Challenges Conducting a Census

Question 1

Accessibility due to terrain/infrastructure

Answer 1

Difficult terrain in remote areas can make it difficult for enumerators to reach all settlements. Poor communication means some places are inaccessible

Question 2

False Statements

Answer 2

People may have distrust with what the government will use their data for, so may return incomplete or falsified census forms

Question 2

Fear of Deportation

Answer 2

Illegal immigrants, such as Mexican immigrants in the USA, may deliberately avoid census counts to avoid deportation

Question 3

High Cost of Conducting a Census

Answer 3

Collecting and processing census data is very expensive. In developing countries there may be higher priorities for spending such as healthcare so they may struggle to find money to conduct a census

Question 4

Informal housing

Answer 4

In the cities of developing countries many people live in informal housing so they have no official address to record data from e.g. the favelas in Rio

Question 5

Language

Answer 5

countries with many official languages mean that their census forms have to be translated as well as having to employ enumerators who speak multiple languages, increasing cost

Question 6

Literacy rates

Answer 6

Countries with low literacy rates mean that many people are unable to read the census form and therefore either can’t complete the form or may make mistakes, making the data innacurate

Question 7

Nomadics

Answer 7

Nomadic people have no fixed home, so they may be missed or counted twice

Question 8

Organisational limits due to high populations

Answer 8

Countries with huge populations face difficulties in organising a census with over 1 billion people in the country

Question 9

Rapid Migration

Answer 9

Rapid migration, such as rural to urban migration can make it difficult to keep an accurate record of who lives where

Question 10

Ethnic tensions and distrust in the government

Answer 10

Ethnic tensions and distrust in the government may lead to innaccuracies

Question 11

Limited to one child (hidden children)

Answer 11

Until recently, it was illegal for most people in China to have more than one child, meaning millions of people hid additional children in fear of punishment

Question 12

War and Conflicts

Answer 12

Conflict means that it isn’t safe for enumerators to enter areas of war. Data may also quickly become inaccurate due to refugees fleeing and soldiers dying.