SPC_NRU_2002_PHC_v01_M
Population and Housing Census 2002
Name | Country code |
---|---|
Nauru | NRU |
Population and Housing Census [hh/popcen]
The 23rd of September 2002, was the fourth local national population census. The first census was in 1977, then in 1983, 1992 and the latest up to date in 2002. Unlike in 1992, this census was funded by the aid branch of the Australian Government, AusAID, under a memorandum of understanding with the Pacific Community (SPC) in Noumea.The Nauru Bureau of Statistics undertakes the Population Census every five years.
The key objective of every census is to count every person (man, woman, child) resident in the country on census night, and also collect information on assorted demographic (sex, age, marital status, citizenship) and socio-economic (education/qualifications; labour force and economic activity) information, as well as data pertinent to household and housing characteristics. This count provides a complete picture of the population make-up in each village and town, of each island and region, thus allowing for an assessment of demographic change over time.
The need for a national census became obvious to the Census Office (Bureau of Statistics) during 1997 when a memo was submitted to government officials proposing the need for a national census in an attempt to update old socio-economic figures. The then Acting Director of the Bureau of Statistics and his predecessor shared a similar view: that the 'heydays' and 'prosperity' were nearing their end. This may not have been apparent, as it took until almost mid-2001 for the current Acting Government Statistician to receive instructions to prepare planning for a national census targeted for 2002. It has been repeatedly said that for adequate planning at the national level, information about the characteristics of the society is required. With such information, potential impacts can be forecast and policies can be designed for the improvement and benefit of society. Without it, the people, national planners and leaders will inevitably face uncertainties.
Census/enumeration data [cen]
Version 01: Cleaned, labelled and de-identified version of the Master file.
2004-06-19
National coverage as the Population Census covers the whole of Nauru.
The Census covers all individuals living in private and non-private dwellings and institutions.
Name | Affiliation |
---|---|
Nauru Bureau of Statistics (NBOS) | Ministry of Finance and National Planning |
Name | Affiliation | Role |
---|---|---|
Secretariat of the Pacific Community | Regional Technical Assistance Agency | Technical Assistance |
Name | Role |
---|---|
Agency for International Development | Funding |
Name | Affiliation | Role |
---|---|---|
Statistics for Development Programme | Pacific Community | Technical Assistance |
There is no sampling for the population census, full coverage.
The questionnaire was based on the Pacific Islands Model Population and Housing Census Form and the 1992 census, and comprised two parts: a set of household questions, asked only of the head of household, and an individual questionnaire, administered to each household member. Unlike the previous census, which consisted of a separate household form plus two separate individual forms for Nauruans and non-Nauruans, the 2 002 questionnaire consisted of only one form separated into different parts and sections. Instructions (and skips) were desi
The questionnaire cover recorded various identifiers: district name, enumeration area, house number, number of households (family units) residing, total number of residents, gender, and whether siblings of the head of the house were also recorded. The second page, representing a summary page, listed every individual residing within the house. This list was taken by the enumerator on the first visit, on the eve of census night. The first part of the census questionnaire focused on housing-related questions. It was administered only once in each household, with questions usually asked of the household head. The household form asked the same range of questions as those covered in the 1992 census, relating to type of housing, structure of outer walls, water supply sources and storage, toilet and cooking facilities, lighting, construction materials and subsistence-type activities. The second part of the census questionnaire focused on individual questions covering all household members. This section was based on the 1992 questions, with notable differences being the exclusion of income-level questions and the expansion of fertility and mortality questions. As in 1992, a problem emerged during questionnaire design regarding the question of who or what should determine a ‘Nauruan’. Unlike the 1992 census, where the emphasis was on blood ties, the issue of naturalisation and citizenship through the sale of passports seriously complicated matters in 2 002. To resolve this issue, it was decided to apply two filtering processes: Stage 1 identified persons with tribal heritage through manual editing, and Stage 2 identified persons of Nauruan nationality and citizenship through designed skips in the questionnaire that were incorporated in the data-processing programming.
The topics of questions for each of the parts include:
Start | Cycle |
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2002-09-23 | Census night |
Name | Affiliation |
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Nauru Bureau of Statistics | Ministry of Finance |
During enumeration, each enumerator kept track of enumerated households using their maps and household listing, or field control sheets. Each supervisor was provided with a control sheet identical to the field control sheets, and maps that he/she was required to check for consistency. Once they completed work in their respective EA, the enumerators were required to hand in all forms to their supervisor, who subsequently checked for completeness and quality of the information provided, returning any unsatisfactory form(s) to the enumerator for re-enumeration. All these operations were coordinated by the Acting Government Statistician, who visited each supervisor during the field operations. Once all forms had been quality-checked by the respective supervisors, they were submitted to the Census Office together with field control sheets and a summarised control sheet. The control sheets were collected and entered into a computer, and a provisional count of the population was made.
Census night was Monday 23 September 2002. The first stage of enumeration began the day before. This was known as the first visit, where enumerators visited each house within their allocated EA and listed every individual living within the house. The first visit also allowed enumerators to make changes to existing maps and household lists if required. Any changes to the maps were handed to NRC, who made the necessary alterations. The Census Office and the respective supervisor updated their own lists where necessary. During enumeration, each enumerator kept track of enumerated households using their maps and household listing, or field control sheets. Each supervisor was provided with a control sheet identical to the field control sheets, and maps that he/she was required to check for consistency. Once they completed work in their respective EA, the enumerators were required to hand in all forms to their supervisor, who subsequently checked for completeness and quality of the information provided, returning any unsatisfactory form(s) to the enumerator for re-enumeration. All these operations were coordinated by the Acting Government Statistician, who visited each supervisor during the field operations. Once all forms had been quality-checked by the respective supervisors, they were submitted to the Census Office together with field control sheets and a summarised control sheet. The control sheets were collected and entered into a computer, and a provisional count of the population was made.
Data processing covers coding of questionnaires, data entry, data edits and tabulation of results. Coding, data entry and editing Coding took longer than expected when the Census Office found that more quality-control checks were required before coding could take place and that a large number of forms still required attention. While these quality-control checks were supposed to have been done by the supervisors in the field, the Census Office decided to review all census forms before commencing the coding. This process took approximately three months, before actual data processing could begin. The amount of additional time required to recheck the quality of every census form meant that data processing fell behind schedule. The Census Office had to improvise, with a little pressure from external stakeholders, and coding, in conjunction with data entry, began after recruiting two additional data entry personnel. All four Census Office staff became actively involved with coding, with one staff member alternating between coding and data entry, depending on which process was dropping behind schedule. In the end, the whole process took almost two months to complete. Prior to commencing data entry, the Census Office had to familiarise itself with the data entry processing system. For this purpose, SPC’s Demography/Population Programme was invited to lend assistance. Two office staff were appointed to work with Mr Arthur Jorari, SPC Population Specialist, who began by revising their skills for the data processing software that had been introduced by Dr McMurray. This training attachment took two weeks to complete. Data entry was undertaken using the 2 .3 version of the US Census Bureau’s census and surveying processing software, or CSPro2.3. This version was later updated to CSPro2.4, and all data were transferred accordingly. Technical assistance for data editing was provided by Mr Jorari over a two-week period. While most edits were completed during this period, it was discovered that some batches of questionnaires had not been entered during the initial data capturing. Therefore, batch-edit application had to be regenerated. This process was frequently interrupted by power outages prevailing at the time, which delayed data processing considerably and also required much longer periods of technical support to the two Nauru data processing staff via phone or email (when available).
Coding, data entry and editing Coding took longer than expected when the Census Office found that more quality-control checks were required before coding could take place and that a large number of forms still required attention. While these quality-control checks were supposed to have been done by the supervisors in the field, the Census Office decided to review all census forms before commencing the coding. This process took approximately three months, before actual data processing could begin. The amount of additional time required to recheck the quality of every census form meant that data processing fell behind schedule. The Census Office had to improvise, with a little pressure from external stakeholders, and coding, in conjunction with data entry, began after recruiting two additional data entry personnel. All four Census Office staff became actively involved with coding, with one staff member alternating between coding and data entry, depending on which process was dropping behind schedule. In the end, the whole process took almost two months to complete. Prior to commencing data entry, the Census Office had to familiarise itself with the data entry processing system. For this purpose, SPC’s Demography/Population Programme was invited to lend assistance. Two office staff were appointed to work with Mr Arthur Jorari, SPC Population Specialist, who began by revising their skills for the data processing software that had been introduced by Dr McMurray. This training attachment took two weeks to complete. Data entry was undertaken using the 2 .3 version of the US Census Bureau’s census and surveying processing software, or CSPro2.3. This version was later updated to CSPro2.4, and all data were transferred accordingly. Technical assistance for data editing was provided by Mr Jorari over a two-week period. While most edits were completed during this period, it was discovered that some batches of questionnaires had not been entered during the initial data capturing. Therefore, batch-edit application had to be regenerated. This process was frequently interrupted by power outages prevailing at the time, which delayed data processing considerably and also required much longer periods of technical support to the two Nauru data processing staff via phone or email (when available).
Data was compared with Administrative records after the Census to review the quality and reliability of the data.
Name | Affiliation | URL | |
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Director of Statisitics | Nauru Bureau of Statistics (NBOS) | http://www.spc.int/prism/country/nr/stats/ | [email protected] |
Is signing of a confidentiality declaration required? | Confidentiality declaration text |
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yes | All information with regards to a respondent or individual are kept confidential under the Census and Statistical Act. All information are coded in such a manner that no household or individual would be easily identified. All users of the data will have to sign an agreement or undertaking that: 1. Refrain from making copies or reproduce the data he or she is granted with; 2. Refrain from attempting to identify any person or household from the data he or she is granted with; 3. Refrain from revealing the identification of any individual or household in the data he or she is granted with. |
The Data is made available under the following conditions:
"Nauru Bureau of Statistics, Population and Housing Census 2002 (PHC 2002), Version 01 of the licensed datasets (June 2004), provided by the Pacific Microdata Library. http://pdl.spc.int/index.php/home"
All users of data should acknowledge that the Nauru Bureau of Statistics bears no responsibility in the interpretation of the data or any inferences done by the users on the data.
(c) 2012, Nauru Bureau of Statistics
Name | URL | |
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Director of Statisitics | [email protected] | https://nauru.prism.spc.int/our-contacts |
DDI_SPC_NRU_2002_PHC_v01_M
Name | Affiliation | Role |
---|---|---|
Statistics for Development Division | Pacific Community | Documentation of the study |
2012-07-16
Version 01 (July 2012): This is the first attempt at documenting the 2002 Nauru Census. Done in Guam.