CROATIAN CENSUS - EXPERIENCES

GOOD Expanding Census to 4 weeks: –Savings on training (less enumerators, less controllers) –Getting experience –Extra week for checkups and controls –Enough time for bonding of various bodies, local and Zagreb workers –Enough time for enumeration

GOOD Enumerators and controllers Job applications on OCR: ~ applications for posts

GOOD Providing coordinators and deputies with notebooks with mail & Internet + GSM phones: –Easy distribution of additional materials –Easy daily communication –Solving problems on line –Daily reporting to HQ in Zagreb

GOOD Good visual presentation: –Posters –Census cases –pens

GOOD Web page dedicated to Census: Census Law, EU Regulations CES Recommendations Forms FAQ First releases Questionnaires in languages and scripsts of national minorities and in English Call Centre contact numbers + Criteria for application and selection of ennumerators and controllers List of Ennumeration centers

GOOD Call center Thousands of calls Thousands of mails Every day 8 a.m. – 10 p.m. Typical answers answered immediately, rest forwarded to experts

GOOD Questionnaires in languages and scripsts of national minorities and in English distributed both in paper and electronic form Could be printed on demand in Ennumeration centers Could be downloaded from web page

BEST Field work is OVER!!!

FIRST RESULTS PUBLISHED June 29, Press conference CD (excel, hrtml, pdf, PC-Axis)

FIRST RESULTS PUBLISHED

Bad (or could have been better) Timing for hiring enumerators and controllers –OCR applications should come in, then they have to be processed and sent back together with the results –It takes time, so usually workers were appointed on Friday to start education on Monday – applications = a lot of complaints –Complaints: mail, fax, post, through Government, President, Ombudsman –Some might be right  not always time to react

Bad (or could have been better) The Press – focused on Population Census –Not always benevolent, looking for sensations:

Bad (or could have been better) “You should declare your assets even when they are out of your place of residence ”

Bad (or could have been better) “Online enumeration would save at least 52 millions ” (52 million = €)

Bad (or could have been better) “The city of Rijeka size disappeared less inhabitants”

Problem Croatian Employment Office –Decided that enumerators and controllers are employees –Decided to deny them their unemployment benefits –Some of them simply quit

CONCLUSION IT’s not over yet!!!