Fewer questions for 2012 Census

Respondents will see a reduction in the numbers of questions they are asked when visited by persons from the census division.{{more}}

This is in response to complaints by members of the public that last year’s questionnaire was too long, Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said.

Gonsalves, speaking at a press conference last Thursday, June 14, announced that as a result, a decision had been made to omit some of the questions that were included in last year’s exercise.

Those omitted, according to the prime minister, include the removal of the section on the environment and one from the mortality section.

He explained that the decision to remove the section on the environment was because a survey on the environment was recently conducted, which covers issues on the environment quite extensively. An agreement had been reached, he said, to make the results of this survey available to the officials at the census division.

The amendments to the new questionnaire also include the removal of six questions from the internal migration section, two from the Internet access section, four from education and training, two from the economic activity section and five from the fertility section.

Gonsalves, however, said that while some questions were being taken out, it was not possible for too many and that those that remained were there because they were deemed as important to the type of information required.

“While cutting out some, we can’t cut out too many because we have to have important information, so they had to balance getting the information,” Gonsalves explained.

The prime minister also reminded the members of the public that the information collected is deemed private and protected under the laws of the country.

So too, all field workers are required to take an oath of secrecy, which, if broken, carries serious penalties and consequences, the Prime Minister said.

“The census or statistics office is prohibited by law to share information about any individual to any agency or the government of St Vincent and the Grenadines,” Gonsalves said. (DD)