A census is a list or register that, once compiled, allows various statistics to be generated.
From the Latin census , a census is a register or list . Its most common use is associated with the population census or population census , where the inhabitants of a town or a country are counted and various data are collected for statistical purposes.
For example: "The Government announced that next year it will carry out a national census" , "The data collected through the census will allow the development of more precise social policies" , "According to the last census, the city has already exceeded two million inhabitants." » .
Usefulness of the population census
The census makes it possible to delimit a statistical population that reflects the total number of individuals in a territory. Unlike other statistical tools, in this case we do not work with samples, but with the total population. The census is considered a technique that uses the census record or census card as an instrument to carry out an investigation.
Their complexity and high cost mean that national censuses are generally carried out every ten years. The usual thing is that the Government prepares a form with questions and that a large team of census takers is in charge of traveling throughout the country, house by house. The form asks about the most relevant sociodemographic variables, such as age, number of children, employment status, housing characteristics, etc.
The population census reflects how many inhabitants live in a region or a country.
Information that allows you to obtain
The population census usually reflects a large amount of data in addition to the simple number of inhabitants; For example, they can delimit the percentage of people who:
* enjoy health coverage, and how many of them access said service through a social insurance or a prepaid plan;
* exceeds a certain age group, if it is a striking number, and the same happens with gender, when there is a significant percentage of men or women in a certain area;
* has retired at the statutory age, or continues to work despite having passed it;
* must face a difficulty or some permanent limitation , whether physical or mental;
* lives with your partner without having married;
* lives in a house run by a woman, as well as the opposite case;
* lives in a building with a certain age, such as being less than ten years old, more than one hundred, etc.;
* It has mains electricity supply.
On the other hand, the census can delimit the exact number of immigrants residing in a given area, especially in cities or towns with a few thousand inhabitants, which can be used to study which countries the largest influx of people comes from and the reasons. , as well as the changes that this phenomenon presents in a certain period of time.
Other types of census
The electoral census , also known as the electoral roll, is the record of the people who are authorized to vote. In this census all individuals whose legislation recognizes the right to active suffrage to choose their representatives appear. Anyone who is not part of the registry, therefore, is not authorized to cast their vote in the elections.
There are other types of census, which are the following:
* de jure : also called de jure , it is used to register the entire population residing in the study territory, regardless of whether they are present or absent;
* de facto : also called de facto , it serves to carry out the registration of the total population of the study territory, whenever it is present;
* statistics : consists of making a descriptive statistics count of certain elements of a population;
* right : charge imposed on a property ( encumbrance ) for the purpose of guaranteeing that the credits are paid.