1. Tonga NSO_SPC 2006 Population Census Questionnaire Development
Workshop on the 2010 World
Programme on Population and
Housing Censuses:
International standards, contemporary technologies and regional cooperation.
Noumea, New Caledonia, 4 – 8 February 2006.
Sione Lolohea
Tonga NSO.

2. GENERAL OUTLINE Background information Human resources
2006 Population and Housing Questionnaire Form
Amendments Questionnaire Form
Acknowledgement

3. Background information
History background
Tonga’s preparation for census 2006
This was done through the collaboration of the Tonga National Statistics Office (TNSO) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).
The SPC initially and continues to provide assistance

4. Human resources
High turnover of staffs in the TNSOs is one of the most critical situations
TNSO desperately needed technical assistance.
TA from SPC visited the TNSO to assist/monitor the progress of the Census preparation and operation, such as planning, mapping, questionnaire and data processing.

5. 2006 Population and Housing Questionnaire
a. Questionnaire development
Tonga was using the Pacific model questionnaire together with the 1996 census questionnaires as the basis in formulating questionnaire form.
Content of the questionnaire form (steering committee & stakeholders)
Questionnaire design (TNSO & SPC).

6. 2006 Population and Housing Questionnaire (con’t)
a. Questionnaire development (con’t)
Pacific model questionnaire
Tonga 1996 census questionnaire form
Policy issues from stakeholders
Nadi Workshop for PICT questionnaires
TNSO & SPC amendments
Draft questionnaire

7. 2006 Population and Housing Questionnaire (con’t)
b. Pilot test of the questionnaire form
The TNSO conducted 3 informal pilot and 1 formal pilot test of the questionnaire form.
Feed back from the data processing perspective also contributed to an improve questionnaire form.

8. 2006 Population and Housing Questionnaire (con’t)
c. Topics included in 1996 Population
and Housing Census questionnaire
There are two questionnaires: Household (8 questions) and Personal (22 questions) questionnaire.
d. Topics included in 2006 Population
There are two questionnaires: Household (15 questions) and Personal (29 questions) questionnaire

9. Amendments Questionnaire Form
Questions was not included from the pacific model:
Household form
period building first constructed and
number of rooms.
Personal form
“did this person actively look for work at any time in the last 4 weeks”.

10. Amendments Questionnaire Form
Tonga introduced some new questions:
Household form
Source of water apart from drinking water
Household income
Household remittances
Household mortality
Personal form
Disability
Injury or illness
Smoking habits
Labor force

11. Amendments Questionnaire Form
After the Steering Committee approved the content of the questionnaire form, TNSO and SPC continued to design the census form.
The main purpose of the amendments:
to meet the national requirements
to improve questionnaire wording, content and design that is consistent with international standards. For instance, the first time to use the lay out of labor forces question and UN definition of unemployment.

12. Acknowledgement
First of all, the UNSD and the SPC for organizing this very important workshop.
To SPC especially Statistics and Demography Program for your great assistance without your support Tonga 2006 census would not in place.
And to Donor Fund especially AusAid and NZAid,
Thank you very much indeed and
Malo ‘aupito.