The Relevance of Census Results for a Modern Society
-
Roderich Egeler
,
Natalie Dinsenbacher
Summary
Population censuses have been conducted for thousands of years and they are one of the bases of any official statistics. By giving a detailed overview of the structure of a country’s population at a specific point in time, they provide one of the most important parameters for political action.
In addition, in modern statistical systems, population censuses are the data basis for a variety of further statistical information, such as intercensal updates of the number of inhabitants. They provide the basis for the statistical fields which either describe the population or in which population data are integrated. Furthermore they allow drawing reliable population samples and performing qualified extrapolation of sample results.
This article focuses on the relevance of censuses in general and, more specifically, of the current 2011 Census in Germany. Following a historical overview in the first part of the article, the second part describes the various definitions of “population”, the relevance and issues of defining the survey unit and of operationalising concepts of variables. In the third part, some examples illustrate various areas that are relevant for statistics and social policy and for which the 2011 Census will provide information, while the fourth part provides an outlook on how the census can be developed further, both in terms of methodology and contents.
© 2013 by Lucius & Lucius, Stuttgart
Articles in the same Issue
- Titelei
- Inhalt / Contents
- Guest Editorial
- Abhandlungen / Original Papers
- On the Shoulders of Giants: Tracing Back the Intellectual Sources of the Current Debate on “GDP and Beyond” to the 19th Century
- Sustainability of Public Debt in Germany – Historical Considerations and Time Series Evidence
- Recurrent Price Index Problems and Some Early German Papers on Index Numbers
- From the Zollverein to the Economics of Regionalism
- The Relevance of Census Results for a Modern Society
- Celebrating 150 Years of Analyzing Fertility Trends in Germany
- Monetary Theory and Monetary Policy: Reflections on the Development over the last 150 Years
- Buchbesprechung / Book Review
Articles in the same Issue
- Titelei
- Inhalt / Contents
- Guest Editorial
- Abhandlungen / Original Papers
- On the Shoulders of Giants: Tracing Back the Intellectual Sources of the Current Debate on “GDP and Beyond” to the 19th Century
- Sustainability of Public Debt in Germany – Historical Considerations and Time Series Evidence
- Recurrent Price Index Problems and Some Early German Papers on Index Numbers
- From the Zollverein to the Economics of Regionalism
- The Relevance of Census Results for a Modern Society
- Celebrating 150 Years of Analyzing Fertility Trends in Germany
- Monetary Theory and Monetary Policy: Reflections on the Development over the last 150 Years
- Buchbesprechung / Book Review
