Quick Dips

Census Countdown

March is a big month for the Department of Statistics, as the five-yearly census is on the 5th, with weeks, if not years, of analysis to follow. Computerisation has aided analysis considerably, but the basic job of handing out and collecting forms still involves thousands of people. The census is unique in providing data about the entire population at a single point in time. As such, the information it provides on long-term changes and on small social groups cannot be matched by more generalised sample surveys.