN WHITE

2. CENSUS TOPICS AND CHARACTERISTICS
The population base
Geographic characteristics
Demographic characteristics
Economic characteristics
Educational characteristics
Disability
Migration
Ethno-cultural characteristics
Agriculture

3. Population bases in the EECCA region
Compliance with the CESR definition of ‘usual residence’
EECCA Rest of UNECE
Fully compliant (59%)
Compliant with EU law (34%)
Other definition   (7%)

4. Population bases in the EECCA region
EECCA Rest of UNECE
Homeless and roofless persons (93%)
Military, naval and diplomatic
personnel (and their families)
living outside the country (68%)
Civilian residents who cross a
national frontier daily to work (85%)
Students in tertiary education who
study abroad but return home at
weekends* (78%)
Persons living in remote areas (66%)
Holders of temporary residence
permits (and their families) staying
for more than 12 months (85%)
Merchant seaman and fishermen at
sea at the time of the census (71%)
Persons granted refugee status or
similar types of protection (68%)
Nomads and other travelling people (49%)
Asylum seekers (63%)
Short-term international migrants* (41%)
*Recommended to be excluded from the usually resident population
Selected groups included in the usually resident population

5. Geographic characteristics in the EECCA region
Locality and Urban Areas
EECCA Rest of UNECE
Locality
Data collected (82%)
Data collected based on CES
definition (a),(b) or (c) (65%)
Data collected based on another
definition (15%)
Definition not specified (2%)
Urban areas
Data collected (90%)
recommendation (72%)
Classification by locality (50%)
Classification by smallest
administrative unit (22%)
Other classification (10%)

6. Geographic characteristics in the EECCA region
Workplace
EECCA Rest of UNECE
Definition
Data collected (95%)
Definition of workplace applied*
Definition (a) (51%)
Definition (b) (54%)
Definition (c) (39%)
Other definition (7%)
* Countries were able to report the use of more than one definition.
Lowest level of geography
Precise address or coordinate (33%)
Census block (2%)
1 km2 square (2%)
Local Administrative Unit level 2
(commune) (33%)
Higher level administrative unit (7%)
Other geographic level (16%)

7. Demographic characteristics in the EECCA region
Marital status
EECCA Rest of UNECE
Legal (core topic)
Data collected (98%)
De facto (non-core topic)
Data collected (90%)
By means of *
Specific question (22%)
General question on
marital status (12%)
Relationship to reference
person (41%)
Classification compliant with
recommendations (63%
* Countries were able to report the use of more than one definition.

8. Economic characteristics in the EECCA region
Activity status
EECCA Rest of UNECE
Data collected
Current activity status (90%)
Reference period of 1 day (15%)
Reference period of 1 week (68%)
Other reference period (7%)
Usual activity status (10%)
Reference period of 1 year (7%)
Other reference period (2%)
Other concept of activity status (5%)
Compliance with recommended classification
Compliant (63%)

9. Economic characteristics in the EECCA region
Employment status (core topic)
EECCA Rest of UNECE
Topic included (100%)
Definition compliant with
Recommendations (67%)
Classification compliant with
Recommendations (62%)
Recommended classification
(1.0) Employees
(2.0) Employers
(3.0) Own-account workers
(4.0) Contributing family workers
(5.0) Members of producers' co-operatives
(6.0) Persons not classifiable by status

10. Economic characteristics in the EECCA region
Occupation and Industry (core topics)
EECCA Rest of UNECE
Occupation
Topic included in the census (100%)
Definition compliant with
Recommendations (95%)
Classification compliant with
ISCO (59%)
ISCO (17%)
Some other classification (24%)
Industry
Topic included in the census (100%)
Recommendations (83%)
ISIC Rev (41%)
ISIC Rev (2%)
Other (54%)

11. Economic characteristics in the EECCA region
Other (non-core) topics included in the census
EECCA Rest of UNECE
Main source of livelihood
Providers of unpaid services
Socio-economic group
Time usually worked
Type of place of work
Duration of unemployment
Number of employees at
workplace
Income

12. Educational characteristics in the EECCA region
EECCA Rest of UNECE
Core topic
Educational attainment (98%)
Non-core topics
School attendance (66%)
Literacy (41%)
Educational qualifications (31%)
Field of study (41%)
Computer literacy (17%)

13. Disability status in the EECCA region
EECCA Rest of UNECE
Topic included in the census (51%)
of which:
WG short set used
Yes with no changes (47%)
Yes with some changes (5%)
No (47%)
Coverage within household
All persons (76%)
Minimum age threshold (19%)

14. Migration characteristics in the EECCA region
Country of birth (core topic)
EECCA Rest of UNECE
Information collected (100%)
Country of actual birth only (46%)
Country of residence of
mother only (37%)
Both (17%)  
National boundaries
As at census (83%)
As at birth (17%)
Other definition
Information coded
As recommended by UNSD (66%)
Other classification (34%)

15. Migration characteristics in the EECCA region
Country of citizenship (core topic)
EECCA Rest of UNECE
Information collected (100%)  
Concept of citizenship as defined
by CESR (95%)
Other concept adopted (5%)
Multiple citizenship collected
For all respondents (45%)
For national citizens only (18%)
For foreign citizens only (2%)
Not collected (35%)
National boundaries
As at census (83%)
As at birth (17%)
Other definition
Information coded
Same classification as for
country of birth (66%)
Other classification (34%)

16. Migration characteristics in the EECCA region
Ever resided abroad and year of arrival
EECCA Rest of UNECE
Ever resided abroad (core topic)
Information collected (85%) of which:
Year of arrival (97%)
Most recent arrival (91%)
Year and month (31%)
Year only (60%)
Year of first arrival (9%)
Total duration of residence (non-core topic)
Information collected (22%)
Country of previous residence (non-core topic)
Information collected (54%)

17. Migration characteristics in the EECCA region
Reason for (international) migration
EECCA Rest of UNECE
Information collected (32%)
of which:
Employment (100%)
Education (100%)
To join family members (77%)
Refugee (forced migration) (46%)
Return after emigration (15%)
Asylum (23%)
Health/medical (15%)

18. Migration characteristics in the EECCA region
Internal migration
EECCA Rest of UNECE
Extensive mode
Information collected on place of
usual residence (73%)
Arrival date (year only) (32%)
Arrival date (year and month) (29%)
No arrival date of collected (15%)
Information not collected (27%)
Reduced mode
usual residence: (78%)
1 year before census (71%)
5 years before census (22%)
10 years before census (10%)
Some other period prior to
census (10%)
Information not collected (22%

19. Ethno-cultural characteristics in the EECCA region
Ethnicity
EECCA Rest of UNECE
Information collected (56%)
of which:
Concept agreed with CESR (74%)
Different concept (26%)
Information on ethnicity only (52%)
Information on nationality only (13%)
Combination of both (35%)
Open-ended question with no
pre-defined responses (30%)
Both pre-defined and write-in
responses (61%)
Pre-defined responses only (4%)
Other format (4%)
Voluntary (78%)
Mandatory (22%)

20. Ethno-cultural characteristics in the EECCA region
Religion
EECCA Rest of UNECE
Information collected (59%)
of which:
Identification with a particular
religion, religious community
or denomination (63%)
Religious belief (38%)
Formal membership of a church
or religious community (17%)
Religion in which the person was
brought up (12%)
Religious attendance (4%)
Other type of affiliation (12%)
Open-ended with no pre-defined
responses (25%)
Both pre-defined and write-in
responses (58%)
Pre-defined responses only (8%)
Other format (8%)
Voluntary (83%)
Mandatory (17%)

21. Ethno-cultural characteristics in the EECCA region
Language
EECCA Rest of UNECE
Information collected (63%)
of which:
Mother tongue (54%)
Main language (31%)
Language(s) most often spoken:
at home (54%)
at work (18%)
Knowledge of/ability in one or
more other languages (31%)
Knowledge of/ability in official
language (18%) Use of sign language (18%)

22. Agricultural characteristics in the EECCA region
Information collected EECCA Rest of UNECE
At the household level (17%)
At the individual person level (10%) No information collected (73%)

23. DISCUSSION