****************************************************

The 2001 Population Census will be conducted from March 15 to 27, 2001. All households in Hong Kong will be interviewed by census officers during the period. The Commissioner for Census and Statistics, Mr Frederick W. H. Ho, announced today (February 26) in a press conference the details of the Census operation.

The purpose of the Census is to obtain up-to-date benchmark information on the size and socio-economic characteristics of the population and on its geographical distribution.

"Statistics compiled from the information collected in the Census are vital to government planning and policy formulation, particularly in such fields as education, housing, transport, medical and social services. The data are also important to the private sector in formulating business strategies," Mr Ho said.

The Census will be conducted under Section 9 of the Census and Statistics Ordinance. Under this ordinance, specified persons are obliged to provide the required information.

Mr Ho pointed out that the 2001 Population Census would be targeted at the entire population of Hong Kong, including the land population and the marine population. Persons living in some special types of quarters such as infirmaries would also be covered.

A scientific sampling procedure will be applied. Six-sevenths of households will be subject to a simple enumeration to provide some basic information like age and sex. The remaining one-seventh will be subject to detailed enquiry whereby, besides basic information, also collected will be information on a broad range of socio-economic characteristics of household members such as educational attainment, occupation, income and marital status.

The Census and Statistics Department will issue householder letters on 9 March, a few days before the commencement of the Census, to inform all households in Hong Kong of the 2001 Population Census. Households will also be informed whether they are selected to answer the Short Form or the Long Form.

Apart from the householder letter, households subject to simple enumeration will receive a Short Form for self-completion before the Census. Census officers will visit the households during the Census period to do a simple check and collect the completed questionnaires.

The Long Forms will not be sent along with the householder letters. Census officers will visit households to conduct face-to-face interviews to collect the required information. To ensure accuracy of the data collected, the census officer will interview each member of the household to obtain data pertaining to him, except for those household members who are unable to give the particulars for some sufficient reasons such as being too young. For these persons, their information will be collected from the household head.

The household visits will usually be conducted from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays during the 13-day operation period. Households can make appointment for the visits. If they want to do so, they can telephone the department at 2926 6688 after receiving the householder letters.

The Census and Statistics Department deploys about 22 000 census officers to carry out the fieldwork. "Most of them are senior secondary students. The name of the visiting census officers will be shown on each householder letter. During the visit, the census officers will wear a grey vest, carry a red satchel with the Census logo and identify himself/herself with a Census Officer Certificate of Identity issued by the Census and Statistics Department," Mr Ho said.

If households wish to verify the identity of the census officers, they can telephone the department at 2926 6688.

Mr Ho pointed out that as in previous censuses and by-censuses, the Education Department had recommended primary and secondary schools to schedule Census Holidays for the 13-day census period.

"This enables teachers and students to serve as temporary field workers and schools to provide classrooms to be used as field centres. However, the Census Holidays are not additional school holidays and the number of school days in this academic year will not be reduced," he explained.

The Commissioner assured members of the public that strict measures would be implemented to ensure confidentiality of information supplied by households.

"Information on individual persons or households collected in the Census will be used for statistical purposes only. The Census and Statistics Department is legally prohibited from allowing access to this information by any government departments," Mr Ho said.

"Under the Census and Statistics Ordinance, it is an offence for census officers to disclose data pertaining to individual persons or households to unauthorized persons. All completed questionnaires will be destroyed within one year after the Census," Mr Ho added.

Mr Ho said that this large-scale project would cost some $550 million.

The statistics obtained from the Census will help build a better future for Hong Kong. "General community support is vital for the success of the Census. I call on all households to provide accurate information and other people to help facilitate the work of our census officers," Mr Ho said.

Members of the public who would like to have more information about the 2001 Population Census may also visit the website of the Census and Statistics Department (http://www.info.gov.hk/censtatd/).

End/Monday, February 26, 2001

NNNN