UNECE

The place of usual residence and the total population:

national practices in the 2000 round and comments on the recommendations

Paolo ValenteSocial and Demographic Statistics

Section UN Economic Commission for Europe -

Statistical Division

ECE Work Session on Population Censuses Geneva, 23-25 November 2004

UNECE

Place of usual residenceGeneral concept and

definition

In the 2000 recommendations, it is defined as the place where the person

“spends most of his/her daily night-rest”

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Place of usual residenceDifficult groups

A list of “difficult groups” was given, including:

- persons who maintain more than one residence

- students living in a residence for part of the year and

elsewhere during vacations

- persons who live away from home during the working

week and return at weekends

(and other groups...)

UNECE

Place of usual residenceDifficult groups

For these “difficult groups”, the general definition was still valid, with the additional clarification: “For persons with a spouse/partner and/or children, the usual residence should be that at which they spend the majority of the time with their family”

UNECE

Place of usual residenceDifficult groups

Special “difficult group”: nomads, homeless and roofless persons.

According to the recommendations, they had to be considered “as usually resident where they are enumerated”

UNECE

Place of usual residence Results of the ECE

questionnaire

Large majority of countries reported that they complied with the recommended definition/concept of usual residence

BUT

High variability in the treatment of “difficult groups”

UNECE

Place of usual residence Treatment of “difficult

groups”

For instance:

Students: in half of the countries counted at college, in half of the countries counted at home

Persons who left the place/country temporarily: some countries set maximum length of the absence (3 or 6 months), other have no limit

In general: inconsistent application of the recommendation on “priority to family place”

UNECE

Place of usual residence Double and undercounting

problems

For many of the “difficult groups”, countries reported double and undercounting problems Double counting reported for:

- students (counted at college and at home)- persons with multiple residences- persons in institutions- children of divorced parents

UNECE

Place of usual residence Double and undercounting

problems

Undercounting reported for:

- young and mobile persons (in particular people living alone and males)

- persons temporarily absent- immigrants (especially recent and illegal)- homeless

UNECE

Place of usual residence 2010 recommendations (1/2)

Keep the same concept of usual residence (the place where most of the night rest is spent) and better define the “time frame”. Ex.: “the place where the person spent most of the nights [or most of the time] in the last year”

UNECE

Place of usual residence 2010 recommendations

(2/2)

For “difficult groups”: 1) revise list of groups2) define clearer rules for each group3) discuss the “priority to family place”

Specific instructions for countries using registers?

UNECE

Total population

Many different concepts of total population can be defined and used for various purposes.

For censuses, the two most common concepts are:1) the total usually resident population 2) the total present population

UNECE

Total populationDefinition in 2000 recommendations

The 2000 recommendations were based on “total usually resident population”

Persons had to be counted at their place of usual residence, or the information had to be “transferred” to their place of usual residence

UNECE

Total population Definition in 2000 recommendations

List of special groups to be included in the total usually resident population:- nomads- various categories of persons temporarily absent- refugees- homelessand others...

UNECE

Total population Definition in 2000 recommendations

List of special groups NOT to be included in the total usually resident population:- various categories of foreigners temporarily present in the country- asylum seekers

UNECE

Total population Results of the ECE

questionnaire

Large majority of countries reported that they complied with the recommended concept of total usually resident population

Three countries took a “de facto” census

UNECE

Total population Results of the ECE

questionnaire

BUT: Problems with “special groups”

- Nomads WERE NOT included in 18 countries- Refugees WERE NOT included in 14 countries

- Asylum seekers WERE included in 22 countries

UNECE

Total population 2010 recommendations

Maintain the same concept of total usually resident population, but try to better harmonize the treatment of various special groups:- refugees- nomads- asylum seekers- undocumented immigrants? (not mentioned in the 2000 rec.) - students studying abroad? (pres. by Eurostat)