Measuring Ethno-Cultural Characteristics in Population Censuses United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Statistical Division Regional Training Workshop on Population and Housing Censuses for South Eastern European Countries Ohrid, November 2008

Context  Data on ethnocultural characteristics are of high relevance in the context of migration, integration, minority policies  Different topics are concerned: Ethnicity Language Religion

General principles (1/2)  Ethno-cultural characteristics are « non-core » (optional) topics in the CES Recommendations  Strong subjective dimension  The free and open declaration of the respondents is essential  Information on one topic cannot be derived from information on other topics

General principles (2/2)  Appropriate data security and disclosure control measures have to be put in place  Classifications have to be comprehensive and coding procedures transparent

Ethnicity  Information can be collected to understand cultural diversity, the position and participation of groups in society or for anti-discrimination policies  Ethnicity is distinct from language and/or religion but overlaps are frequent.  Should not be confused with citizenship  Better to use « ethnicity » and avoid « nationality »

Ethnicity Definition CES Recommendations: « Ethnicity is based on a shared understanding of the history and territorial origins of an ethnic group or community as well as on particular cultural characteristics: language, religion, customs and ways of life »

Ethnicity Practical aspects  Respondents should be free to indicate more than one ethnic affiliation or a combination of two  Questionnaires should always include an open question (not precoded)  Respondents should be allowed to indicate « none » or « not declared » when asked for their ethnicity  Countries should fix rules how the ethnicity of children from mixed couples is determined

Ethnicity Classifications (for output)  Classifications should be extensive, elaborated on the basis of scientific and socio- political concepts and be discussed with ethnic groups themselves  Classifications should include at the finest levels ethnic groups, self perceived groups, regional and local groups  Classifications at the highest level depend on national circumstances but the procedures for coding and aggregation should be documented and fully transparent

Language  Information can be collected to understand linguistic diversity or for language and minority policies  Different types of data on language may be collected, reflecting different aspects of the distribution, knowledge and use of languages  Definitions are extremely important and have to be spelled out for the respondents

Language Different questions 1. Mother tongue: first language spoken in the early childhood at home 2. Main language: language which a person commands best 3. Language(s) most currently spoken at home and/or at work 4. Knowledge of language(s), defined as the ability to speak and/or write one or more designated languages

Language Which questions for which purposes?  Mother tongue and/or main language are asked to understand processes of language change and determine language groups and regions.  Answers refer generally to one language only.  Data on spoken languages and knowledge of languages are asked to understand language practices in everyday life and individual knowledge of languages.  Questions have to allow for multiple answers.

Language Practical aspects  Many language groups are small. An open answer box should be available (without precoding)  Classifications should be comprehensive and include on the finest level also regional dialects  Coding and aggregation procedures should be clearly defined and fully transparent

Religion  Information on religion can be collected to understand religious diversity and possibly to develop policies with respect to members of religious communities  Different types of data may be collected on religion, reflecting different aspects of religious beliefs and practices  Data on religion are particularly sensitive and for privacy reasons the questions may be voluntary in some countries

Religion Definition CES Recommendations: « Religion is regarded as a set of beliefs and practices involving acknowledgement of a divine or higher being, power or principle, by which people order the conduct of their lifes both practically and in a moral sense »

Religion Different questions 1. Formal membership of a church or a community 2. Identification with a certain religion, religious community or denomination 3. Religious belief 4. Religion in which a person was brought up 5. Religious attendance

Religion Which questions for which purposes?  Usually a question referring to the relationship with a religious community (membership or identification) is asked  The question on the religion in which one was brought up informs about religious change and should be combined with question above  Information on religious beliefs or religious practices is extremely sensitive and complicated in a Census, it should rather be asked in sample surveys.

Religion Practical aspects  Questionnaires should always include open boxes to allow small groups to identify  Respondents should be allowed to indicate « none » or « not declared » when asked for their religion  Countries should fix rules how the religion of children from mixed couples is determined

Religion Classifications  Classifications should be comprehensive and include on the lowest level also subsets of religions and churches  Classifications at the highest level depend on national circumstances  Coding and classification procedures should be clearly defined and transparent