Latest update March 29th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jul 07, 2014 News
…better timeframe highlighted as Bureau addresses challenges
Emphasis has been placed on the benefits of a national Census, and legislators have confirmed that the information is necessary for the development of the country, especially in the areas of policy making. Additionally, they have agreed that taking longer periods to present the facts of a Census can impact the accuracy of the information.
That is why Chief Statistician and Census Officer Lennox Benjamin, has noted the importance of lessening the time taken to conduct surveys and release the data gathered. He pointed out during a presentation of the preliminary Guyana Population and Housing Census results last week that the agencies involved in the process are working overtime to ensure that information gathered are put forward in a timely manner.
Benjamin related that the pre-2012 Census report comes one year after officers would have left the field; June 2013.
“This is a big improvement from the last Census,” which was done on September 15, 2002, but the pre-report was not out until 2005, three years later.
The 2012 Census saw officers initially taking information, going back into the field for six months to conduct post-enumeration surveys and then getting a broad outline of what the data represent. This final product, Benjamin said, which is the full report of the 2012 Population and Housing Census, will be released in the second quarter of 2015.
In the past, Benjamin said, Census reports took somewhere around six years before the results could be revealed, but at the recognition of the Caribbean Community and individual countries, it was recognized that “what was recorded is history based on the timeline.”
Now, this timeframe has been cut in half. Benjamin attributed the improvement to basically, the development of technology, and in-depth planning.
At every Census count, the population is frozen at a point in time; and while it may be two years since Census night (2012), that will not invalidate the information in terms of dynamics, composition etc, but would give a most accurate reflection of the population and society, “unless a major societal, or other upheaval occur.”
Benjamin reiterated that the Census acknowledges all people resident within the borders at the time of enumerations. The preliminary report looks at the general parameter of the population, while the detailed analysis of the information would be ongoing. As such, it was recognized that detailed information such as the national, ethnic, economic and other make-ups of the location would be realized in the final report.
“In every Census, we do detail ethnic breakdown of the population, along with the composition of the foreign born population, which will come in our next major dissemination report, which is the detailed analysis of the population. Those parameters like ethnicity, foreign born population, education profile of population are part of the main parameters.”
Benjamin stated also that many challenges have to be overcome in order to be effective. This might even include changes to the law so that all necessary information could be gathered to be a true reflection of the population.
He said challenges are impediments faced by Census takers in gated communities where persons cannot be accessed.
“In terms of our forward planning and training of staffers, although we are a statistics office, we are looking to have staffers trained in Portuguese, acknowledging the growing composition of Brazilians and other nationalities.”
In terms of execution of Census, assistance had to be sought from the Chinese Association among other groups in answering questionnaires and interviews. Benjamin expects however that by the next Census, the foreign born population would have a better proficiency of English language in terms of communication.
Guyana’s population has reduced by 3,339 persons. In 2002, 751,223 persons were recorded, while 747,884 were counted in 2012.
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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