Wanted: 6.5m people to count Chinese heads
By Cai Wenjun |
July 12, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINA plans to recruit 6.5 million people to carry out its once-a-decade census of the world's most populous country, a senior statistics official said yesterday.
Local government officials, who have been largely responsible for previous census-taking, are too busy to do this one, said Feng Nailin, head of National Bureau of Statistics' population and employment statistics department.
Most of the counters, who will work for about one to two months - each collecting data on 250 to 300 people - will be local residents in the areas they survey, Feng told a forum held at the UN Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo yesterday to mark World Population Day.
Feng expected the cost of the nation's sixth census to be significantly more than previous ones because the recruited enumerators will be reasonably paid to ensure the quality of work.
China holds a national census every 10 years. The last one in 2000 put the count at more than 1.29 billion.
The sixth census will start on November 1 and will cost 8 billion yuan (US$1.2 billion) to 10 billion yuan. The money doesn't include subsidies given to the 6.5 million enumerators who visit homes to do the face-to-face research, officials said.
Domestic policy makers and officials and delegates from the United Nations Population Fund gathered at the UN Pavilion yesterday to discuss how to realize "Everyone Counts," the theme of this year's World Population Day, in this census.
Population officials said a reliable and timely population census is essential for social and economic development.
"Good population data can help assess demographic trends and needs, project future needs in education, health and employment, monitor policy implementation, evaluate policy and program impacts and help integrate population data into development planning," said Rabbi Royan from the UN Population Fund's Asia and Pacific Regional Office.
Feng said the government has tried cheaper methods like mailing questionnaires to people and collecting the information within a few days, but that household visits will still be the major method.
"We have considered some practices like the United States, where questionnaires are sent through the post and people mail back the papers," Feng said. "But it needs a perfect and accurate address system, which China doesn't have."
The national census for the first time will include people from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and foreigners.
Authorities have designed a more basic questionnaire for foreigners and will offer alternatives to expatriates who don't want a household visit by enumerators.
At the forum, officials said China's urbanization development strategy should put people first since more than half of the population will live in cities by 2015. Education, health care and social security must be improved, especially for the some 140 million migrant workers and 40 million farmers who have lost their land to urbanization, they said.
Local government officials, who have been largely responsible for previous census-taking, are too busy to do this one, said Feng Nailin, head of National Bureau of Statistics' population and employment statistics department.
Most of the counters, who will work for about one to two months - each collecting data on 250 to 300 people - will be local residents in the areas they survey, Feng told a forum held at the UN Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo yesterday to mark World Population Day.
Feng expected the cost of the nation's sixth census to be significantly more than previous ones because the recruited enumerators will be reasonably paid to ensure the quality of work.
China holds a national census every 10 years. The last one in 2000 put the count at more than 1.29 billion.
The sixth census will start on November 1 and will cost 8 billion yuan (US$1.2 billion) to 10 billion yuan. The money doesn't include subsidies given to the 6.5 million enumerators who visit homes to do the face-to-face research, officials said.
Domestic policy makers and officials and delegates from the United Nations Population Fund gathered at the UN Pavilion yesterday to discuss how to realize "Everyone Counts," the theme of this year's World Population Day, in this census.
Population officials said a reliable and timely population census is essential for social and economic development.
"Good population data can help assess demographic trends and needs, project future needs in education, health and employment, monitor policy implementation, evaluate policy and program impacts and help integrate population data into development planning," said Rabbi Royan from the UN Population Fund's Asia and Pacific Regional Office.
Feng said the government has tried cheaper methods like mailing questionnaires to people and collecting the information within a few days, but that household visits will still be the major method.
"We have considered some practices like the United States, where questionnaires are sent through the post and people mail back the papers," Feng said. "But it needs a perfect and accurate address system, which China doesn't have."
The national census for the first time will include people from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and foreigners.
Authorities have designed a more basic questionnaire for foreigners and will offer alternatives to expatriates who don't want a household visit by enumerators.
At the forum, officials said China's urbanization development strategy should put people first since more than half of the population will live in cities by 2015. Education, health care and social security must be improved, especially for the some 140 million migrant workers and 40 million farmers who have lost their land to urbanization, they said.
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