Challenges in Managing and Implementing Censuses: Country Experiences and Future Prospects

1. Conference of European Statisticians Session III Challenges in Managing and Implementing Censuses Nancy McBeth, Statistics New Zealand, June 2006

2. Challenges and problems in delivering censuses successfully • How countries are meeting census challenges and the implications for - census management- quality control- confidentiality • Role of technology in helping to meet those challenges

3. Challenges in direct collection censuses - some country experiences • Environmental issues • Increased difficulties in collection (UK, Spain) • Changes in society (Slovenia, UK, Canada) • Cost pressures (Spain, Slovenia, Canada) • Methodological opportunities (Canada, Brazil)

4. Challenges in direct collection censuses - some country experiences cont’d • Statistical Responses- Use of Address and Population Registers (UK, Canada, Spain, Brazil)- Providing range of response options (internet, mailback) – with variable take-up (UK, Canada, Spain, Korea)- Increased automation and centralisation of processes (Canada, UK, Slovenia)

5. Beyond data collection – some other challenges • Ensuring other areas of census programmes are efficient (Canada, UK, Spain, Brazil, Poland) • Managing the long term implications of outsourcing vs internal development (Slovenia, UK, Canada) • How can international collaboration assist in reducing costs or helping to minimise risks (Brazil)

6. Beyond data collection – some other challenges cont’d • How to use technology to help meet the rapidly increasing output requirements (Spain) • meeting demands for different user requirements • do census programmes pose any different challenges for data warehousing than those posed by large integrated administrative data sources • Managing confidentiality across all phases of the census programme (collection to output) (Canada)

7. Implications for Statistical agencies • Increased complexity of response options • balancing longer development timeframes with need to be responsive to rapidly changing society • significant increase in management challenges • Alternative modes (especially internet) are often expensive, still comparatively low take-up rates • Impact on data – mode effects • Long term funding models • no longer just about costs of collecting and processing one census, and limited range of outputs - integration with other statistical activities

8. Long term drivers for Census programmes • Maintaining support and trust in census programmes across societies, at a time of declining support for range of government activities • Ensuring census data is integrated with both domestic and international statistics systems • Ensuring census programmes can meet the demands of increasingly sophisticated user base, who demand more detailed and more complex data • Ensuring governments and taxpayers get good value for money from census programmes

9. Questions for discussion • Are there common long term drivers for Census programmes – and if so, do they differ to drivers for other statistical programmes? • Do traditional (drop off/personally completed/collect) censuses still have a future? • Irrespective of collection methodology, where are the areas for efficiency in the medium term? • What are the technology opportunities to assist in better meeting the increasing demands for depth and variety of data?