Ethno-cultural groups in Population Censuses

Ethno-cultural groups in Population Censuses An evaluation of the UNECE/EUROSTAT Recommendations for Population Censuses and proposals for the 2010 round of Censuses Dr. Werner Haug, Switzerland (Werner.Haug@bfs.admin.ch)

The relevance of Population Censuses • Data on ethno-cultural groups are important for democracy and good governance, cultural development, integration policies and the protection of minority rights (see e.g. UNDP, Human development report 2004). • Population Censuses are still the most important and in many countries the only source of statistical data on the ethnic, language and religious groups in the population. This essentially for two reasons: • In most cases, sample surveys can’t catch ethno-cultural groups adequately because the groups are too small and unevenly distributed in the country. • Register data are generally not available because of the politically sensitive, often subjective and potentially unstable nature of ethno-cultural characteristics.

Incomplete Census Recommendations • Although most countries of the world collect data on ethno-cultural characteristics of the population, the UN Census recommendations remain vague and leave definitions, data collection procedures and classifications entirely to national statistical authorities. • An increasing body of statistical experience and scientific analysis is available that allows to improve the recommendations and thus contribute to better data quality in national contexts and to enhanced international comparability of data.

Ethnic affiliation in 2000

Ethnic affiliation in 2000 • It is quite impressive to see that 29 countries (out of 46) asked a question regarding ethnic affiliation. Those who did not are mostly in Western Europe. 2 countries restricted the question to certain subpopulations (e.g. Gypsies), 2 asked in addition for ancestry and race (UK, USA). • The high compliance with the recommendations is essentially the result of the lack of detail of the 2000 recommendations. They include only a general definition of ethnic group (common origin and cultural particularities), a reference to the notion of national group (without explicit distinction from ethnic group) and they underline the principle of self-declaration.

Language in 2000

Language in 2000 • Three of four countries asked at least one question on language. Some countries limited the question to certain minority languages or the use of the majority language. • The 2000 recommendations were much more detailed than in the case of ethnic group and religion and distinguished four different questions, two questions with only one possible answer (a, b) and two with the possibility of multiple answers (c,d). • The proposed priorities for questions b: main language and c: most spoken language were however not followed.

Religion 2000

Religion 2000 • One of two countries asked a question regarding religious communities and denominations. The questions regarding religion are the most sensitive (from the data protection point of view) but very often there is also less diversity than with respect to language and ethnic group. • Three different concepts were proposed. One concept (religious practice) was never used and 9 countries choose a slightly different concept, referring to the identification with certain communities or denominations. • The proposed priority for question a: formal membership of a church or community in the case of a single question was not followed either.

General issues and proposals I • Questions regarding ethnicity, language are of relevance to an increasing number of countries as a result of migration processes and minority policies. At the same time, it is increasingly recognized that the questions are complex and multifaceted. • To gain a deeper understanding of the origins and diversity of populations, data about the ethno-cultural characteristics of different generations (parents and grand-parents, i.e. ancestry) become highly relevant.

General issues and proposals II • Affiliation with ethnic group is distinct from language and/or religion, although overlaps are frequent. The combined collection and analysis of data on ethnic affiliation, language and/or religion is particularly informative for the understanding of cultural diversity. • Questions on ethno-cultural characteristics have subjective dimensions and groups are often small. The free declaration of the respondents is therefore of crucial importance and has to be safeguarded.

General issues and proposals III • All items should include an open answer box (not precoded) to allow for the free identification of small groups. • The transparency of concepts for the interviewers and the respondents during field work and the full documentation of coding and classification procedures in census reports is of crucial importance.

General issues and proposals III • Register data are only of limited relevance to the topic and can at best cover certain aspects (e.g. the formal membership of a church or religious community or the official language in a given territory). • Representatives of ethnic, language and religious minority groups should be allowed to participate in the drafting of census questionnaires, the definition of classifications and the field work to assure the correct understanding of the questions and to guarantee the full participation of minority populations.

Specific issues: ethnic affiliation • The recommendations should be enriched and contain more detail • The definition should be enlarged: include a reference to ways of life/customs and to the concept of colour and race • Propose questions on ethnic origin/ancestry • Insist on the distinction between ethnic affilialtion and nationality (in the sense of citizenship) • Delete notion of national group, consider it a subgroup of ethnic group • Adress the issue of children from mixed marriages and the problem of multiple identities

Specific issues: language • Drop the priority of main language before mother tongue and the priority of spoken language before the knowledge of languages • Include a reference to the need for multilingual questionnaires or questionnaires in different languages • Insist on the importance of interviewers that speak the minority languages

Specific issues: religion • Change the list of proposed questions: drop question on religious practices • Introduce new questions on 1. identification with a community or denomination and 2. the denomination in which a person was brought up • Drop the priority for the question on formal membership of a church or coummunity • Insist on the possibility to answer « none » • Propose a common classification of the main world religions and denominations

Ethno-cultural groups in Population Censuses