Annotated outline for the Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses: the 2020 Round

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Annotated outline for the Principles and
Recommendations for Population and Housing
Censuses the 2020 Round United Nations
Statistics Division
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International guidelines

• Population Census Methods (1949)
• Principles and Recommendations for National
  Population Censuses (1958)
• General Principles for a Housing Census (1958)
• Principles and Recommendations for the 1970
  Population Censuses (1969)
• Principles and Recommendations for the 1970
  Housing Censuses (1969)
• Principles and Recommendations for Population
  and Housing Censuses (1980)
• Principles and Recommendations for
  Population and Housing Censuses, Revision 1
  (1998)
• Principles and Recommendations for
  Population and Housing Censuses, Revision 2
  (2008)

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International guidelines
Purpose (a) Provide methodological and
operational guidelines (b) Ensure comparability
at international and regional levels
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Current round few of the lessons learned
- Most countries used the traditional approach
asking each household to provide information -
More extensive use of population and
administrative registers - Extensive use of
contemporary technologies - Use of internet
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Current version of Principles and Recommendations
Focus on traditional census, three main parts
- Operational aspects of population and
housing census - Topics for population and
housing censuses - Census products and
utilization
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Issues to consider in the process of revision
- Elaboration on register-based censuses -
Adding the essential feature generating
statistics for small areas - Use of
micro-data - Archiving of census records -
Quality assurance - Updating relevant
international classifications
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Proposed structure
Four parts (a) Definitions, essential features
and uses of population and housing census (b)
Topics for population and housing census (c)
Census operations Preparation, organization and
administration (d) Census products and data
utilization
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Part One Proposed additions

• Essential features
• Individual enumeration
• Universality within a defined territory
• Simultaneity
• Established periodicity
• Small area statistics

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Part One Proposed additions

• Census methodology
• Traditional census
• Register-based census
• Combined methodology

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Part Two Proposed additions

• Depending on the discussion and the conclusions
  of the working group

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Part Three Proposed additions

• Enumeration
• Method of enumeration
• Timing and length of the enumeration period
• Supervision
• Monitoring the enumeration
• Use of technologies in the enumeration
• Use of sampling in the enumeration

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Part Three Proposed additions

• Archiving
• Purposes of archiving census databases
• Procedures for archiving and confidentiality
• Data storage, maintenance and security

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Part Three Proposed additions

• Operational aspects for register-based census
• A. Essential features
• Definition of registers
• Pre-conditions
• B. Administration of register-based census
• Legal framework
• List of registers
• Matching procedures
• Editing
• Master file
• Quality
• Meta data and documentation
• Coordination

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Part Four Proposed additions

• Metadata
• Definition and content
• Uses of metadata

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Part Four Proposed additions

• Uses of micro-data
• Definition of micro data
• Making micro data anonymous
• Protocols for dissemination
• Use of archived census records
• Process of archiving census records
• Protocols for retrieval of archived records