Today is Census Day in St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Today, June 14, 2011, is Census Day.

On this day, an attempt will be made to get a count of how many persons were present in the country on June 14, 2011, whether they reside here normally or not.{{more}}

Therefore, between 10 o’clock tonight and 4 o’clock tomorrow morning, enumerators will canvas the entire country, looking for homeless persons so that they can be counted. These persons will not be interviewed, but the sex of each individual will be recorded.

Additionally, the administrative records of local hotels and guest houses will be used to determine how many visitors were in the country on that night.

Chief Statistician Gatlin Roberts, speaking on a radio discussion programme on Sunday, June 12, explained that the count on Census Night is slightly different to the count of the national population, those who are usual residents here. She said the census questionnaires will only be administered to persons who are usual residents here and who live in a household.

“The others are just a count. When the census is completed, we will be able to state what the count was on Census Night and what the usual resident population of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is,” Roberts said.

Roberts said, the administration has been planning for this day since 2009, when the census advisory committee was set up, and between then and now, a lot of ground work, involving a broad-based committee has been done.

For those persons who normally reside here in houses, Roberts said they should expect a visit from an enumerator any time between tomorrow, Wednesday, and eight weeks from now, which is when the exercised is expected to be completed.

Director of Planning Laura Anthony Browne, who was also a panelist on the programme, said the census is conducted so that a meaningful, core set of national data and information necessary for socio-economic planning and governance can be collected, collated and disseminated.

She said censuses give practical information about where people are located geographically, the religious composition of the country, and employment and social statistics.

“The entire population needs to be involved so that we can have as accurate as possible an indication of what the real population is in the country,” Anthony Browne said.

An appeal was made for householders to be truthful, and Roberts said any responsible adult in the household may answer the questions on behalf of the other residents of the home. Persons under the age of 18 will not be interviewed.

If the head of household or a responsible adult is not present when the enumerator visits, Roberts said a “call back card” will be left at the house. This card, she said, has information on how the enumerator may be contacted, so that an appointment can be set up for them to interview the householder.

The last population and housing census was conducted in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in 2001.