Population Flashcards
Explain what a Census is
- In the UK, a census is taken on a single day, usually the third sunday of April once every 10 years. By law, everyone must take part.
- The info that is asked about each individual can be about your age, sex, occupation, birthplace, lifestyle, health and ethnic origin
What is Civil Registration?
- Events such as births, marriages and deaths must be registered by law in the UK.
- This means data that was collected in a census can be updated and changes changed be monitored.
What is Sampling?
- Population surveys are conducted to gather social and economic data, and can be conducted at regional, national or international levels.
- e.g The Scottish Household Survey
What is Government Records?
- Information on migration may be gathered from visa applications or Borders Agency.
What are the other ways countries can gather population data?
- Data from electoral roll and NHS records allows population data to be updated in between census collection.
Why are language barriers a difficulty to collecting census data?
- Countries with many official languages have to translate their census forms and employ translators who can speak multiple languages
- For example, India has 22 official languages
Why are low literacy levels a difficulty to collecting census data?
- Many people cant read or write, and therefore are unable to complete the forms or might make mistakes unintentionally.
- For example Chad has a literacy rate of 22.3%
Why is the size of the population a difficulty to collecting census data?
- The sheer size of some population make it very difficult to conduct a census.
- For example China and India have populations of 1.4 billion.
Why is inaccessibility a difficulty to collecting census data?
- The poor infrastructure and difficult terrain make it hard for people to deliver the census forms.
- For example, in the Amazon Rainforest.
Why are wars a difficulty to collecting census data?
- Conflict can make it too dangerous for enumerators to enter.
- For example, Ukraine from the recent Russian invasion, where data can easily be outdated from people leaving the country.
Why is cost a difficulty to collecting census data?
- Undertaking the census is a very expensive process, even for developed countries.
- In developing countries there may be higher priorities for spending, including housing, education and healthcare.
- For example the 2022 Scottish Census was estimated to cost £117M.
Why is migration a difficulty to collecting census data?
- Rapid rural to urban migration, can make it difficult to gather accurate population data as data will become outdated very quickly.
Why are Shanty Towns a difficulty to collecting census data?
- Many people in developing countries may be living in Shanty Towns, or are homeless so have no official address, making it difficult to count them.
- An example of a shanty town is Dharavi.
Why are illegal immigrants a difficulty to collecting census data?
- People who are illegal immigrants are unlikely to complete a census for the fear of deportation, leading to inaccurate population data.
Why is lying/fear of persecution a difficulty to collecting census data?
- People may lie especially within countries who do not support lesbian gay or certain religions within their country due to fear of persecution.
- Zimbabwe is an example of a country where it is illegal since 1981 to be apart of the LGBTQ.