2011 Population and Housing Census of Turkey TCG Meeting 15 June 2017 Budapest Muharrem Gürleyen GÖK TurkStat

Contents Introduction to 2011 PHC Methodology Registers used in the census Experiences

Introduction to 2011 PHC After a history of 14 traditional censuses, Turkey decided to carry out the 2010 round census with “combined” method. The census was implemented in 2011 in accordance with the EU countries. In this round: Using population registers, Applying de jure population definition, 3 months field application (instead of one-day) were the practices that Turkey experienced for the first time in census taking.

Introduction to 2011 PHC Legal base: Combined method: The Official Statistics Program of Turkey, 2007-2011 Combined method: Address Based Population Registration System (ABPRS) (+) Sample field data for selected variables Purpose of the field application: Obtaining the information that are not available in the ABPRS. Providing the variables that can not be derived completely from related administrative registers (building and housing, disability, labour force etc.). Acquiring the needed data through a sampling survey rather than costly and troublesome traditional (full enumeration) census.

Methodology Large-scaled sample survey for households: “Enumeration area” was the sampling unit Sample rate was about 12% Accordingly, 2.4 million households were interviewed. Complete count of institutional places Military barracks, university dormitories, nursing homes, prisons, orphanages, etc. As a result, 9 million people (households + institutional places) were enumerated in total.

Methodology Face to face interview with netbooks and printed questionnaires Generally one respondent per household 40% 60%

Registers Used in the Census In 2011 PHC, registers were used for several purposes: Address frame National Address Database Finding people easily both from addresses and names Obtaining variables (20%) ABPRS National Education Statistics Database Check mechanism (to improve the quality) Social Security Records Unemployment Agency Records Building Permits Corrections

Experiences The number of field staff needed for collecting data was less than full enumeration. This created advantages in cost, quality of staff, managing the field operation and logistics. Netbook usage (CAPI) provided some cross checks between answers at the time of the interview. Checks in the program increased the data quality and minimized the missing data. Netbook usage for data capture created time efficiency compared to other methods (ICR, manual data entry).

Experiences In the netbook application, data analyses began simultaneously with the enumeration owing to daily online data transfer to the central database. By the timely online data transfer, field application could be monitored daily and guided actively through the central system. At the interview, if the person was registered in that address in ABPRS, demographic information available in ABPRS were not asked. This reduced the response burden. Utilizing unique ID numbers prevented the duplications.

Experiences Although the use of netbooks provided many benefits in terms of time and money, some flaws were encountered in practice. For example, there was a tendency of the enumerators to tick “no” to the first (filter) question in a set of associated questions (i.e. migration, labor force) in the netbook application. Because the software was automatically skipping the related consecutive questions in these situations. But in the paper form, controllers (or data entry operators) could easily noticed these kind of systematic errors and enable them corrected.

Experiences Some cross checks could not put in the programme because they made it slow. Due to problems that could not be predicted before, some updates were needed in the program during the field work. This situation did not affected the data quality but enumerators had to load new versions. In this context, duration of data entry program testing should be longer in terms of: usage, data transferring, transitions, more user- friendly versions etc.

Experiences In parallel, the training duration was not sufficient to teach the census variables and to show how to act in the field. Additionally some interviewers quitted job during the operation. Hiring and training new interviewers in a limited time was naturally caused poor trained staff. A longer time should be allocated for hiring and training of the field staff. Multimedia training kits should be prepared.

Experiences Due to the quite long data collection period (3 months), the gap between the visit date and reference date was increased. That caused difficulties in remembering the answers. That also led to confusions related to new births and deaths. Negative effects of the movements increased directly proportional to the length of this period. Thus the duration of the field application might be shorter.

Experiences While the field application was continuing, data analysis studies were executed simultaneously by using the registers. In case of inconsistency, it was a difficulty to decide which source was more accurate. Therefore many lists (including inconsistent data by topics) were produced and sent to the field for checking and correcting in different times. For checking these lists, some households had to be visited (or phoned) several times by the field staff. This increased respondent burden. As a solution, information from registers should be placed in netbooks or printed in questionnaires before the field operation. Thus, interviewers would be able to check the registers during their first visit to households.

Experiences There were some faults detected in the attribute codes of NAD which helps to determine institutional places. (As a result, TurkStat set up the “Institutional Living Quarters Address Database” in 2012 based on Census data in 2012.) 2011 PHC was also used to update National Education Statistics Database (NESD). Records of some people whose educational attainment was unknown in NESD was updated in this manner. About the mortality, both "to ask" and "to get the correct and complete answers" were very difficult issues at the interview because of the sensitivity of the event. Internet response facility might be the solution to get information from the households in which all members are working (or absent) at the day time (to decrease the non-response rates).

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