Regional Workshop on the 2010 World Programme
on Population and Housing Censuses
Minsk, 8-12 December 2008
Review of Core topics in the
Conference of European Statisticians
Recommendations for the 2010 Censuses
of Population and Housing
Paolo Valente
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Statistical Division
Number of topics in 2000 and 2010 CES Rec.
Type of topics
2000
2010
Diff.
42
38
-4
- population core topics
29
24
-5
- housing core topics
13
14
+1
Non-core topics, of which:
62
71
+9
- population non-core topics
46
54
+8
- housing non-core topics
16
17
+1
Core topics, of which:
Population topics:
Place of usual residence
Definition of Place of usual residence
Place where a person has lived for a
continuous period of at least 12 months
before census day
OR
Place where a person has arrived during the
12 months before census day with the
intention of staying for at least 12 months
Population topics
Place of usual residence (cont.)
Same as one of the two definitions
proposed in Principles and
Recommendations
New compared to past recommendations:
• Time threshold of 12 months
• Concept of “Intention of staying” for
selected people
Population topics
Place of usual residence - Intention
“Intention of staying”
 The intention should be considered only for
persons who arrived in the place of residence
in the 12 months before the census
How should the “intention of staying” be
taken in consideration?
Population topics
Place of usual residence – Intention (cont.)
“Intention of staying”
Example: At the time of the census a person is
residing in place B, where he/she moved from
place A four months before the census:
 To determine the place of residence of this
person, we have to consider his/her “intention”
Population topics
Place of usual residence – Intention (cont.)
CASE 1: If the person has intention to stay in B
for a total period of less than 12 months
and then plans to return to place A:
 Then place A is the place of usual residence at
the time of the census (temporary absence)
Population topics
Place of usual residence – Intention (cont.)
 In ALL OTHER CASES, the place of usual
residence at the time of the census is place B
Including:
CASE 2: If the person has intention to stay in B
for a total period of 12 months or longer:
Population topics
Place of usual residence – Intention (cont.)
…and also:
CASE 3: If the person has intention to stay in B for a total
of less than 12 months and then plans to move to a
different place C:
Place B (where found at census time) is the place of usual res.
Population topics
Place of usual residence – Intention (cont.)
Why was the “intention” of staying introduced in the
definition?
 To make sure that everybody has
one and only one place of usual residence
Population topics
Place of usual residence
Difficult application for…
 Persons living in more than one residence
 Persons working away from home during the
week
 Students who are studying away from home
 Children who alternate between two
households
 Persons living in institutions
 Persons in compulsory military service
Population topics
Place of usual residence
Place of usual residence of:
 Persons living in more than one
residence
 Children who alternate between two
households
Is the place where the person spends
the majority of the time (general
principle)
Population topics
Place of usual residence
EXCEPTIONS:
Place of usual residence of:
 Persons working away from home
during the week
 Primary and secondary students
studying away from home
 Is the family home, even if they don’t
spend there the majority of the time
Population topics
Place of usual residence
Place of usual residence of:
 Tertiary (university) students studying
away from home
 Is where they spend or intend to spend
the majority of time (term-time address)
Population topics
Place of usual residence
Why differentiate primary-secondary and
tertiary students?
For the different link with the family home
BUT……
If the place of education is within the country,
then the family home could be considered as
place of usual residence for all students,
including tertiary students
Population topics
Place of usual residence
Place of usual residence of:
 Persons living in institutions
If they are staying (or have intention to
stay) there for more than 12 months,
then it is the institution. Otherwise, the
family home.
Population topics
Place of usual residence
There are people who do not have a place of
usual residence because move frequently and
do not make up the 12 months rules (such as
homeless)
The place of usual residence of these persons is
the place where they are enumerated
 Every person should have one and only
one place of usual residence
Population topics
Place of usual residence
Temporary absent persons:
• Persons who are usually resident in the
enumeration place but are absent at the
time of the census for less than 12
months should be included
IMPORTANT: Persons who have been
away or intend to be away for more than
12 months should be excluded
Long-term emigrants should be excluded
Population topics
Total population (derived topic)
Count of
total usually resident population,
including:
• persons who are usually resident and
present, and
• persons who are usually resident but
temporarily absent
Population topics
Total population (derived topic)
How to treat special cases?
 Refugees
 Asylum seekers
 Illegal immigrants
The 12-month rule applies
as for the rest of the population,
regardless of legal status!!!
Population topics
Total population (derived topic)
EXCEPTIONS:
• Defense and diplomatic personnel and their
family who are nationals but are located
outside the country  Included
• Foreign defense and diplomatic personnel
and their family living in the country
 Excluded
Migration characteristics
• New general framework
• Definition of relevant population groups
– Foreign-born
– Foreigners
– Descendants of foreign-born
– Ever-international migrants
– Internal migrants
Migration characteristics
 4 core topics to satisfy growing demand for
data on migration:
– Country/place of birth  Data on foreign-born
• Place of birth, or
• Place of residence of mother at the time of the birth
– Country of citizenship  Data on foreigners
• Collect information on dual or multiple citizenship
• Collect information on stateless persons
Migration characteristics
– Ever resided abroad and year of arrival in the country
 Data on ever-international migrants
(upgrading of “Year of immigration into the country”, noncore topic in 2000 rec.)
– Previous place of usual residence and date of arrival
in the current place  Data on internal migration
(development of “Place of usual residence one year prior
to the census”, core topic in the 2000 rec.)
Ethno-cultural characteristics
• High relevance in the context of migration,
integration, minority policies
• 3 non-core topics:
– Ethnicity
– Language
– Religion
• Free and open declaration of the respondents
is essential
• Appropriate data security and disclosure
control measures have to be put in place
Ethnicity and Religion
Practical aspects
• Questionnaires should always include open
boxes (not precoded) to allow small groups to
identify
• Respondents should be allowed to indicate
« none » or « not declared »
• For ethnicity: Respondents should be free to
indicate more than one ethnic affiliation or a
combination of two
Economic topics
The main objective of collecting
economic characteristics in the census
is to classify the population according
to Activity Status:
POPULATION
Inactive Population
Active Population
EMPLOYED
UNEMPLOYED
STUDENT
PENSION / OTHER
HOUSEWORK
OTHER
Activity Status
Economically active
population
Not economically active
(inactive) population
Persons who provide
the supply of labour, as
employed or as
unemployed, for the
production of goods
and services
Persons who are not
economically active:
- Persons who produce
services for own consumption
Persons who do not
produce any good or service
Activity Status
What is the time-span to consider if the person
is engaged in the “production”?
Short reference
period: one week or
one day
Long reference period:
one year
Current activity
status
(core in CES Rec.)
Usual activity
status
(non-core)
Activity status: Employed and unemployed
Employed
Unemployed
I.
Persons who are:
•
Without work (not in wage
employment or selfemployed),
•
Currently available for
work, and
•
Seeking work
II.
Persons who performed
work for pay or profit, in
cash or in kind
Persons who were
temporarily absent from a
job in which they had
already worked and to
which they maintain a
formal attachment, or from
a self-employed activity
such as a farm, a business
enterprise or a service
undertaking (paras 241244)
Current Activity Status
How to assess the current activity status in
the census questionnaire?
 There are different practices,
with different types of questions
Important: How questions are asked matters!
Measurement of Current Activity Status:
standard approach
Have you worked?
Yes
No
Temporary absent?
Yes
No
Looking for work?
Employed
Information on job:
occupation, status,
….
Ready to take up work?
Yes
Unemployed
No
Non active
Measurement of Current Activity Status:
standard approach
Example: UK
Last week, were you doing any work as employee,
self employed or in your own/family business?
…followed by other questions on number of hours
worked, type of work done, etc.
Measurement of Current Activity Status:
standard approach
Example: Canada
Last week, how many hours did you/this person spend
working for pay or in self employment? Include:
Working for wages, salary, tips or commission;
Working in your/his/her own business, farm or professional practice, alone or in
partnership
Working directly towards the operation of a family farm or business without formal
pay arrangements (e.g. assisting in seeding, doing accounts)
Number of hours
None
Measurement of Current Activity Status:
standard approach
Shortcoming: When asked about work, people tend
to exclude non-formal work
Some prompts can be added:
 Did you sell food or snacks at the market/busstop/school?
 Did you sell food from home?
 Did you sew for pay?
Measurement of Current Activity Status:
alternative approach
Example: Ireland
How would you describe your present principal status?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Working for payment and profit
Looking for first regular job
Unemployed
Student or pupil
Looking after home
Retired from payment
Unable to work
Other
Employed
Unemployed
Not active
Measurement of Current Activity Status
DISCOURAGED approach: Source of income/livelihood
Source of income (persons with more then one source, specify each source). A box is reported at the
end of the question to specify the main source
Salaried employment
1. At an enterprise, organization, institution
2. In a farm
3. For individuals (including rendering household services )
Non-salaried employment
4. Employer
Owners of enterprises, farms
5. On individual basis at family enterprise
6. Unpaid at farms
7. Personal subsidiary plots
8.Scholarship
9. Pension
10. Benefits and allowances
(excluding unemployment benefits)
11. Unemployment benefits
12. Other type of State maintenance
13. Income from property
14. On the dependence
15. Other sources
Main source of income/livelihood
(non-core topic)
CES Recommendations:
The “main source of livelihood” is a useful
concept to complement the measurement of the
economically active population and of status in
employment. However, it is NOT suitable for the
measurement of economic activity status and
should not be used to classify the population
according to activity status.
Beyond the Activity Status Classification
Other core topics on economic characteristics:
• Occupation
• Industry
• Status in employment
Information on these topics should be collected for:
• Employed
• Unemployed (on the basis of the last job)
Selected other population topics in CES Rec.
• Disability
– New non-core topic in CES Rec.
– Core topic in Principles and Rec.
• Agriculture (new non-core topic)
– Own account agriculture production (household level)
– Characteristics of all agriculture jobs during the last year
(individual level)
Housing topics – Highlights of
changes in 2010 CES Recommendations
New framework:
Conventional
dwellings
Occupied
conv. dwel.
Types of housing
Other
housing units
Seasonal &
sec. dwel.
Collective
living quarters
Homeless with
no place of u.r.
Other
vacant dwel.
Most core topics refer ONLY to housing units
(occupied conv. dwellings and other housing units)
Housing topics – Highlights of
changes in 2010 CES Recommendations
New core topic:
• Housing arrangements
– All persons should be classified in these categories:
(1.0) Persons with usual res. in a conventional dwelling
(2.0) Persons with usual res. in an other housing unit
(3.0) Persons with usual res. in a collective living quarter
(4.0) Persons who are not usual residents in any living
quarter category, such as homeless or other people moving
between temporary accommodations
Housing topics
For core topics:
• Water supply system
• Toilet facilities
Differences between classifications in CES Rec.
and Principles and Recommendations
WHO recommended using classification
proposed in Principles and Recommendations