1. Collecting in the census information on emigration
Angela Me, Chief Social and Demographic Statistics Section
Based on the work of Olga Chudinovskikh and Enrico Bisogno

2. Can we measure emigration using the population census?

3. Let’s see what has been achieved and what we can learn……..
Emigration
Not yet sure about the answer, but some countries did attempt to estimate emigration using the population census
Let’s see what has been achieved and what we can learn……..

4. Emigration
What are the questions
we are trying to answer?

5. How many nationals/residents/”aficionado”are living abroad?
Emigration
How many nationals/residents/”aficionado”are living abroad?
What are the main countries of destination
How long have been emigrants absent from the country of origin?
What are the main reasons for moving abroad?
What is the social-demographic profile of the emigrants?
Do the emigrants intend to return back?
Do the emigrants have economic ties with the original household?

6. Emigration: some countries tried….
Georgia 2002
Tunisia 2004
Panama 1990
Used a special module for household members who left the country within a specified number of years
Nepal 1981
El Salvador 1992
Guatemala 1994
Dominican Republic 1992
Venezuela 1990
Used a special module for household members living abroad regardless of when they left the country
Moldova 2004
Poland 2002
Singapore 2000
Included in the individual form as the other household members (sometimes with special questions) and identified at the time of data processing

7. Emigration: a close look to four countries: who was counted?
Georgia
Persons who left Georgia for a foreign country on permanent and temporary basis and at the time of the census have been absent from Georgia for 12 months and longer
Moldova
All persons temporarily abroad at the time of the census, regardless of of duration and and reason of absence
Poland
Persons registered for permanent residence who at the census reference day were abroad
Tunisia
Persons who at the time of the census were staying abroad for 6 months or longer and who were member of a family nucleus and were residing with the household 5 years before

8. Georgia: census questionnaire for emigrants
Who should be included:
Household members registered (???) before, if absent
Other adult member of the household who is absent
Instructions:
In case all the members of the household are abroad, information on these persons should be obtained through the assistance of relatives, neighbours, administrative authorities
Questions asked:
Demographic-social characteristics: Relationship to reference person, Sex, Date of birth, Place of birth, education, nationality, …)
Date of emigration
Country: of emigration and currently living
Reason of emigration
Support: the family supports the emigrant or the emigrant supports the family?
Intention to return

9. Moldova: questions in the census questionnaire
Who should be included:
Household persons of people who are absent at the time of the census
Instructions:
No special instructions?
Questions asked in the individual questionnaire):
At 12:00 a.m. of census day the person was:
Temporarily absent, and left on _______
In other locality of the country
Abroad (please indicate the country: ________________)
Reason:
For work
For study
Other reason
Absence duration:
Less than one year
More than one year (please indicate the year when left: ________________)

10. Poland: questions in the census questionnaire
Who should be included:
Household persons of people who are absent at the time of the census
Questions asked in the individual questionnaire):
Do you live here permanently and were you present or absent on census reference day or do you stay here temporarily?
Live permanently – present
Live permanently – absent stay in other place in Poland
Live permanently – absent stay abroad
Stay temporarily – arrived from other place in Poland
Stay temporarily – arrived from abroad
What is the real duration of your absence or staying?
Up to 2 months
Between 2 and 6 months
Between 6 and 12 months
12 months and more
What is the reason of your absence or staying?
Education
Work
Family reasons
……………………

11. Tunisia: census questionnaire for emigrants
Who should be included:
Emigrants belonging to the restricted (nucleus) family (spouse and unmarried children)
Questions asked:
Demographic-social characteristics: country of birth, country of citizenship, …)
Country of residence 5 years before the census
Country of stay five years before the census
Reason to move

12. Use of the census to estimate emigration
How can we assess if these modules /questions have been successful to count emigrants?
We compared data obtained from the census with data collected in the receiving countries

13. Poland

14. Moldova: Age composition of emigrants from Moldova (all destinations, Census of Moldova data), and citizens of Moldova-residents of the Russian Federation (Russian Federation census data), both sexes

15. Moldova: Cohorts of emigrants from Moldova in Italy (Moldavian data) by period of absence and citizens of Moldova residing in Italy (Italian data), both sexes, persons

16. Tunisia

17. Tunisia
Note: * data from Italy undercover minors

18. Tunisia: looking a bit deeper…..

19. Tunisia

20. Lessons learnt The quality of the census matters
The collection of data worked well for emigrants that:
Are still included in an administrative process (registration in Poland)
Are more likely to keep close ties with the country (Poland worked better for people in Italy and Germany than for people in the US or Canada)
Are members of the family nucleus that is left behind (Tunisian male in France)

21. Lessons learnt The shorter is the duration the better
The more confined is the group of emigrants to count, the better (ex: members of family nucleus)
The modules/questions do not seem to work well to count a broad group of emigrants

22. The first questions to ask are…
What is the population group of emigrants that we WOULD LIKE to count in a census?
What do we mean by emigrants?
What population group of emigrants CAN we accurately count in a census?
Are the emigrants that we CAN count of interest for policy making?

23. We are still working on this…..
For the future
We are still working on this…..

24. Other emigration modules used by countries in the past in the census
Is there any member of the household who is living abroad?
How many persons live abroad?
Is someone from your household living abroad at the time of the census?
If so, where is he/she living?
Are the emigrant, and any other person living with him abroad, staying there permanently or temporarily?
Is there any member of the household who went to live abroad during the last 10 years?
If yes, state the age, gender, the country of destination and the year when he/she emigrated

25. Emigration module proposed for MEDSTAT countries
Has any member of the household emigrated during the past x years? If yes go to 4
Has any former member of the household, (I.e. any person who, at the time of the census, was not living any more in the same dwelling of the household being enumerated) emigrated during the past x years?
Did this person constitute by himself or formed part of another household that emigrated entirely during the past x years?
Provide the following information in respect of the emigrated person(s):
Name, age, sex, country of destination, year of departure
Source: Estimating emigration through an emigration module in the census, Reno Camilleri, MEDSTAT