Methods and Problems with gathering population data Flashcards
Census
This is a type of questionnaire that every household is required by law to complete. In Scotland a census is carried out every 10 years. Each householder is asked
about the number of people living in their home, their age, gender, employment, home and languages spoken. An enumerator collects them and checks that all individuals are recorded.
Government agencies process the data and make it available for interested parties.
Census statistics show population characteristics (and how they change over time) and indicate
how we live. They provide a detailed ‘snapshot’ of the population and help government bodies
decide how best to spend the country’s money.
Vital Registrations
In many countries people are also required to register important events in their lives. Vital registrations in the UK include a record of births, deaths, marriages, divorces and adoptions. The
registrations of important life events results in the production of legal documents (e.g. a baby must
be registered within 21 days in Scotland). The baby is issued with a birth certificate.
These are recorded officially so that the government has a continually updated picture of the changing make-up of the population. This allows the government to change allocated funds to different areas.
Sampling
Population surveys are conducted to gather social and economic data, and can be conducted at
regional, national and international levels.
(E.g. in China National Population Sample Surveys have been conducted annually, with 1% of its
population being asked to complete the form)
Electoral Roll
Data from electoral roll and NHS records allows population data to be updated in between census collection.
Problems: Low levels of adult literacy
Low levels of literacy especially among women mean that it is impossible for some people complete the form, making it inaccurate. In Sierra Leone, for example, adult literacy is only 35%, while in Nigeria, it is 72% for men and 50% for women. Literacy is important since most census forms are printed.
Problems: Large numbers of dialects and languages within a country
There may be more than one language spoken in a country, (India has 22 official languages and 1700 dialects). This means forms may need to be printed in more than one language and this increases costs making it harder for a poorer country to get reliable population data.
Problems: War
War zones can not be included due to being dangerous. Wars also create refugees (Syria) who could be counted more than once or not at all. War fatalities may also have already happened leading to inaccurate data.
Problems: Suspicions from local people directed towards the governments or enumerators
Some people distrust the government and don’t see why they should complete personal information and may give false answers. They may see it as an invasion of privacy and wonder why data is being collected.
Problems: High cost of conducting a census
Very expensive and time consuming as forms must be produced, distributed, collected and collated as well as enumerators trained. (for example, it costs the UK £255 million to take a census). This is a bigger problem for developing countries as they could be spending money on more pressing issues such as health and education.
Problems: Migration with country
People move from rural areas to urban areas to live in shanty towns and wont be counted. People living in shanty towns may not have official addresses and so can not be tracked down. As well as the tribes in North Africa such as the Fulani, who aren’t counted or counted repeatedly due to moving around.
Problem: Poor communication, difficult and hostile terrain and remoteness within a country.
Poor communication links and infrastructure makes census taking very difficult and expensive. In developing countries many people live in scattered areas and are difficult to access (for example, mountain villages in Nepal) meaning the census wont get to them. This means that accuracy and cover will be greatly reduced.
Problem: Under-registration
Under-registration is common. In China for instance, many baby girls are unregistered because of the one-child policy.
Problem: Deliberate manipulation of the data for political purpose.
Ethnic tensions and internal political rivalries have affected census accuracy in some countries, for example, in states in northern Nigeria have been known to inflate their population figures to secure increased political representation.
