JOINT UN-ECE/EUROSTAT WORK SESSION ON POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUSES

1. JOINT UN-ECE/EUROSTAT WORK SESSION ON POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUSES GENEVA, 30 SEPT- 3 OCT 2013 OPERATIONAL ASPECTS OF THE CENSUS LEGISLATION, COMMUNICATIONS, DISSEMINATION, AND DOCUMENTATION RESULTS OF UNECE SURVEY AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR 2020 IAN WHITE, Office for National Statistics, UNITED KNGDOM

2. OVERVIEW OF THE RESULTS OF UNECE SURVEY: LEGISLATION • All countries have appropriate • legislation • 31 countries have specific census • legislation • 18 countries have more general • statistics legislation • In 21 countries the legislation is • permanent • In 26 countries the legislation was • unique or revised for the 2010 round • All countries have data protection • legislation

3. OVERVIEW OF THE RESULTS OF UNECE SURVEY: COMMUNICATIONS • 34 countries adopted a formal • communications strategy • No register-based country did • Key areas of consultation were • - User requirements (30 countries) • - Questionnaire design (28 countries) • - Methodology (23 countries) • - Design, content and dissemination of • outputs (20 countries) • - Language, community liaison and • outreach programmes (17 countries) • - Confidentiality and statistical disclosure control • (13 countries) • - User satisfaction (10 countries) • - Data quality (9 countries) • - Evaluation (4 countries)

4. OVERVIEW OF THE RESULTS OF UNECE SURVEY: COMMUNICATIONS • Key stakeholders were • Central government (35 countries) • Local government bodies (33 countries) • Academics and education providers (33 countries) • Ethnic/faith communities (22 countries) • Press and the media (22 countries) • Public service providers (20 countries) • Disability groups (15 countries) • Health service providers (14 countries) • Market researchers (13 countries) • Business, retailers and the commercial sector • (13 countries)

5. OVERVIEW OF THE RESULTS OF UNECE SURVEY: COMMUNICATIONS • 38 countries conducted a publicity campaign • No register-based country did • Main media used were • - National press (38 countries) • - National radio (37 countries) • - National TV (36 countries) • - Regional/local press (35 countries) • - Regional/local radio (35 countries) • - Regional/local TV (34 countries) • Main methods used were • - Press conferences (35 countries) • - Leaflets (35 countries) • - Internet/social media (33 countries) • - Posters (32 countries) • - Paid advertising (31 countries) • - Free advertising (28 countries) • - Public meetings (27 countries) • - Billboards (26 countries) • - Call centres (26 countries) • - School promotions (19 countries) • - Community-based media (15 countries) • - Audio tapes, CDs, DVDs (15 countries)

6. OVERVIEW OF THE RESULTS OF UNECE SURVEY: COMMUNICATIONS • Main locations used for publicity: • Government offices (31 countries) • Universities, colleges and schools • (23 countries) • Banks and other public use facilities • (20 countries) • Transport locations (15 countries) • Libraries (14 countries) • Local information points (14 countries) • Places of religious worship (11 countries) • Workplaces (6 countries) • Bars, pubs and places of entertainment • (4 countries)

7. OVERVIEW OF THE RESULTS OF UNECE SURVEY: COMMUNICATIONS • Key population groups specifically targeted: • Students (23 countries) • Ethnic minority communities (20 countries) • Elderly (17 countries) • Recent immigrants (15 countries) • Parents of young babies (14 countries) • Young adult males (14 countries) • Disabled (12 countries)

8. OVERVIEW OF THE RESULTS OF UNECE SURVEY: DISSEMINATION • Main dissemination methods • - Static web pages (19 countries) • - Interactive online databases (15 countries) • - Paper/hard copy publications (9 countries) • - EU census hub (5 countries) • But as a supplementary means of dissemination • - Hard copy publications (33 countries) • - Static web pages (30 countries) • - EU census hub (28 countries) • - CD-ROM/DVD (26 countries) • 31 countries will publish microdata samples • 39 countries provide an in-house service for • meeting requests for commissioned tables • 30 countries (60 per cent) will publish a quality • report • 29 countries will publish a general evaluation report • 7 countries will publish neither

9. OVERVIEW OF THE RESULTS OF UNECE SURVEY: DOCUMENATION and METADATA • 44 countries (88 per cent) produced • explanatory notes to tables • 43 countries produced definitions and concepts • Other metadata include • - Methodological papers (40 countries) • - Data visualisation (38 countries) • - Census questions (37 countries) • - Changes to definitions since previous census (27 countries) • - Levels of response (27 countries) • - Levels of imputation (27 countries) • - Data dictionary/glossary of terms (23 countries) • - Comparisons with other data sources (15 countries) • 25 countries (50 per cent) consulted users • about metadata • 44 countries referred to the 2010 CESR

10. OVERVIEW OF THE RESULTS OF UNECE SURVEY: ARCHIVING • 33 countries (two thirds) destroy the • individual census records • Only 10 countries keep them for public • access • 5 countries keep them closed for at least • 75 years

11. PROPOSALS FOR NEW RECOMMENDATIONS: LEGISLATION • Topic not covered in the 2010 CESR • New section proposed to be included in a • new Chapter on Operational Framework • Issues for discussion • Should CESR provide information on the EU • Census Regulations? • Is there any interest in making • recommendations on the enforcement of • non-compliance (refusals)? • Does more attention need to be given to emphasising the importance of data • protection legislation in ensuring the confidentiality of census information?

12. PROPOSALS FOR NEW RECOMMENDATIONS: COMMUNICATIONS • Consolidate and expand the material previously published in Chapter 1, • Appendix VI and Appendix VII of the CESR • Develop the messages of the seven ‘E’s • - Engage to make people aware • - Educate about benefits • - Explain what to do • - Encourage participation • - Enforce compliance • - Express thanks • - Extol the value • Identify more topics for consultation • Identify more key stakeholders • Identify specific elements of publicity • campaign • - Media • - Locations

13. PROPOSALS FOR NEW RECOMMENDATIONS: COMMUNICATIONS • Issues for discussion • Anything missing? • Do we need to focus more on new • communication media - twitter, facebook? • Is there a need for register-based censuses • to use communications and publicity?

14. PROPOSALS FOR NEW RECOMMENDATIONS: DISSEMINATION • Previous text in Chapter 1 of 2010 CESR is • expanded to reflect more recent dissemination • technologies • Revised text to go into a new chapter on • Operational Framework • References to ‘value added’ products and • ‘mashing-up’ data from other sources have • been added • The value of data visualisation is stressed • Issues for discussion • Should specific recommendations be made or • just give general guidance as before? • Should there be any difference in emphasis for • countries with a register-based census?

15. PROPOSALS FOR NEW RECOMMENDATIONS:DOCUMENATION, METADATA and ARCHIVING • Importance of good documentation and • metadata is stressed • Short section on metadata in Chapter 1 of 2010 • CESR is expanded to recommend specific key • metadata items • Revised text to go into a new chapter on • Operational Framework • New section on archiving is added • Issues for discussion • Should specific recommendations be made or just • give general guidance as before? • Should there be any discussion of the value of • retaining census records for socio-historical or • genealogical research? • Should a closure period be recommended? • Should there be any difference in emphasis for • countries with a register-based census?