Conference of European Statisticians

1
Conference of European Statisticians

• Session III
• Challenges in Managing and Implementing Censuses
• Nancy McBeth, Statistics New Zealand, June 2006

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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)

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Challenges in direct collection censuses - some
country experiences contd

• 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)

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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)

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Beyond data collection some other challenges
contd

• 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)

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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

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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

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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?