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Ethno-cultural groups in Population Censuses

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Change the list of proposed questions: drop question on religious practices ... Propose a common classification of the main world religions and denominations ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Ethno-cultural groups in Population Censuses


1
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_at_bfs.admin.ch)

2
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 cant 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.

3
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.

4
Ethnic affiliation in 2000
Total 46 countries in the UNECE region Number of countries asking a question of Total
Ethnic affiliation total 29 63
According to recommendations 25 86
Other approach 4 16
5
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.

6
Language in 2000
Total 46 countries of UN/ECE region Number of countries asking a question of Total
Language total 35 76
a) Mother tongue 21 60
b) Main language 3 8
c) Most spoken language(s) 11 31
d) Knowledge of language(s) 19 54
7
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.

8
Religion 2000
Total 46 countries of UN/ECE region Number of countries asking a question of Total
Religion total 24 52
a) Formal membership 6 25
b) Religious belief 9 38
c) Participation in religious practice - 0
Other concepts 9 38
9
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.

10
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.

11
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.

12
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.

13
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.

14
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

15
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

16
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
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