Using Electronic Register Systems in Population Censuses

Abstract

Using various administrative and statistical electronic registers when carrying out population or housing censuses is becoming the increasingly applicable technology for obtaining statistical and demographic information required for taking sound and timely solutions at central government, region and territorial community level. This issue has been in the increasingly stronger focus of international organizations (such as UN Population Fund, UN Economic Commission for Europe, Eurostat), statistical offices of most advanced countries and individual researchers. But the available methodological documents and publications, especially ones of national researchers, give grounds for the conclusion that this issue needs in-depth studies for the implementation in the statistical practice. The article’s objective is to sum up international experiences in using electronic register systems for population and housing censuses in European countries, for their due accounting in Ukrainian realities. The EU legislation is given, recommendations of international organizations on carrying out a census on register basis are analyzed, with emphasis made on the need to introduce unique identifiers for authentification of units and linking of registers. Experiences of using register systems for census purposes are studied and summarized by investigating the cases of two European countries: Finland and Estonia. It is stressed that Estonia that started to actively use registers for public and government needs only at the beginning of this millennium is able to quickly catch up with Finland carrying out census on register basis over several decades. Experiences of developed countries can be useful for Ukrainian statisticians when organizing next population censuses. The forthcoming census will not yet be based on register information, but if a register system is designed, a sound demographic register and a register of addresses (buildings and housings) in particular, and a methodologically grounded plan for gradual implementation of registers for obtaining necessary information about the population is elaborated, this objective will be feasible.