Difficulties of carrying out a census

Created by

Elisabeth Harvie

Cards (12)

There is a very high cost in conducting a census, and not all counties can afford it.
The last census in china cost $500 M
In 1996 the nigerian census had to be cancelled because they couldnt afford it
In many counties, there are low levels of adult literacy. The population that is literate and can complete the census are likely wealthier and will skew the results.
For example, adult literacy in sierra leone is 35%
Places with a huge population will find it difficult to organise a census and find it very expensive.
China has a huge population and required over 7 million people organise the census
Many countries have a large number of languages and dialects.
It is very expensive for poorer countries to cover all languages and dialects so not everyone will be able to complete it.
E.g. India has 22 official languages
People, mostly in rural communities or shanty towns, believe that the government are "snooping" and do not complete the census
Nomadic populations, which are always moving, are often missed out or counted twice
In some counties a census will be manipulated for political gain.
E.g in the 1960's, in Nigeria, certain religion numbers were exaggerated for political representation.
Many people live in terrain that is difficult to access, like the hymalayas or rainforest, and may be missed from the census altogether, making the census less acurate
If you are homeless or live in an informal settelment, there is no adress to deliver the form to. This leaves out large populations from the census.
If you are an illegal immigrant, technically you do not exist, so they choose not to be in the cense, skewing the results
If there is rapid population growth, the census will only be accuate for a short period of time.
E.g in 10 years, the population of India grew by 17%
If there is war and conflic, it may not be safe for government officials to enter the area.
E.g in Affghanistan and syria, civil war has resulted in over 300000 deaths