Issues and Challenges in Census Taking

Abstract

In recent decades, census taking around the world has faced major challenges, including cost pressures, concerns about intrusiveness, privacy and response burden, reduced cooperation, difficulties in accessing secure apartments and enumerating unsafe areas, more complex living arrangements, and timeliness concerns. National statistical offices have responded to these concerns with various methodological developments. These include the use of new technologies and sampling in traditional census taking. There has also been a shift from traditional census methods to greater use of registers, as pioneered in the Nordic countries, and to the combined use of registers and sample surveys. In addition to reviewing such developments, this article reviews developments in associated statistical methodology, including record linkage and coverage adjustment methods. The article concludes by discussing possible future developments in census taking around the world.