Census Of Population

Curtis discusses census making as a political project, investigating its place in and impact on party politics and ethnic, religious, and sectional struggles.

The population and housing census is part of an integrated national statistical system, which may include other censuses (for example, agriculture), surveys, registers and administrative files. It provides, at regular intervals, the benchmark for population count at national and local levels. For small geographical areas or sub-populations, it may represent the only source of information for certain social, demographic and economic characteristics. For many countries the census also provides a solid framework to develop sampling frames. This publication represents one of the pillars for data collection on the number and characteristics of the population of a country.

This open access book describes the differences in US census coverage, also referred to as “differential undercount”, by showing which groups have the highest net undercounts and which groups have the greatest undercount differentials, and discusses why such undercounts occur. In addition to focusing on measuring census coverage for several demographic characteristics, including age, gender, race, Hispanic origin status, and tenure, it also considers several of the main hard-to-count populations, such as immigrants, the homeless, the LBGT community, children in foster care, and the disabled. However, given the dearth of accurate undercount data for these groups, they are covered less comprehensively than those demographic groups for which there is reliable undercount data from the Census Bureau. This book is of interest to demographers, statisticians, survey methodologists, and all those interested in census coverage.

Since its early years, the United Nations has issued a series of international recommendations on population and housing censuses under the title “Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses”. These publication series, which are based on good national practices in census taking, are widely used by national statistical offices and census officials in countries throughout the world in planning and carrying out population and housing censuses, as well as other related data collection activities, particularly demographic and and socio-economic surveys. The recommendations provide guidance on the main characteristics of population and housing censuses, general material on census methodology, planning, and operations, and more detailed guidance on the content of censuses, in terms of topics for population and also housing. These series are currently revised to assist countries in preparing for the 2020 round of censuses by taking into account changes in methodology, technology, as well as the need for better data dissemination and utilization.

The collection of reliable and comprehensive data on the magnitude, composition and distribution of a country’s population is essential in order for governments to provide services, administer effectively and guide a country’s development. The primary source of basic demographic statistics is frequently a population census, which provides hugely important data sets for policy makers, practitioners and researchers working in a wide range of different socio-demographic contexts. The Routledge Handbook of Census Resources, Methods and Applications provides a comprehensive and authoritative guide to the collection, processing, quality assessment and delivery of the different data products that constitute the results of the population censuses conducted across the United Kingdom in 2011. It provides those interested in using census data with an introduction to the collection, processing and quality assessment of the 2011 Census, together with guidance on the various types of data resources that are available and how they can be accessed. It demonstrates how new methods and technologies, such as interactive infographics and web-based mapping, are now being used to visualise census data in new and exciting ways. Perhaps most importantly, it presents a collection of applications of census data in different social and health science research contexts that reveal key messages about the characteristics of the UK population and the ways in which society is changing. The operation of the 2011 Census and the use of its results are set in the context of census-taking around the world and its historical development in the UK over the last 200 years. The results of the UK 2011 Census are a unique and reliable source of detailed information that are immensely important for users from a wide range of public and private sector organisations, as well as those working in Population Studies, Human Geography, Migration Studies and the Social Sciences more generally.