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For any question on data and metadata, please contact: Eurostat user support |
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1.1. Contact organisation | Central Statistics Office of Ireland |
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1.2. Contact organisation unit | Census Division |
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1.5. Contact mail address | CSO Swords Business Campus Balheary Road Swords Co Dublin |
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2.1. Metadata last certified | 16/09/2014 | ||
2.2. Metadata last posted | 16/09/2014 | ||
2.3. Metadata last update | 16/09/2014 |
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3.1. Data description | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Not available. |
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3.2. Classification system | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ISCO-08, NACE Rev. 2, etc. |
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3.3. Coverage - sector | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3.4.1. Statistical concepts and definitions - Usual residence Usual residence means the place where a person normally spends the daily period of rest, regardless of temporary absences for purposes of recreation, holidays, visits to friends and relatives, business, medical treatment or religious pilgrimage. For the Irish Census, a person’s usual residence was defined as the place where he/she spent most of his/her daily night’s rest. The general guidance given on classifying whether the address at which the person was enumerated was their usual residence was as follows : An address was considered a usual residence if the person had lived at the address for a continuous period of at least 12 months before Census Night or arrived at the address in the 12 month period leading to the Census with the intention of staying for at least one year. The following specific guidance was also offered on the Census questionnaire: Persons away from home during the week who returned to the family home at weekends were advised to consider the family home as their place of usual residence. Primary and secondary school students who boarded away from home and third level students at college or university were advised to consider the family home as their place of usual residence If a person spent or intended to spend 12 months or more in an institution, then that institution was that person’s place of usual residence. If a person regularly lived in more than one residence during the year leading to the census, then the place where he/she spent the majority of their time should be chosen as the place of usual residence. Householders were also required to complete questions in respect of persons who were usually resident in the household but absent on Census Night. Two questions were relevant for the usual residence criteria. The first was “How long altogether is this person away for?”. There were two response options to this question
The second was “Was this person in the Republic of Ireland on Sunday 10 April?”
For the purposes of the hypercubes, persons who were absent but were away for less than 12 months outside of the Republic of Ireland were included as usual residents. Where an entire household was absent on Census night household members who were out of the country on Census night were not counted in the Census. All persons captured on Reconciliation Forms (see section 12.1) were considered usual residents. 3.4.2. Statistical concepts and definitions - SexSex is captured in the Census questionnaire through responses provided to Question 2, which is obligatory for every person. Question 2 is headed ‘Sex’ and provides respondents with two potential options ‘1 – Male’ or ‘2 –Female’. When coding the sex variable, the responses provided to Question 2 are used to decide which sex should be allocated to the person record. In instances where the question is not correctly answered or left blank, the sex of the person is determined through a manual inspection of other information provided on the Census form, particularly the list of persons present and name. 3.4.3. Statistical concepts and definitions - AgeThe age reached at the reference date (in completed years). 3.4.4. Statistical concepts and definitions - Marital statusMarital status is the (legal) conjugal status of an individual in relation to the marriage laws of the country (de jure status). Whereas no one piece of law defines legal marital statuses in Ireland, they are referred to in several legislative acts. Article 41 of the Irish constitution refers to the essential link between marriage and the family. The Family Law (Divorce) Act 1996 recognised divorce in Ireland for the first time, thereby ensuring divorce was a legal marital status. Annulment has been a legal marital status in Ireland since the 1870 Matrimonial Causes and Marriage Law Act. Subsequent case law has built on this act. Same-sex civil partnerships became a legal marital status in Ireland through the enactment of the Civil partnership and certain rights and obligations of cohabitants act 2010. The minimum age for marriage and same-sex civil partnerships is 18. 3.4.5. Statistical concepts and definitions - Family statusThe family nucleus is defined in the narrow sense, that is as two or more persons who belong to the same household and who are related as husband and wife, as partners in a registered partnership, as partners in a consensual union, or as parent and child. Thus a family comprises a couple without children, or a couple with one or more children, or a lone parent with one or more children. This family concept limits relationships between children and adults to direct (first-degree) relationships, that is between parents and children. Relationships between household members and family status were identified using the relationship question on the Irish Census form. Person 1 on the Census form was not required to answer the relationship question. Person 2 was required to state his/her relationship to Person 1. Person 3 in the household was required to state his/her relationship to Persons 1 and 2. Person 4 was required to state his/her relationship to Persons 1, 2 and 3. Persons 5 and 6 and any subsequent persons were required to state their relationship to Persons 2, 3 and 4. In the case of usual residents absent from the household on Census night relationship to Person 1 is collected. There were 12 relationship options available, of which one was selected. These options were • Husband or wife • Partner (including same-sex partner) • Son or daughter • Step-child • Brother or sister • Mother or father • Grandparent • Step-mother/father • Son-/daughter-in-law • Grandchild • Other related • Unrelated (including foster child) The individual families and the relationships within each family is either coded automatically or manually by operator using the Family Nucleus Coding station. 3.4.6. Statistical concepts and definitions - Household statusIn the Irish Census, a household is defined according to the housekeeping concept. The precise definition of a household used is as follows:
Relationships between household members and family status were identified using the relationship question on the Irish Census form which is a combination of relation to the reference person and a relationship matrix. Specifically, Person 1 on the Census form was not required to answer the relationship question. Person 2 was required to state his/her relationship to Person 1. Person 3 in the household was required to state his/her relationship to Persons 1 and 2. Person 4 was required to state his/her relationship to Persons 1, 2 and 3. Persons 5 and 6 and any subsequent persons were required to state their relationship to Persons 1, 2, 3 and 4. In the case of usual residents absent from the household on Census Night relationship to Person 1 on the census form was also collected. There were 12 relationship options available, of which one was selected. These options were • Husband or wife • Partner (including same-sex partner) • Son or daughter • Step-child • Brother or sister • Mother or father • Grandparent • Step-mother/father • Son-/daughter-in-law • Grandchild • Other related • Unrelated (including foster child) The individual families and the relationships within each family is either coded automatically or manually by an operator during Census processing using the relationship question, as well as the information provided in the date of birth, usual residence and marital status questions. Using the following coding frame. The family nucleus code effectively defines the structure that exists in the non-single person private household for usual residents. FNC is based on the relationship to Person 1 of all other members of the household. There may be one, two or three family nuclei within the same household. At most, 3 family nuclei will be coded.
The FNC Matrix shows the possible codes in each family. FNC Matrix
Note: In the Irish Census, persons defined as children can be of any age providing they have never been married. 3.4.7. Statistical concepts and definitions - Current activity statusCurrent activity status' is the current relationship of a person to economic activity, based on a reference period of one week, which may be either a specified, recent, fixed, calendar week, or the last complete calendar week, or the last seven days prior to enumeration. The question appeared after the age filter on the Census form which instructed persons aged 14 and under did not to respond to it. If persons aged 14 or under did respond to the question, the response was removed during processing. No guidelines were provided on how to answer the question other than the respondent was required to mark one of the eight response options. These options were
The ‘Other’ option was accompanied by write-in boxes where respondents could write in their present status. The text captured from this option was subsequently coded to ‘Other’ or to one of the other seven options where applicable. Where current activity status was left blank by the respondent a value was imputed using other information on the form and rotation fles whose current activity profile was based on sectors of the general population. 3.4.8. Statistical concepts and definitions - OccupationOccupation' refers to the type of work done in a job (that is the main tasks and duties of the work). Persons doing more than one job are allocated an occupation based on their main job, which is identified according to the time spent on the job or, if not available, to the income received. Industry (branch of economic activity) is the kind of production or activity of the establishment (or similar unit) in which the job of a currently economically active person is located. An 'employee' is a person who works in a 'paid employment' job, that is a job where the explicit or implicit contract of employment gives the incumbent a basic remuneration, which is independent of the revenue of the unit for which he/she works. In the Irish Census, persons who identified themselves as either working, unemployed or retired were required to answer the employment status question. There were four employment status options, one of which was chosen. These options were : • Employee • Self-employed, with paid employees • Self-employed, without paid employees • Assisting relative (not receiving a fixed wage or salary) The Census dis not identify persons who are both employers and employees. 3.4.11. Statistical concepts and definitions - Place of workThe location of the place of work is the geographical area in which a currently employed person does his/her job. 'Educational attainment' refers to the highest level successfully completed in the educational system of the country where the education was received. All education which is relevant to the completion of a level is taken into account even if this was provided outside schools and universities. A locality is defined as a distinct population cluster, that is an area defined by population living in neighbouring or contiguous buildings. Such buildings may either: Place of birth is defined as the place of usual residence of the mother at the time of the birth, or, if not available, as the place in which the birth took place. Place of birth was directly asked on the Irish Census form. The question required persons to write in their county (if in Ireland) or country of birth. An instruction was given in the question body that the place of birth should be the place where the person’s mother lived at the time of the birth. 3.4.15. Statistical concepts and definitions - Country of citizenshipCitizenship is defined as the particular legal bond between an individual and his/her State, acquired by birth or naturalisation, whether by declaration, option, marriage or other means according to the national legislation. There was no question in the Irish Census on citizenship. However, there was a question on nationality. The question required persons to indicate whether they have Irish nationality, a non-Irish nationality or no nationality. Persons who indicated that they had a non-Irish nationality were required to write in this nationality. Persons who had more than one nationality are required to write in each of their non-Irish nationalities. There was also an option for persons to indicate that they had no nationality. 3.4.16. Statistical concepts and definitions - Year of arrival in the countryThe year of arrival is the calendar year in which a person most recently established usual residence in the country. The data for 2011 refer to the time span between 1 January 2011 and the reference date. 3.4.17. Statistical concepts and definitions - Residence one year beforeThis indicates the relationship between the current place of usual residence and the place of usual residence one year prior to the census. Children under one year of age are classified under 'Not applicable'. The question in the Irish Census was asked of persons aged 1 year or over. It asked ‘Where did you usually live one year ago?’. There were three response options • Same as now • Elsewhere in Ireland (including Northern Ireland) • Elsewhere abroad If persons indicated that their usual residence one year ago was the ‘same as now’, it was coded to the geography at which they were enumerated. If they indicated that their usual residence one year ago was ‘Elsewhere in Ireland (including Northern Ireland), they were required to write in the county in which they lived. If they indicated that their usual residence one year ago was ‘Elsewhere abroad’, they were required to write in the country in which they lived. The write-in answers were subsequently coded during processing to a lookup containing county and country codes. 3.4.18. Statistical concepts and definitions - Housing arrangementsThe topic 'Housing arrangements' covers the whole population and refers to the type of housing in which a person usually resides at the time of the census. This covers all persons who are usual residents in different types of living quarters, or who do not have a usual residence and stay temporarily in some type of living quarters, or who are roofless, sleeping rough or in emergency shelters, when the census is taken. The family nucleus is defined in the narrow sense, that is as two or more persons who belong to the same household and who are related as husband and wife, as partners in a registered partnership, as partners in a consensual union, or as parent and child. Thus a family comprises a couple without children, or a couple with one or more children, or a lone parent with one or more children. This family concept limits relationships between children and adults to direct (first-degree) relationships, that is between parents and children. The family nucleus is defined in the narrow sense, that is as two or more persons who belong to the same household and who are related as husband and wife, as partners in a registered partnership, as partners in a consensual union, or as parent and child. Thus a family comprises a couple without children, or a couple with one or more children, or a lone parent with one or more children. This family concept limits relationships between children and adults to direct (first-degree) relationships, that is between parents and children. Private households may be defined according to the 'housekeeping concept' , or, if this is not possible, Member States may apply the 'household-dwelling' concept. The Irish Census operates on the ‘housekeeping’ definition of households. In the field staff training literature on identifying households, the following definition is provided: ‘A private household comprises either one person living alone or a group of people (not necessarily related) living at the same address with common housekeeping arrangements – that is sharing at least one meal a day or sharing a living room or sitting room.’ This definition was also defined on the Census form. Households are the basic unit of enumeration in the Census. Each household received a separate Census form and all details pertaining to each member of that household were completed within that form. When more than one household resided in a single dwelling unit, additional Census forms were distributed to each separate household. This ensured that the data of household members could be linked throughout the processing and during publication and analysis of the results. Primary homeless persons in the Irish Census are referred to as ‘Rough sleepers’. The methodology used to identify and enumerate Rough Sleepers is described below. Dublin Within the county of Dublin, a count of rough sleepers was performed on Census Night on behalf of the CSO by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE), the statutory body responsible for tackling homelessness in Dublin. The methodology followed by the DRHE was based on ‘discovery’, that is, direct observation of the number of persons physically present and sleeping rough in Dublin on Census Night. The count took place between 3.30 a.m and 6.00 a.m on the morning of Monday April 11 2011. To perform the count, teams of volunteers were recruited to work alongside experienced homeless sector workers. Each team was given a designated area to cover and was provided with a detailed map. Every street in Dublin city centre was walked. In more residential and suburban areas where there was evidence of persons sleeping rough, teams covered some ground in cars. Each team carried two types of form, ‘A’ forms and ‘B’ forms. ‘A’ forms were used to record details of persons who were found ‘bedded down’, that is persons who were lying down in a sleeping bag or other bedding in the open air or in buildings or other places not designed for habitation. If the person was awake the teams explained their purpose and asked the person for the following basic information: name, age and nationality. The location and time of discovery were also recorded. The volunteers were instructed not to wake persons who were asleep but rather to note his/her gender and approximate age, along with the location and time of discovery. The ‘B’ forms were used to record the details of those who in all likelihood were sleeping rough but who were not yet bedded down, for example someone who was walking around, or to record other information such as bedding without anyone being there. After the count took place, a meeting was held between DRHE, CSO and representatives from Dublin City Council and the voluntary sector where the total number of persons counted sleeping rough was agreed based upon the findings from the collated Forms ‘A’ and ‘B’: duplicates were removed, other irregularities were examined, and persons on the ‘B’ count were reviewed and a decision made as to whether to include these persons in the final count. This was done on the basis of whether that person was known to habitually sleep rough or whether he/she may have been enumerated elsewhere on Census Night, such as in Emergency accommodation. The methodology followed provided a definitive minimum count of persons who were sleeping rough on Census Night in Dublin. It is accepted that there may have been additional persons hidden in inaccessible locations, such as private property, who could not be counted on the night. Once the final list was agreed, all details were transmitted to CSO where the details were transcribed onto official census forms. Outside Dublin Enumeration of persons sleeping rough outside of Dublin was the responsibility of local census field staff. In advance of the commencement of the field operation, Census Regional Supervisors were instructed to make contact with local authority homeless forums and local service providers to inform them of the upcoming count. As part of this communication, the Regional Supervisors were instructed to query the possible location of persons sleeping rough and to convey this information to the relevant Census Field Supervisors. Field Supervisors were also instructed to make contact with local Gardaí to inquire as to whether there may be persons sleeping rough in local areas on Census Night and to provide this information to the Enumerator for the relevant Enumeration Area (EA). Enumerators who discovered persons sleeping rough in their EA were required to complete a Household Form for that person and to indicate that they were sleeping rough. A total of 64 persons were counted sleeping rough. A special Census report on Homeless persons in Ireland was published. See http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/homelesspersonsinireland/Homeless,persons,in,Ireland,A,special,Census,report.pdf 3.4.22. Statistical concepts and definitions - Size of private householdPrivate households may be defined according to the 'housekeeping concept' , or, if this is not possible, Member States may apply the 'household-dwelling' concept. The topic 'Tenure status of households' refers to the arrangements under which a private household occupies all or part of a housing unit. Categorisation of occupied dwellings by ownership type in the Irish Census was based on the answer to the question below on the Census form, which was answered by the householder on behalf of all household members: Does your household own or rent your accommodation? (mark one only) • Own with mortgage or loan • Own outright • Rent • Live here rent free If renting, who is your landlord? • Private landlord • Local authority • Voluntary/co-operative housing body These were the only dwelling ownership types reported in the Census. 3.4.24. Statistical concepts and definitions - Type of living quarter'Conventional dwellings' are structurally separate and independent premises at fixed locations which are designed for permanent human habitation and are, at the reference date, either used as a residence, or vacant, or reserved for seasonal or secondary use. 'Occupied conventional dwellings' are conventional dwellings which are the usual residence of one or more persons at the time of the census. 'Unoccupied conventional dwellings' are conventional dwellings which are not the usual residence of any person at the time of the census. One of 9 dwelling statuses was attributed to each dwelling during Census enumeration in Ireland. This was decided by Enumerators subsequent to visiting each dwelling and was noted in the Enumerators Record Book (ERB). The dwelling statuses which could be recorded by the Enumerator were as follows : • Occupied • Temporarily absent • Vacant house/communal establishment • Vacant flat • Holiday home • Under construction • Derelict • Commercial only • Does not exist When contact was made with a householder who confirmed that the dwelling would be occupied on Census Night, the dwelling was categorised as ‘occupied’. When no contact was made with a householder or when the householder confirmed that the dwelling would be unoccupied on Census Night, one of the other categories was chosen. The definition of each of these categories was as follows: Temporarily absent Dwellings where the entire household was temporarily away on Census Night. In this case the householder was asked for the address where each household member spent Census Night. A tracking system was used to check that each household member was included on the Census Form where they claimed to have spent Census night. Vacant house/Communal establishment To confirm whether a habitable house was vacant, the Enumerator was required to call to it several times prior to Census Night, varying the times of the calls in case the householder worked a set pattern of hours. The Enumerator was instructed to look for signs that the house was not occupied, e.g no furniture, no cars outside, mail accumulating, overgrown garden etc. There was also an instruction to make contact with neighbours to ascertain whether the house was vacant. The Enumerator was required to call back to houses classified as vacant after Census night to confirm that they remained unoccupied. Vacant flat The same approach was required in categorizing a flat/apartment as vacant as for a house. Holiday home This category covered dwellings which were only occasionally occupied and approximated to ‘dwellings reserved for seasonal or secondary use’. The Enumerator was advised that they were usually found in rural areas, but that they included all dwellings that were occasionally occupied such as city apartments used for week-end breaks etc. As with vacant dwellings, the Enumerator was required to make contact with householders if possible and to call several times to the dwelling if required in order to do this. However if this was not possible, the Enumerator was instructed to make contact with neighbours, who were the best source for categorizing a dwelling as a holiday home rather than vacant. Under construction Dwellings which were not yet fit for habitation because the roof, doors, windows or walls had not yet been built or installed were considered under construction. Derelict Derelict dwellings were those which had been abandoned, looked dilapidated and had doors and windows boarded up. The grounds of these dwellings may have been overgrown and the buildings were likely to be old. Commercial only Buildings were to be categorised as commercial only if the premises were used solely for commercial purposes and no part of the building was used as a dwelling. Does not exist When the Enumerator could not find a dwelling at the location indicated on his/her map and Enumerators Record Book (see section 12.1) , he/she was instructed to indicate that the marked dwelling did not exist. 3.4.26. Statistical concepts and definitions - Type of ownershipThe topic 'Type of ownership' refers to the ownership of the dwelling and not to that of the land on which the dwelling stands. The number of occupants of a housing unit is the number of people for whom the housing unit is the usual residence. 3.4.28. Statistical concepts and definitions - Useful floor spaceUseful floor space is defined as the floor space measured inside the outer walls excluding non-habitable cellars and attics and, in multi-dwelling buildings, all common spaces; or the total floor space of rooms falling under the concept of 'room'. A 'room' is defined as a space in a housing unit enclosed by walls reaching from the floor to the ceiling or roof, of a size large enough to hold a bed for an adult (4 square metres at least) and at least 2 metres high over the major area of the ceiling. The number of rooms available to each household was captured in the Irish Census through the following question, answered by the householder on behalf of all household members: How many rooms do you have for use only by your household? The following information was provided in the question body as a guide: Do not count bathrooms, toilets, kitchenettes, utility rooms, consulting rooms, offices, shops, halls or landings or rooms that can only be used for storage, such as cupboards. Do count all other rooms such as kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, conservatories you can sit in, and studies. If two rooms have been converted into one, count them as one. The householder was required to write in the appropriate number of rooms. 3.4.30. Statistical concepts and definitions - Density standard (floor space)The topic ‘Density standard’ relates the useful floor space in square metres or the number of rooms to the number of occupants, as specified under the topic 'Number of occupants'. The density standard variable in the Irish Census was computed by taking the number of rooms available for use to a household (taken from the question above) and dividing it by the number of usual residents in the household. 3.4.31. Statistical concepts and definitions - Density standard (number of rooms)The topic ‘Density standard’ relates the useful floor space in square metres or the number of rooms to the number of occupants, as specified under the topic 'Number of occupants'. The data pertaining to water supply is collected using Question H7 on the Census form. This question must be completed by the head of every household. The question and response options are as follows: H7. What type of piped water supply does your accommodation have? Mark one box only. 1 Connection to a public main 2 Connection to a group water scheme with a local authority source of supply 3 Connection to a group water scheme with a private source of supply (e.g borehole, lake, etc.) 4 Connection to other private source (e.g. well, lake, rainwater tank etc.) 5 No piped water supply No further instructions are provided to householder along with this question 3.4.33. Statistical concepts and definitions - Toilet facilitiesThe information supplied on toilet faciliites is derived from the question in the Irish Census on sewerage treatment. The question and associated response options are as follows: What type of sewerage facility does your accommodation have?
No information was directly collected on bathing facilities in the Irish Census, however CSO will derive a variable on bathing facilities from existing Census data on water supply and make this available through the relevant hypercubes. 3.4.35. Statistical concepts and definitions - Type of heatingA housing unit is considered as centrally heated if heating is provided either from a community heating centre or from an installation built in the building or in the housing unit, established for heating purposes, without regard to the source of energy. 3.4.36. Statistical concepts and definitions - Type of buildingThe topic 'Dwellings by type of building' refers to the number of dwellings in the building in which the dwelling is placed. 3.4.37. Statistical concepts and definitions - Period of constructionThe topic 'Dwellings by period of construction' refers to the year when the building in which the dwelling is placed was completed. |
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3.5. Statistical unit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The EU programme for the 2011 population and housing censuses include data on persons, private households, family nuclei, conventional dwellings and living quarters |
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3.6. Statistical population | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Persons enumerated in the 2011 census are those who were usually resident in the territory of the reporting country at the census reference date. Usual residence means the place where a person normally spends the daily period of rest, regardless of temporary absences for purposes of recreation, holidays, visits to friends and relatives, business, medical treatment or religious pilgrimage |
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3.7. Reference area | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The census data relates to the entire territory of the Republic of Ireland. Data are available at dfferent levels of geographical detail: national, NUTS2, NUTS3 and local administrative units (LAU2) |
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3.8. Coverage - Time | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All data pertain to Sunday, April 10th 2011. |
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3.9. Base period | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Counts of statistical units |
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10/04/2011 |
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6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements | |||
Section 8 of the Statistics Act 1993 establishes the Central Statistics Office to exercise the functions of the Statistics Act. The Census was taken under Section 26 of the Statistics Act 1993 and the Statistics (Census of Population) Order 2010 see http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2010/en/si/0207.html |
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6.1.1. Bodies responsible | |||
The sole body responsible for collection and compilation of Census data is the Central Statistics Office. |
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6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing | |||
Not available. |
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7.1. Confidentiality - policy | |||
The Statistics Act, 1993 Part V, Paragraph 32 guarantees that all information collected in the Census is only used for statistical compilation and analysis purposes. Paragraph 33 guarantees that no Census data which could identify an individual will be released. Paragraph 35 guarantees that the confidentiality requirements pertaining to a Census of Population will expire 100 years after the relevant Census. All staff working on the Census must become Officers of Statistics, thereby making a legal commitment to protecting the confidentiality of Census information. This is covered under Part 2, Paragraphs 20 to 22 of the Statistics Act, 1993. The penalties associated with breaches of confidentiality are contained in Part 6, Paragraphs 38 to 45. Legal action was taken against 5 householders after Census 2011, 3 of the procsecutions were successful. The Statistics Act, 1993 can be accessed online via the following link: http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1993/en/act/pub/0021/print.html |
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7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment | |||
All Census data which is disseminated into the public domain is in accordance with the non-disclosure guarantee given in Paragraph 33 of the Statistics Act 1993. When compiling Census data for dissemination, cells that are found to be disclosive of either individuals’ identities or individuals’ attributes are either suppressed or aggregated with other cells, thereby removing the disclosure. |
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8.1. Release calendar | |||
Data are made available 27 months after the end of the reference period (March 2014) |
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8.2. Release calendar access | |||
8.3. Release policy - user access | |||
Census thematic reports were released via the CSO website in pdf format and were free to access and download. Simultaneously tables of data related to each report were also released on the CSO’s online Statbank (PC-Axis). All Census data were also free to access and download. Hard copies of each report were available to purchase through the CSO. The release calendar informed users of the date of forthcoming Census reports. The calendar was published on the CSO’s website in advance of the commencement of the publication schedule. Press releases were also issued to national and local media to accompany each report. Reports were made available to all users simultaneously. In a number of instances a press briefing was arranged whereby key stakeholders in government departments were given a preview of Census reports in the hour before they were released, however this was done under a curfew that lasted until the report was publicly available. Metadata supplied to Eurostat will also be made available to users via hyperlinks on the CSO's website. |
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Data on population and housing censuses are disseminated every decade |
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10.1. Dissemination format - News release | |||
Press releases were issued with all of the Census thematic publications in 2012. Hyperlinks to these releases are listed here in chronological order. http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011pdr/ENGLISH,This,is,Ireland,National,Press,Release,Version,1,290312.pdf (This is Ireland Part 1) http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011vol1andprofile1/Press,release,Census,2011,Profile,1,for,website.pdf (Population classified by area) http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011vol1andprofile1/Press,release,Census,2011,Profile,1,for,website.pdf (Town and country) http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile2/Press_release_Census_2011_Profile_2.pdf (Older and younger) http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/thisisirelandpart2census2011/Press,Release,for,This,is,Ireland,Part,2.pdf (This is Ireland Part 2) http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile4/Profile4_Press_Release_The_Roof_over_our_heads.pdf (The roof over our heads) http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile5/Profile,5,,Press,Release,Households,and,Families.pdf (Households and families) http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile6/PR,xxxx,Profile,6,Migration,a...pdf (Migration and diversity in Ireland) http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile7/Profile,7,Press,Release,Religion,,Ethnicity,and,Irish,Travellers.pdf (Religion, ethnicity and Irish Travellers) http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile8/Profile,8,Press,Release,Our,Bill,of,Health.pdf (Our bill of health) http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile9/Profile,9,What,we,know,Press,Statement.pdf (What we know) http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile10/Profile,10,Press,Statement,Door,to,Door,.pdf (Door to door) |
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10.2. Dissemination format - Publications | |||
CSO released a series of thematic publications based upon Census 2011 data. Hyperlinks to the publications are provided below. http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/Prelim,complete.pdf Preliminary report – 30 June 2011 http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011pdr/Census,2011,Highlights,Part,1,web,72dpi.pdf This is Ireland Part 1 (Principal demographic results) – 29 March 2012 http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011vol1andprofile1/Census,2011,-,Population,Classified,by,Area.pdf Population classified by area – 26 April 2012 http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011vol1andprofile1/Profile1_Town_and_Country_Entire_doc.pdf Town and country (Population distribution and movements) – 26 April 2012 http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile2/Profile2_Older_and_Younger_Entire_Document.pdf Older and younger (An age profile of Ireland) – 24 May 2012 http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/thisisirelandpart2census2011/This,is,Ireland,Highlights,,P2,Full,doc.pdf This is Ireland Part 2 (Principal socio-economic results) – 28 June 2012 http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile3/Profile,3full,doc,for,web,sig,amended.pdf At work (Employment, occupations and industry in Ireland) - 26 July 2012 http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile4/Profile,4,The,Roof,over,our,Heads,Full,doc,sig,amended.pdf The Roof over our head (Housing in Ireland) – 30 August 2012 http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/homelesspersonsinireland/Homeless,persons,in,Ireland,A,special,Census,report.pdf Homeless persons in Ireland : A special Census report – 6 September 2012 http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile5/Profile,5,Households,and,Families,full,doc,sig,amended.pdf Households and families (Living arrangements in Ireland) – 20 September 2012 http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile6/Profile,6,Migration,and,Diversity,entire,doc.pdf Migration and diversity (A profile of diversity of Ireland) – 4 October 2012 http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile7/Profile,7,Education,Ethnicity,and,Irish,Traveller,entire,doc.pdf Religion, ethnicity and Irish Travellers (Ethnic and cultural background in Ireland) – 18 October 2012 http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile8/Profile,8,Full,document.pdf Our bill of health (Health, disability and carers in Ireland) – 1 November 2012 http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile9/Profile,9,What,we,know,full,doc,for,web.pdf What we know (Education, skills and the Irish language) – 22 November 2012 http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile10/Profile,10,Full,Document.pdf Door to door (Commuting in Ireland) – 13 December 2012 |
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10.3. Dissemination format - online database | |||
Census data tables were released simultaneously with the publications. The data tables were made available online on the CSO’s website Statbank data repository, which is built using a PC-Axis framework. Statbank allows data to be manipulated and downloaded by users free of charge in several formats including .xls, .csv, .txt and .html. Statbank can be accesssed through the following link: http://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/statire/SelectTable/Omrade0.asp?Planguage=0 CSO also release comprehensive Census Small Area data. Small Areas are polygons containing on average 108 dwellings. They were generated by researchers in the University of Maynooth and Ordinance Survey Ireland and fully incorporated into the Census for the first time in 2011. They facilitate data comparisons between similarly sized geographical areas across the country. Data on Small Areas are available for the following thematic areas:
CSO also made available a bespoke online tool, SAPMAP, which allows users to view a standard Census report for a wide range of geographies from small area(average 100 households) up to state level. Small area (and higher level geographies)thematic data can be downloaded in .csv format at the following link: http://www.cso.ie/en/census/census2011smallareapopulationstatisticssaps/ The link to the SAPMAP application is : CSO also formed a partnership with the All-Island-Research Observatory (AIRO) who have a lot of expertise in thematic mapping of data. Data was provided a week before release to AIRO under a confidentiality agreement and was released by AIRO at the same time as CSO. AIRO have put up a wide range of mapping tools allowing thematic mapping of 130+ census counts, vacant dwellings and travel to work data. The have also made available specialised for aimed at Regional and Local Authorities for used in their planning process. See http://www.airo.ie/mapping-module/census |
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10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access | |||
Two Census microdata files are made available. POWSCAR (Place of work, school and college anonymised record) contains anonymised records for all workers resident in Ireland and Irish resident students aged 5 and over. It includes key socio-economic variables and information on the origin and destination of the journeys to work, school or college. The dataset is topcoded to ensure anonymity is retained. Access to the is strictly controlled through a formal application procedure and confidentiality contract and is available exclusively to bona fide researchers resident in Ireland. The IPUMS dataset is an anonymised sample of 10% of households enumerated on Census night and 10% of persons who spend Census night in a communal establishment. The dataset contains a wide selection of Census variables which are selectively topcoded to prevent disclosure. The dataset will be available only to reserachers approved by the IPUMS organisation from summer 2014. |
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10.5. Dissemination format - other | |||
Census Small Area population statistics (SAPS) are available across a wide range of variables (see section 10.3 for details). The data are based on Small Areas which are polygons containing on average 108 dwellings. These Small Areas were generated by researchers in the University of Maynooth and Ordinance Survey Ireland. SAPS data is disseminated both in .csv and graphical formats. The graphical interface, SAPMAPS, was made available on the CSO website free of charge at the same time as the .csv data was released. |
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11.1. Documentation on methodology | |||
On completion, the Census quality reporting and metadata will be made available via hyperlinks to Eurostat’s website on www.cso.ie. |
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11.2. Quality management - documentation | |||
On completion, the Census quality reporting and metadata will be made available via hyperlinks to Eurostat’s website on www.cso.ie. |
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12.1. Quality assurance | |||
There were several aspects of quality assurance contained within the Census process.
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12.2. Quality management - assessment | |||
12.2.1. Coverage assessment | |||
No dedicated coverage assessment was carried out. However, the use of Reconciliation Forms to collect information on occupied dwellings for which no Census form was collected was done to reduce possible undercoverage. A total of 6,927 households and 13,995 persons were enumerated on Reconciliation Forms. There were also an number of checks to ensure that all persons in the household on Census night were reflected in the data. Three separate counts were checked against each other. a) The number of males, females and persons in the household recorded by the enumerator on the front of the form (obtained by a manual count of persons on the form) b) The number of persons listed as being present in the household on page 3 of the form(obtained by doing an Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) count of rows where a persons name was entered) c) The number of persons for which data was entered by the householder . A person was considered to exist by the system if data was detected in any of the key fields Name (OMR), Sex (OMR), Date of Birth(Intelligent Character Recognition) , relationship to Person 1. If the number of persons present from the three counts were inconsistent a message was displayed to operators during census processing. In cases where a person was counted in b) but not in c) a male or female was added to the household depending on the sex of the persons name. Date of birth and other key fields were imputed. If c) was greater than b) and a person had been generated by noise on the form, for example where a person had written not applicable across the form this 'phantom' person was deleted. |
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12.2.2. Post-enumeration survey(s) | |||
No post enumeration survey was carried out. |
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13.1. Relevance - User Needs | |||
The census data disseminated by Eurostat are addressed to policy makers, researchers, media and the general public. |
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13.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction | |||
No user satisfaction surveys are carried out. User inquiries are handled by the Eurostat User Support service. |
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13.3. Completeness | |||
Depends on the availability of data transmitted by the National Statistical Institutes. |
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14.1. Accuracy - overall | |||
Given the way the Irish Census is conducted without a target population, adjustment for under or overcoverage or a post-enumeration survey, it is impossible to provide an objective measure of accuracy. However, the measures outlined in section 12.1 on Quality Assurance were also designed to improve the accuracy and completeness of the Census count and the data collected. Enumerarators had to account for all dwellings in their area either with a completed Census form or a Reconcilliation form accounting for the reason a completed census form was not returned. Enumerators were required to continuously call back to households which were occupied on Census night to get a return from the householder. Enumerators received a terminal bonus of €500 on the successful completion of their enumeration work. This acted as a cash incentive to ensure that they pursued householders to the fullest extent possible. 14.1.1. Accuracy overall - Usual residenceThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.2. Accuracy overall - SexThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.3. Accuracy overall - AgeThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.4. Accuracy overall - Marital statusThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.5. Accuracy overall - Family statusThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.6. Accuracy overall - Household statusThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.7. Accuracy overall - Current activity statusThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.8. Accuracy overall - OccupationThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.9. Accuracy overall - IndustryThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.10. Accuracy overall - Status in employmentThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.11. Accuracy overall - Place of workThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.12. Accuracy overall - Educational attainmentThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.13. Accuracy overall - Size of the localityThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.14. Accuracy overall - Place of birthThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.15. Accuracy overall - Country of citizenshipThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.16. Accuracy overall - Year of arrival in the countryThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.17. Accuracy overall - Residence one year beforeThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.18. Accuracy overall - Housing arrangementsThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.19. Accuracy overall - Type of family nucleusThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.20. Accuracy overall - Size of family nucleusThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.21. Accuracy overall - Type of private householdThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.22. Accuracy overall - Size of private householdThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.23. Accuracy overall - Tenure status of householdThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.24. Accuracy overall - Type of living quarterThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.25. Accuracy overall - Occupancy statusThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.26. Accuracy overall - Type of ownershipThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.27. Accuracy overall - Number of occupantsThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.28. Accuracy overall - Useful floor spaceThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.29. Accuracy overall - Number of roomsThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.30. Accuracy overall - Density standard (floor space)There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.31. Accuracy overall - Density standard (number of rooms)There are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.32. Accuracy overall - Water supply systemThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.33. Accuracy overall - Toilet facilitiesThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.34. Accuracy overall - Bathing facilitiesThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.35. Overall accuracy - Type of heatingThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.36. Overall accuracy - Type of buildingThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic 14.1.37. Overall accuracy - Period of constructionThere are no particular reasons for data unreliability for this topic |
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14.2. Sampling error | |||
14.3. Non-sampling error | |||
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15.1. Timeliness | |||
Hypercubes first submitted 18/12/13. Metadata first transmitted 2/12/13. |
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15.2. Punctuality | |||
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16.1. Comparability - geographical | |||
There are a number of definitional issues relating to variables which could compromise geographical comparability. Usual residence Primary, second level and third level students were instructed to consider their family homes rather than their term time address as their place of usual residence. This may have compromised comparability in the definition of usual residence with other member states. Current activity status The reference week in the Present Economic Status question on the Census was the week leading up to the date of enumeration, Sunday April 10th 2011. This was implicit in the question and may not have been clear in the previous submission. Country of citizenship The words citizenship and nationality are used interchangeably in Irish social statistics. Country of citizenship data from the Irish Census is based upon the Census question which asks for the respondent’s nationality rather than country of citizenship. See 3.4.15 for more detail. Dual nationality / citizenship is captured, coded and published. All geography on relating to the location of the household or the location of a person's usual residence, a person's place of work school or college are based on data that was geocoded to latitude and longtidude. Geography was derived by overlaying accurate geographic boundaries in a GIS or oracle spatial query. |
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16.2. Comparability - over time | |||
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17.1. Coherence - cross domain | |||
Figures provided by the National Statistical Institutes in the framework of the 2011 Population and Housing Census may differ from those transmitted in other statistical domains due to the cross domain differences in definitions and methodologies used. For additional information please see metadata specific to each domain. |
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17.2. Coherence - internal | |||
Internal coherence is assured by regulations defining breakdowns and definitions of topics (Regulation (EC) No 1201/2009, Regulation (EU) No 519/2010, Regulation (EU) No 1151/2010) |
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The cost of conducting Census 2011 was €60 million spread over 5 years between 2008 and 2013. This equated to €31.41 per household in Ireland over the 5 years. In order to ensure cost effectiveness, several measures were undertaken
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19.1. Data revision - policy | |||
There is no policy to revise Census data. In cases where an error was disovered in published data the data was corrected and a note of the correction was highlighted on the CSO web site. |
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19.2. Data revision - practice | |||
No revisions to hypercubes have yet been undertaken |
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20.1. Source data | |||
Ireland conducts a conventional census which requires all households present on a designated night to complete a set of questions. The dataset compiled from the information contained in the completed questionnaires is the sole source of data for all statistical units. |
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20.1.1. List of data sources | |||
Ireland conducts a conventional census which requires all persons present on a designated night to complete a set of questions where they spend the designated night. The dataset compiled from the information contained in the completed questionnaires is the sole source of data for all statistical units. The data on the location of the dwelling is derived from building co-ordinates on the Geodirectory in 98% of cases. The location for the other 2% is digitised from the position of the dwelling marked on the enumeration area map by the enumerator . |
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20.1.1.1. List of data sources - data on persons | |||
Ireland conducts a conventional census which requires all households present on a designated night to complete a set of questions. The dataset compiled from the information contained in the completed questionnaires is the sole source of data for all statistical units. |
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20.1.1.2. List of data sources - data on households | |||
Ireland conducts a conventional census which requires all households present on a designated night to complete a set of questions. The dataset compiled from the information contained in the completed questionnaires is the sole source of data for all statistical units. |
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20.1.1.3. List of data sources - data on family nuclei | |||
Ireland conducts a conventional census which requires all households present on a designated night to complete a set of questions. The dataset compiled from the information contained in the completed questionnaires is the sole source of data for all statistical units. |
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20.1.1.4. List of data sources - data on conventional dwellings | |||
Ireland conducts a conventional census which requires all households present on a designated night to complete a set of questions. The dataset compiled from the information contained in the completed questionnaires is the sole source of data for all statistical units. |
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20.1.1.5. List of data sources - data on living quarters | |||
Ireland conducts a conventional census which requires all households present on a designated night to complete a set of questions. The dataset compiled from the information contained in the completed questionnaires is the sole source of data for all statistical units. |
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20.1.2. Classification of data sources | |||
The data source for all statistical units is a conventional census with the exception of geography which is derived from the Geodirectory. |
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20.1.2.1. Classification of data sources - data on persons | |||
01.Conventional censuses | |||
20.1.2.2. Classification of data sources - data on households | |||
01.Conventional censuses | |||
20.1.2.3. Classification of data sources - data on family nuclei | |||
01.Conventional censuses | |||
20.1.2.4. Classification of data sources - data on conventional dwellings | |||
01.Conventional censuses | |||
20.1.2.5. Classification of data sources - data on living quarters | |||
01.Conventional censuses | |||
20.2. Frequency of data collection | |||
Ireland conducts a national Census every 5 years. The next Census is due to be held in 2016. |
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20.3. Data collection | |||
Data was collected by means of a conventional Census, i.e. through questionnaires distributed to every household which was present in Ireland on the night of April 10th 2011, Census Night. Under Irish legislation (Statistics Act 1993 & Statistics Census of Population Order 2010), participation in the Census was compulsory for every household present on Census Night. The Census of Population Order 2010 also put a legal obligation on the manager of communal establishments to co-operate and facilitate the distribution and collection of individual forms to persons who spent Census Night in the establishment. The Census questionnaire covered a range of demographic, social and economic topics. A number of core questions remain constant from census to census, however the full content of the questionnaire, including any new questions, is arrived at following public consultation and subsequent pilot testing in the field. The Government then makes the final decision on the content of the questionnaire in advance of every Census. The CSO began public consultation on the content of the Census 2011 questionnaire in August 2008. This involved publishing notices in the national press and writing to stakeholders requesting suggestions on new questions for inclusion or amendments to existing questions. 91 submissions were received covering 39 topics. Subsequent to this a Census Advisory Group (CAG) was appointed comprising invited experts from across the public sector, trade unions, research bodies and universities. The CAG discussed the submissions received and decided on which questions should be tested in a Census Pilot with a view to their inclusion in Census 2011. The group proposed that new questions on general health and foreign languages spoken in the home should be tested along with amended versions of 13 existing questions from Census 2006. The Census Pilot was held in April 2011, covering 11,400 dwellings in 32 Enumeration Areas which were chosen to provide a spread of urban and rural areas as well as some areas of socio-economic disadvantage. Two different versions of the Pilot questionnaire were distributed, each randomly to 50% of households, to allow for controlled testing of the new and revised questions. The Census pilot also tested accuracy and completeness of the Geodirectory as the source for the location of dwellings and communal establishments. The CAG reconvened in October 2009 when the results from the Pilot were made available. Based on the results, the group made recommendations on the content and format of the questions for inclusion in Census 2011. These recommendations were agreed by the Government in December 2009 allowing finalisation of the content of the Census form. The areas covered in the Census 2011 questionnaire at individual level were (in order of questions): Q1 Name Q2 Sex Q3 Date of birth Q4 Relationship to other persons in the household Q5 Marital status Q6 Place of birth Q7 Usual residence Q8 Usual residence one year ago Q9 Ever lived abroad, country of last previous residence and year of taking up residence in Ireland Q10 Nationality Q11 Ethnicity Q12 Religion, Q13 Number of children born alive Q14 Irish language Q15 Foreign language spoken at home and ability to speak English Q16 & Q17 Disability Q18 General health Q19 Means of travel to work, school or college Q20 Time departing home for travel to work, school or college Q21 Duration of journey to work, school or college Q22 Provision of unpaid personal help to friend or family member Q 24 Age education ceased Q 25 Level of education Q26 Field of study Q27 Present principal status Q29 Employment status Q30 Occupation, Q32 Industry Q33 Name and address of place of work, school or college The areas covered at the level of the household (housing characteristics) were : H1 Nature of accommodation H2 Year accommodation built H3 Ownership status H4 Rent paid H5 Number of rooms H6 Type of central heating H7 Type of water supply H8 Type of sewerage facility H9 Number of cars or vans H10 PC ownership H11 Internet access Form design The Census questionnares were specially designed to facilitate scanning and to allow for the automatic capture of data by the processing software. Coloured drop-out ink was used in the printing of the questionnaires and the positioning, dimensions and number of tick and write in boxes was decided with scanning and optimal character recognition in mind. The design process also had to ensure that the information presented on the questionnaire was as readable as possible. Several different questionnaire types were designed to cater for multiple household types, communal establishments and the legal requirement to provide questionnaires in the Irish language. The questionnaire types produced were as follows :
Census geography For the purposes of the Census, the country was divided into 4,866 geographical Enumeration Areas (EA), each containing an average of 415 dwellings. The addresses of these dwellings were sourced from the An Post (Irish postal service) Geodirectory, a national database of addresses. A Census Enumerator was assigned to each of the EAs and was responsible for the delivery and collection of questionnaires to every occupied dwelling in their area as well as accounting for all unoccpied dwellings. The Enumerators were supervised by 440 locally based Field Supervisors. In turn they reported to 44 Regional Supervisors, who were based in regional offices throughout the country. The top level of field management were 6 Census Liaison Officers who supervised the Regional Supervisors and were based in Census headquarters in Dublin. Every dwelling in each EA was allocated a 4-digit “D Number”, which was unique to each EA within a county. The D numbers for dwellings identified on the Geodirectory were pre-printed on a map of each EA at the location of the dwelling. They were also listed in ascending order on an associated Enumerator’s Record Book (ERB). The ERB was annotated by Enumerators to build a complete record of their visits to each dwelling. The map and ERB were the key tools for Enumerators in the field and they were given detailed training and documentation on how to use them correctly. The D numbers were also linked to underlying X,Y co-ordinates on the Geodirectory which facilitated production of fully flexible geographic outputs after the Census data had been collected and processed. Data has been published nationally at a number of levels of administrative geography including Province,County, NUTS, Electoral Division, Small Area, Dáil constituencies, Gaeltacht Areas, Local Electoral Areas, Legal Towns and Cities and Settlements. Field operation The Enumerators began their work on Tuesday March 8th 2011, approximately one month before Census night. They were instructed to complete a full visual enumeration of their area before commencing form delivery. This entailed traversing every street, road and publicly accessible thoroughfare in the EA to identify every dwelling in the EA. There were two objectives of the visual enumeration. First, to ensure that the Enumerator could locate every dwelling which appeared on his/her map and ERB. Second, to identify dwellings which may have been missing from the map/ERB. In advance of the field operation, CSO estimated that approximately 4% of actual dwellings were missing from the Geodirectory and would therefore not appear on the map/ERB. In order to produce a full count of households and persons, these missing dwellings had to be added to the map and ERB. On finding a dwelling which was missed on the map & ERB, Enumerators were instructed to allocate a new unused D number to the dwelling and to mark it in both their map and ERB. The location of these new dwellings were digitised from the maps returned by the enumerators. Once visual enumeration was complete, Enumerators were instructed to make contact with every household in their area and to issue the appropriate questionnaire if the household would be present in the dwelling on Census Night. On handing the Census questionnaire to the householder, the Enumerator was required to transcribe the dwelling address as well as the county, EA and Small Area code (see section 10.5) onto the form as well as the D number. In instances where more than one household occupied a dwelling, Enumerators were instructed to issue a new D number for the second household, to mark it on their map and ERB and to enumerate it separately to the first household (ie with a different Census form). The locations of new households were also digitised from the enumerator maps. Dwellings which were not occupied were recorded on a Reconciliation Form, and allocated to one of eight categories. These categories were as follows :
(See section 3.4 for explanations of these categories.) This was done to ensure there was a record for every dwelling in the state, occupied or not. For households who indicated that the entire household would be temporarily absent elsewhere in Ireland on Census night, Enumerators took the address details of where each member of the household would be staying and through a web-based tracking system made contact with the Enumerator of the EA in which the household member would be staying as a verification check. For households who indicated that they would be absent abroad on Census night, Enumerators were required to look for proof of the trip abroad (eg travel tickets, proof of accommodation booking etc). In the case where only some household members were absent on Census night the following details of absent members of the household were collected at the back of the census form: Name Sex, Date of birth, Relationship to present person 1 Marital status Duration of absence Was the person in the Republic of Ireland on Census Night Is the person a student away at school or college. Enumerators were instructed that any new dwellings added to their map and ERB which were not on the Geodirectory list could not be allocated dwelling statuses of Under construction, Derelict, Commercial only or Does not exist. This meant only habitable dwellings which were not on the Geodirectory were added. In the case of vacant houses, flats/apartments and holiday homes, Enumerators were required to visit the dwelling on multiple occasions both before and after Census Night to ensure that they had not missed the householder on a previous visit. They were also directed to leave a ‘Calling card’ at the dwelling with instructions on how the householder could contact the Enumerator. Enumerators were also instructed to make contact with neighbours to verify that the dwelling was not occupied. In rare instances where an Enumerator could not collect a completed form from an occupied dwelling after multiple visits, a Reconciliation Form was used to capture sex, age and nationality details of the persons in the dwelling. This was permissible only after intervention from the Regional Supervisor. For communal establishments (ie managed residential accommodation including hotels, prisons, hospitals, nursing homes etc) Enumerators made contact with the manager of the establishment and requested that he/she list all persons residing in the establishment on Census Night on a Listing Form. The manager was then required to distribute Individual Census Forms to every person spending the night in the establishment. Each completed Individual Form and the Listing Form were then collected by the Enumerator after Census Night. Top priortiy was given to these early on the morning after Census Night to ensure that persons leaving hotels etc returned a completed Individual Form. Several field aids were made available to Enumerators in order to maximise the number of households contacted and forms delivered. These included mobile phones for contacting householders, translations of the Census questionnaire into 19 foreign languages, large print and braille forms, tapes and MP3 sound tracks of the form for the visually impaired. In order to monitor the progress of the field operation in each EA, Enumerators were required to send an SMS message each day to a central database via their mobile phones, detailing the number of forms they had delivered, the number collected and the number of new dwellings added to their map/ERB. This information was collated by the CSO daily and published on a website accessible to Field and Regional Supervisors. It provided them with a record of how each Enumerator was progressing and whether intervention was required. These statistics were closely monitored at Census head quarters and Supervisors were emailed reports weekly detailing Enumerators who were falling behind so that remedial action could be taken. CSO also ran radio adverts with a free text and phone number to be contacted if the household had not received a form or their form had not been collected. Publicity The Census field operation was supported by a nationwide media campaign to raise awareness of the Census. Advertisements were run on national television and on national and regional radio. The CSO also worked with several organisations representing minority groups to ensure that the importance of every household being included on the Census was conveyed and to facilitate full enumeration of persons belonging to these groups. A Census web-site (www.census.ie) was developed containing information on completing the Census form, the benefits of the Census and a facility to log requests for help. In conjunction with this, a national freephone number was established to facilitate members of the public in calling for advice on all matters related to the Census. Colection and summarisation Collection of the completed Census questionnaires began on Monday April 11th and ran until Monday May 9th 2011. Enumerators were required to call back to every household and Communal Establishment to which they had delivered a questionnaire, on multiples occasions if required, and also to revisit dwellings categorised as vacant in order to confirm that they were unoccupied on Census Night. On collecting the forms from householders, Enumerators were required to perform a “doorstep check” on the form to ensure that no members of the household had been omitted or double counted. Having collected all the completed forms for their area, Enumerators performed a manual summary, sending the total number of males, females, households and dwellings by dwelling status separately each Small Area of their EA to the CSO. On receiving this data from all of the Enumeration Areas, CSO collated the data and published a preliminary population count for 3,414 Electoral Divisions 80 days after Census Night. The difference between this preliminary count and the final count was 6,893 persons or 0.15%. Having completed their manual summary, Enumerators boxed and returned their completed forms to Census HQ for scanning and processing in order to generate the definitive Census results. |
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20.4. Data validation | |||
Validation was ongoing through the processing system with 256 fatal edit checks, 94 warning error checks and other checks operating on data captured from the collected and scanned Census forms (see section 20.5 on Data compilation for more details). Edits were essentially checks built into the processing software to ensure that all dwellings were accounted for with either the appropriate Census form or a Reconciliation form and that the data captured was logical. When data failed an edit check, it was required to be either verified in the case of warning edits or corrected by the operators. Final data validation was performed by analysing a series of tables generated from the compiled Census data. The tables included cross-tabulations on all Census variables, comparison tables with Census 2006 data, comparison tables with external sources (eg. Surveys & administrative data sets) and tables displaying data pertaining to the processing of Census data. These tables were analysed by statistical staff for possible anomalies and inconsistencies in the data. Where such potential issues arose, the source data was re-examined. This could be done on a macro level through interrogating the Census data set using SAS, and on a micro level by identifying individual Census returns and re-opening them through dedicated viewing software to ensure the forms had been correctly captured and coded. Where miscoding or erroneous data capture was detected, data was amended either on a micro form by form level or by macro editing using SAS. If any data on a form was changed the entire suite of 256 Fatal edit checks was re-run on that household to ensure that no erroneous data got through the system. |
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20.5. Data compilation | |||
Completed census questionnaires for all 4,866 Enumeration Areas were returned by local field staff to Census HQ where they were registered, sorted and shelved by EA within counties. The questionnaires were then put into batches (average 15 forms per batch), guillotined and passed through a high speed IBML scanner. Images from the scanner were passed to Eflow (an automatic forms processing product designed by Top Image Systems) to capture the responses made by householders and convert them into electronic data. Almost 16,000 boxes were returned from the field, containing 2.1 million Census forms which represented almost 41 million pages. Over 140,000 batches were created from these forms for guillotining and scanning. The purpose of Eflow was to recognise, clean, repair and code the electronic data before exporting it in XML format to an Oracle database where it would be compiled into a final file to be used for Census dissemination and publications. Eflow consisted of several ‘stations’ in a work flow, through which each captured batch of data passed and was subject to checks and edits. When data in the batch was not automatically recognised by Eflow, where it failed edits or where an automatic code could not be attributed, the data was presented to a manual operator for coding, validation or amendment before the batch could pass to the next station in the flow. The data presented to the operator varied depending on the station, but generally consisted of scanned images of a Census questionnaire which the operator viewed before making a decision on whether to amend the captured data. The Eflow stations (including a brief description of their functions) were as follows:
Imported scanned batches of households into Eflow
The Form ID station attempted to match each individual image to a specific EFI (empty form image) and checked page and form sequencing. Once the correct page and form had been associated with the image Eflow knew where to find the data on the page and the data type and rules associated with that field.
Operators identified any questionnaire pages which had not been automatically identified in Form Id
The Process station’s role was to read data from the form. It relied on the page being identified in the previous stations (Form ID and Manual ID), With this information, the station knew where to look on each page for the relevant data. After receiving a batch, the Process station processed it and sent it to the Tile station. The Process station was also responsible for character recognition, leaving any unrecognisable data for the manual completion process. It was a standard EFlow station but CorrectText and Exorbyte were integrated into it to improve automatic coding of specified text write-in fields. Standard EFlow processing occurred first using the virtual engines associated with each field. The processed text for selected fields was then presented to CorrectText. If CorrectText was unable to code the unrepaired text for the selected fields, then the text was presented to Exorbyte. The Process station involved the following stages:
All identification fields on the front of the form and date of birth were flagged for a higher recognition accuracy threshold during processing reflecting the high relative impact that false positives have on these fields.
The Tile station was used to identify characters that had been identified correctly and those which had not, on a character by character basis. The station displayed the characters in a tile format, which allowed the operator to quickly browse through each character and accept it or reject it. All characters were grouped together to allow for easy identification. By presenting all of the same characters together on a screen it was easier to spot those that had been wrongly recognised (i.e. false positives). By clicking on a character in the tile window the image of the relevant page was seen in the right hand window. This allowed the user to manually change any inaccurate characters or replace the characters with ‘*’ to flag the errors to the Repair and Code station. All numeric write-in fields where verified in the Tile station. Tiling of alpha field was unnecessary because the automated coding routines could automatically code the bulk of alpha strings even with false positives and still give the correct code.
This station ensured that the geography coding was correct across all forms relating to a household and that the sequence of forms within a batch was correct. Manual intervention was permitted where a batch failed these checks
The majority of the data coding and correction was performed in this station. Most write-in alpha fields (e.g usual residence, nationality, ethnicity, religion) were assigned codes against pre-defined lookup code lists, either automatically or, where the text was unrecognised or failed an edit, by manual operator intervention.
Repaired data associated with communal establishments
This station identified families of persons within households and assigned a family nucleus code to each person. If this could not be done automatically, it was presented to an expert operator for manual coding.
This station assigned an occupation and industry code based on the occupation and industry descriptions and the enterprise name and address written on the Census questionnaire. Each text string was first processed automatically for both coding and edit rule validations. If a code could not be automatically assigned based on a pre-defined lookup list or if an edit rule was failed, the data was presented to an operator for coding.
Operators performed repairs where required on Reconciliation Forms.
This station ensured that an ERB(Enumerator Record Book) entry existed for every dwelling in each EA and matched it to the Census questionnaires for that dwelling. If necessary, repairs were made to deficient data.
The penultimate station matched all census forms to the corresponding entry in the ERB and ensured there was a form for each household listed by the Enumerator in the ERB.
From this station, the data in the repaired and coded batches were written to the outputs database. The captured images of the Census questionnaires and metadata about the batch were stored in a separate repository.
This application was not part of the Eflow workflow , but allowed operators to view scanned questionnaires and the associated data and permitted amendment of the captured data if required. All modifications made to data in CDMS were subject to the full suite of edit checks. All changes made in CDMS were output to the final database. Data written to the output database was then subject to the data validation described in Section 20.4. About 40% of place of work and school coding took place when coding the industry code in the Industry Station , The remaining place of work addresses and address of school and college was done using a bespoke CSO application outside of Eflow. The application matched address strings against the Geodirectory and re-output the matched addresses onto the Census master file for each record. The industry station was a computer assisted coding station. Unrepaired company name address and strings were matched against a register using the fuzzy matching software Exorbyte using both the address string and the geo-coordinates of the place of residence and also the company on the register to allow proximity to improve the matching. The operator was presented with the 10 closest matches and either selected the correct one or changed the text to repeat the match. In a number of cases external searches such as Google were used to locate the correct place of work. |
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20.6. Adjustment | |||
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