This knowledge base contains a collection of resources (documents, presentations, videos) to assist anyone wishing to embark on a population-based census or survey. All material is structured around the timelines below, each listing the key stages in the collection and containing material to assist in the preparation and execution of the respective stages.
(NOTE: Census Timeline is complete and Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) Timeline is coming soon)
This material includes :
- Project plans and budget templates,
- Training material to help conduct each of the activities where training of field staff is required (household listing, pilot census, main census)
- Tutorials to help with anything from updating map boundaries in a mapping application to conducting a census with tablets
Census Timeline
From planning to dissemination : key stages from 18 months before to 6 months after census night.
(click on each section in the timeline to expand)
- Planning (-18m)
Usually, census planning should start 18 months or more before the census is conducted (Census Night). Unfortunately, this is not always the case, due to conflicting government priorities, unavailability of government/donor funds etc
This phase focuses on carefully planning all the different activities which are required to ensure a successful census.
Submission to Government
Work Plan and Budget
Setup of Census Committee
Choice of Technologies
Questionnaire Design + User Consultation
Recruitment / Appointments
See here for the SDD Census and Survey Calendar with all collections past, present and future.
- Household Listing + Mapping (-12m)
A listing is undertaken when there is a need to update the Enumeration Area (EA) boundaries due to movement of people. This may be as a result of housing developments, natural disasters or urban/rural migration. EA boundaries are revised to ensure they are all roughly the same size enabling a standard workload for each Enumerator during field work.
A listing involves recording a basic count of all individials in each household and sometimes ages and sexes of the household members. These days a GPS waypoint (location) is often recorded to assist in the EA boundary updates and then census fieldwork.
A Listing is only undertaken if there is no recent census or survey data available.
See here for more material:
- Pilot Census (-6m)
The pilot census, also known as the “census dress rehearsal”, is a process in which all census operations are fully tested in a detailed, comprehensive manner. As a matter of best practice, the pilot census ideally takes place one year ahead of the actual census date, when major external factors, such as season (weather) and holiday periods can be expected to be similar to when the census proper will be conducted. The pilot census tests all phases of the main census including planning, logistics arrangement and management, questionnaire design and format, training procedures, fieldwork operations, publicity, coordination of payment systems, data processing, data tabulations and analysis.
It is crucial that a pilot census is undertaken well in advance of the census because it plays an important role in ensuring that all census preparations are in place and tested. The pilot census provides the opportunity to adjust and correct errors that could impact the success of the census, and which would end up being significantly more expensive if discovered during the main fieldwork. Countries may choose not to undertake a polit census, however this is not receommended. This paper explains the importance of pilot censuses and presents Pacific examples underlining what did and didnt work well in the past.
- Last checks (-3m)
After a pilot census has been conducted, the census team should review everything which happened from training, to fieldwork, to data processing and tabulation to ensure any bottle necks are resolved and last-minute changes are made.
- Main Census
All censuses in the Pacific refer to a given point in time which is called Census Night. This is a "snapshot" in time. All questions refer to this point in time, even if the interview is conducted a week later.
Training
Data Checking
- Post Enumeration Survey
A Post Enumeration Survey (PES) is undertaken to measure the quality of data collected in a Census, even though standard consistency checks and validations have been implemented during enumeration and editing. With a large project such as a census, a variety of issues and errors can occur. These can be as a result of a poorly designed questionnaire, manuals, training, changes in procedures and so forth. A PES is undertaken to measure the degree of these errors, and whether there was an under- or overcount. A PES is a costly exercise thats needs to be planned and budgetted for. Enumerators need to be recruited to undertake the PES in selected EAs. More information about PES's can be found here.
- Data Processing & Analysis (+3m)
Data Entry, Coding and Editing
Tabulation
Analysis and Reporting
- Dissemination and Documentation (+6m)
Wide Dissemination
Data Use Workshop
Documentation
Documents linked to the above timeline
Presentation | Documents and Links |
---|---|
CAPI in Survey Solutions - An Introduction | pptx |
Budget Template | xlsx |
Table specifications-Fertility & Mortality | xlsx |
Workplan Template | xlsx |
Census Core Questionnaire Manual | |
Census Core Questionnaire Module | |
Census Core Questionnaire - Supplementary Module | |
Survey Solutions for CAPI collections in PICTS | |
Pilot census | |
Census Cartography | |
Post Enumeration Survey | |
Census Data Editing | |
Census Outputs and Use |