Sources of collecting population data

 

What are the various sources of collecting population data?

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1.    Census 

It is the single largest source of data for population studies all over the world.

History of Census: The earliest example of the modern type of census is known to have been conducted in New France (present-day Quebec) in Canada, in 1665, and Iceland in 1703. The first periodical census began in the United States in 1790 and in Britain and France in 1802. After the Second World War, with the assistance of the United Nations, the developing countries have begun census operations more scientifically, and the output is becoming more and more reliable. By then, almost the whole of Europe had developed the system. At present, almost all the countries of the world, excluding a few exceptions (notably China), conduct census counting at regular intervals.

Definition of Census: The modern population census has been defined by the United Nations as “the total process of collecting, compiling and publishing demographic, economic and social data pertaining, at a specified time or times, to all persons of a defined territory”. In other words, the enumeration of the entire population of a country or a region at a particular time is called a census.

Characteristics of Census

Periodicity: In a census, population details are counted at a regular interval. Most countries, including India, conduct a census every 10 years.

Simultaneity: It refers to the counting of the population simultaneously at a specified point in time. This time or date is known as the reference date or census moment or census time. As a general rule, a day is fixed for the census and also a particular moment which is called the "census moment". In India, the "Census moment" now is the sunrise of 1st March, of the census year. The fixing of the "census moment" helps the enumerators decide which persons are to be included in the census. The persons born after the census moment or the persons dying before the census moment are to be excluded from the census. Some of the characteristics of the population like age, marital status, occupation, literacy, birthplace, etc., are referred to a period usually from 10th February to 28th February of the census year to ensure simultaneity.

2.    CIVIL REGISTRATION SYSTEM

Civil Registration is defined as the continuous, permanent, compulsory recording of the occurrence and characteristics of vital events (birth, death, marriage, etc.) as defined in and as provided through decree or regulation by the legal requirements of a country.

HISTORY OF CRS

 The first civil registration system was introduced in England and Wales in 1836 and in Scotland in 1854. Britain, however, cannot be regarded as the birthplace of official vital statistics (Cox, 1976: 23). Even before Britain, in Sweden, a law for the making of tabular records of the population had come into existence as early as 1748. Though the practice of collecting information on lists of baptisms, burials, and weddings by churches is known to have existed from much earlier times in Europe, the vital registration system is a matter of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries only.

USES OF CRS

For Individuals

·       It provides a safeguard to social status and individual benefits.

·       It serves as vital evidence to prove nationality.

·       Birth registration records are required as age proof in any individual career system.

·       Among other benefits, the system provides the individual with a unique identity (her/his name) and records parental relationships.

·       The death registration record is generally required for the settlement of inheritance, insurance claims, claiming family allowances, and other social security benefits.

For Administration

·       An important tool for studying the dynamics of the population of any country or region.

·       Provide several, other ancillary information like the case of birth registration, sex of the baby, mother’s age, the number of her previous children, the order of the birth, the residence of the parents, etc. In case of death, it helps in the recording of information on the date and place of death, sex, age and occupation of the deceased, and the cause of death.

·       In case of birth, it provides information to the government about vaccination, immunization, premature baby care, assistance to the disabled, etc.

·       Death records are required to provide information about disease case register, electoral roll, social security, etc.

3.    DEMOGRAPHIC SAMPLE SURVEYS

Demographic sample surveys form another important source of population data. In sample surveys, data are obtained from selected samples and the extent of statistical error in the data is minimized by regulating the size of the samples. The data thus obtained have several uses such as bringing up-to-date the results of a complete count taken some time in the past, checking the accuracy and supplementing the data of the current complete count, etc.

There are three types of Demographic Sample surveys going on in India:

3.1    National Sample Survey: The National Sample Survey (NSS) is one of the oldest continuing household sample surveys in the developing world. The survey is conducted regularly by the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO), India’s premier data collection agency. Since 1972, the NSSO has fallen under the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation of the Government of India (GOI).

3.2    Sample Registration System: The Sample Registration System (SRS) is a large-scale demographic survey for providing reliable annual estimates of Infant mortality rate, birth rate, death rate, and other fertility & mortality indicators at the national and sub-national levels. It is initiated on a pilot basis by the Office of the Registrar General, India in a few selected states in 1964-65. Gradually, it became fully operational during 1969-70 with about 3700 sample units.

3.3    National Family Health Surveys:  The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted on a representative sample of households throughout India. The NFHS is a collaborative project of the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, India; ORC Macro, Calverton, Maryland, USA, and the East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.