Censuses (cont.)
Advantages and disadvantages of a census
Listed below are some of the advantages and disadvantages to censuses.
Advantages |
Disadvantages |
- The coverage aims to be universal
- The census provides an important sampling frame for subsequent surveys and studies
- The census can serve as a useful tool for ‘nation-building’, by involving the entire population
- Census data avoids the sampling errors that can occur with sample data
- Censuses provide data for small areas, such as districts and counties, which is vital for the planning of services
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- The size and complexity of the exercise means that the content and quality control efforts may be limited
- The cost of carrying out a census means that most countries can pursue an enumeration only every ten years
- There is usually a significant delay between when the data are collected and the results released. Typically this delay is between 18 months to two years, and means that the census only offers a snapshot of the population at some point in the past
- Censuses are easily politicised – either by groups who feel that they might be systematically undercounted by the exercise, or by parties with a vested interest in seeking to ensure that their group’s population is found to be larger than that of other groups
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