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

2. World Programmes Timeline
Principles and recommendations
for population and housing censuses
Year
UN Statistical Commission
on censuses
World programmes
1947 58 66 74 80 98 04 06 56 65 84 94 87
Supplementary P&R
Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, October 2007

3. 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, October 2007

4. 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 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, October 2007

5. 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
census/default.aspx
Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, October 2007

6. Principles and Recommendations
Main features of the review process
Extensive international consultative process
Gradual process through regional and international consultations
Meetings
exchanges
On-line discussion forum
Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, October 2007

7. 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, October 2007

8. 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, October 2007

9. 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
Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, October 2007

10. 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
Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, October 2007

11. 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, October 2007

12. 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, October 2007

13. 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
Time worked
Alternate core topics
Place of previous residence
Place of residence at a specified date in the past
Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, October 2007

14. 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, October 2007

15. 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, October 2007

16. 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, October 2007

17. Collective living quarters
Principles and Recommendations – major changes: Previous classification of living quarters
Living quarters
Housing units
Conven.
dwellings
Basic
Temp.
Hous. units
Mobile
Marginal
Collective living quarters
Impro-
vised
Not for habit.
Other
Hotels
Insti-
tutions
Camps
Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, October 2007

18. Principles and Recommendations – major changes: Revision 2 classification of living quarters
Housing units
Conventional
dwellings
Has all basic facilities
Temp.
Hous. units
Other housing units
Collective living quarters
Marginal
Improvised
Not for habitation
Other
Hotels
Institutions
Camps
Mobile
Does not have all basic facilities
Hospitals
Correctional
Military
Religious
Retirement
Students
Staff quarters
Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, October 2007

19. 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, October 2007

20. 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, October 2007

21. Principles and Recommendations – Alternative approaches
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, October 2007

22. Principles and Recommendations – Alternative approaches
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, October 2007

23. Principles and Recommendations – Alternative approaches
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, October 2007

24. Principles and Recommendations – Alternative approaches
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, October 2007

25. Principles and Recommendations – Alternative approaches
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, October 2007

26. Principles and Recommendations – Alternative approaches
Rolling surveys - Disadvantages
Technically demanding
Multi-year planning and testing necessary
Possibility of double-reporting
Workshop on Census Cartography and Management, Bangkok, Thailand, October 2007

27. Principles and Recommendations – Alternative approaches
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, October 2007

28. Principles and Recommendations – Alternative approaches
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, October 2007

29. Principles and Recommendations – Alternative approaches
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, October 2007

30. Principles and Recommendations – Alternative approaches
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, October 2007

31. Principles and Recommendations – Alternative approaches
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, October 2007

32. 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, October 2007

33. Principles and Recommendations – concluding remarks
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, October 2007