1. Census taking in Ireland
Deirdre Cullen
Senior Statistician
Central Statistics Office

2. Historical context Most recent census 2011 24th census - since 1841
Every 10 years up to 1946
Every 5 years since 1951
Ireland - a ‘traditional’ census
Next census 24th April 2016

3. In short
In 2011 we ran a De Facto census with hand delivery and collection of paper questionnaires to 1.8m dwellings over a ten week period, followed by scanning, capture and coding of the data, and the release of definitive results within 12 months of census day.

4. The questions Paper questionnaire, 3 pages per person, 30 questions
Public consultation , expert group, pilot survey
In 2011 – 2 new questions, amendments to 13 questions
NEW: Foreign languages, general health,
CHANGED: Usual residence, central heating fuel, travel to school, carers
Submissions from bodies such as Carers Association, religious groups, Revenue commissioners etc.
Expert group, pilot, 12,000 dwellings, assess, report etc.
2 new questions – languages and health
No-change will be a challenge - religion, disability, ethnicity – past its ‘use-by’ date.

5. Designation Use GeoDirectory –national address database
Divide country into 5,000 work areas using GIS
Produce maps for every enumerator
Produce address lists for every area
Captured x,y coordinates of every dwelling
Enumerators found 2.5% additional dwellings
GIS – digital boundaries – set of xy co-ordinates that define an area
Non-unique addresses in rural areas

6. Field force – pyramid structure6 44
440
5,000
Census Liaison Officers HQ
Regional Supervisors
Regional offices
Field Supervisors
own homes
Traditional census – lots of man power
All countries use a lot of people to do this, even those with internet because they have no address register.
Internet – e.g. Australia - form and epin, or epin only, different response rates, priority is response rate
Working against yourself – aiming for 65%, Canada aiming for 70%
Enumerators

7. Field work Traditional census
Enumerators drop off and collect all forms
Use callings cards, have mobile phones
Hospitals, hotels, prisons etc. included
10 weeks – 5 weeks before, 5 weeks after
Paid for every form returned
Issue legal notice for non cooperation
Prosecute non-compliance

8. Process the data Scan and capture data - 2m forms
45 million scanned pages in 120 days
360,000 pages a day
150 HQ staff, edits, coding
In 2011 coded all dwellings to their x-y coordinates
Coded place of work, school and college

9. Publish the results Preliminary results 3 months after census
July
Preliminary results 3 months after census
Main demographic results within 11 months
12 census publications, thematic
interpret the data for our users
Small area data – SAPMAP
Constituency profiles - politics
Micro data files
Joint report with Northern Ireland
CSO boundary layers:
SAPS: 17 geography different levels, with a total of 24,027 layers.
SAPMAP: 19 geography levels, with a total of 74,336 layers.
34 Counties, 3,409 Electoral Divisions,
18, Small Areas, Dáil Constituencies 2007,
40 Dáil Constituencies 2013, 7 Gaeltacht Areas,
85 Legal Towns and Cities, Towns/Cities (Settlements),
171 Local Electoral Areas, 8 Regional Authority Areas,
4 Provinces, Dioceses,
197 Dublin Parishes, 6 Garda Regions,
28 Garda Divisions, Garda Districts,
563 Garda Sub Divisions
268 Baronies, 50,041 Townlands

10. Quality report issues Quality issues Definitions
Extensive quality checks in field
3 layers of supervision
Extensive macro edits
No coverage survey
Definitions
Citizenship vs. Nationality
Students – family home as usual residence
Economic status – PES

11. Next census 24th April 2016 Political Demographic User needs
Census every five years
Political
Demographic
User needs
Lack of administrative data

12. No change census The 2016 census will be a ‘no-change’ census
No public consultation, same questions
Problem areas - ethnicity, religion, nationality
Exception - marital status to include ‘in a registered same-sex civil partnership’
No internet option - €€€

13. Political Article 16.2.2 of the Constitution provides:
Dáil representation as ascertained at last census
Political constituency boundaries are re-drawn every five years following release of census results
Legal basis to Irish census
Statistics Act, 1993 and
Statistics (Census of Population) Order 2015.
Every household in the country obliged by law to complete and return a census form
1 TD for every 20 – 30,000 persons
2011 – 43 constituencies following the 2009 Act.
3 had more than 30,000 and 4 had between 29,000 and 30,000
Re-drawn in Act of 2013, now there are 40
New constituencies on our SAPMAP

14. Demographic Population, 1841-2011
6.53
4.59
3.5
2.97
2.82

15. Population structure 2011 Births in 1980: 74,064
Direct link between number of women (of child bearing age – peak is 31) and number of babies

16. Nationality Non-Irish nationals 544,357 12% population
Plus 124,624 since 2006
Above figures are usually resident. Figures below are based on Population & Migration estimates which are de facto.
Non-Irish net migration: De Facto Population % of pop
2014: 7, , %
2013: 2, , %
2012: -8, , %
2011: 557, %

17. Importance of Migration

18. Importance of Migration

19. Importance of Migration

20. Importance of Migration

21. Recent Migration
104,800
Immigration
-33,100
Emigration

22. Gross migration flows 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2007-2011 Emigrants
Emigrants
46.3
49.2 72
69.2
80.6
317.3
Immigrants
151
114
73.7
41.8
53.3
433.4
Gross Flow
197
163
146
111
134
750.7
16.4%

23. Inter-census change 2006 - 2011 Population change 348,404 Births
Deaths
Residual net migration of 125,000
Revise inter-census estimates
Were 90,000 out, 2%
Most change in 2007
Natural increase
Since 2011…………
Population 2014: 4,609,600
Increase since 2011: ,600
Natural increase: ,500 (Births:212,200, deaths: 88,700)
Net migration: ,900 (Imm: 169,200, Em: 258,000)

24. User needs End of 2011 – do we really need a census? Cost €50m
Extensive user consultation
Overwhelming support
Basic planning of schools, housing and health care
Extensive use of micro data
POWSCAR
Place of work, school or college
Econometric models for economic forecasting, transport planning

25. What about administrative data?
Creating ‘census data’ from administrative data
Census data = small area data for small groups
Building blocks
Step 1: Account for everyone
Step 2: Put everyone in the right place
Step 3: Add basic demographic attributes
Step 4: Add economic and other attributes
Not at step 1 yet.

26. Statistical view of NDI – Persons and Property
PropertyPerson
CSOProp_ID
CSOPPSN
Relationship
Sources
(Cradle to Grave)
- Births
- Child benefit
- Post primary
- Higher Ed
- Further Ed
- Employee
- Self Employed
- Social Welfare
- Drivers
- Medical (to be)
- Pensions
- Deaths
Sources
(Property)
- Census
- Geodirectory
- Property tax
- POSTCODE
- Electricity (MPRN)
- Gas (GPRN)
- Water charge
- Septic tank
- Rental properties
- Second properties
- Local Authority
PAR - Person Activity Register
(CSOPPSN)
2011 (4.3m)
Admin Active Population during year
Signs of life
Residential Property Register
(CSOProp_ID key)
COP2011_ID
GEODIR_ID
REVLPT_ID
MPRN
GPRN
WATERID
SEPTICID
POSTCODE
X,Y
PersonRelationship
CSOPPSN1
CSOPPSN2
Relationship

27. Admin Count V Census 2011
Would expect admin count curve to be outside by definition
Females aged 50 – 75?

28. Next Steps I year to our next census
Plans are advanced (questionnaires printed, recruitment has begun, IT systems being built, ..)
Staff – 30 from 2011, 130 new
2021 round
Ireland will run a traditional census with internet option.

29. Thank you