2020 Population and Housing Census confirmed to start in June
The Central Statistics Office has announced plans to commence the 2020 Population and Housing Census in June this year.
The Statistics Office said it has already begun working towards that timeline and is collaborating with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Director of Central Statistics Raymond Phillips said the department’s internal coordination committee has been activated and has already begun to educate the public on the census.
“Information has already been posted on our Facebook page and we launched the 2020 Census slogan competition in the territory’s schools. The public can expect a comprehensive public education campaign as we continue to share the social and economic benefits of doing the census exercise,” Philips stated.
We are bounded by confidentiality
He also encouraged all residents to participate in the data-collecting exercise and explained that all information provided to the Statistics Office is bounded by confidentiality clauses in the Statistical Act of 2005.
“Persons should not be reluctant to cooperate with our census officers as the strictest confidence is applied to the data we collect,” Phillips said. “This data is not shared with any other government agency as the Statistical Act prohibits this type of data sharing,” the director added.
The census is said to be the most crucial and comprehensive database made available to government, which reveals issues pertaining to various sections of the population and housing stock, which they can then investigate.
“It is used to compare the country’s socio-economic situation with those of other countries, especially countries in the Caribbean. It is only through this data that we can see where we need to concentrate our efforts and hence improve our conditions,” Phillips explained.
Becoming a census
Persons interested in becoming a census officer are invited to submit an application to the Central Statistics Office. The application is available on government’s official website.
Applications are also available at the East Atrium on the third floor of the Ralph T O’Neal Central Administration Building.
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It is in the best interest of the territory if maximum participation in the Census is achieved. The Census is more than counting of people and where they live. Data collected by the Census is used for a myriad of purposes in industry and government. The uses in include a) economic development, b)business decision making,c) strategic planning, d)determining the number of elected members, e) identifying gaps in resource planning areas, f) identifying where services/facilities are needed, ie, schools, medical facilities, recreation facilities, senior facilities, fire stations, police stations, utilities (water, sewage, electricity, telecommunications)……etc are. needed.
In a previous commentary, there were concerns about protecting the privacy of information collected. Confidence in ensuring that the collected information is used for its intended purpose is critical to the success of the Census. For full utilization of the Census data, it must be complete and useable and published in a timely manner.