Final phase of census begins today
THE final phase of the General Census of Population, Housing and Establishments (Qatar Census 2020) will start on Tuesday (Dec 1) after it was suspended early this year due to the precautionary measures taken by the country to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
At a press conference on Monday, the Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA) said the census through the PSA’s platform (www.psa.gov.qa/ census2020.aspx) will start on December 1 and continue till January 7. The field census will resume from December 13 to mid-January 2021, after it obtained the approval of the Ministry of Public Health to conduct the census in light of the preventive measures against COVID-19.
PSA President Dr Saleh
bin Mohammed Al Nabit said the PSA will provide, from December 1 until January 7, 2021, the electronic form for families and individuals who wish to complete their data on their own without the need for the enumerators to visit their places of residence.
He said the field visit will start in mid-December in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and the
Ministry of Interior (MoI).
He said the census is one of the largest statistical operations in all countries, and it is of great importance due to being the main means of collecting data related to buildings, housing units, establishments, families and individuals and their different geographical divisions.
HE said that through the census the PSA seeks to provide a comprehensive database to serve planners, researchers and decision-makers in the country and allow the necessary international comparisons to be made.
The census aims mainly to form a central registry for population, housing and establishments, he said, adding that the results of this census are expected to be announced in the second quarter of next year.
He said the PSA would hold an integrated media campaign related to the census, calling on everyone, especially the media, to cooperate in the implementation of the important national project by providing the necessary support.
Head of the Department of Censuses and Statistical Surveys and Director of General Census of Population, Housing and Establishments 2020, Nasser Al Mahdi, said there are three methods available for citizens and residents to complete the census data. The first is to electronically fill in the census form via the link www.psa.gov.qa/census2020. aspx which will be available on December 1, calling upon citizens and residents to use the website and fill in the required data without the need to meet field enumerators.
He said the second way is to provide data through a direct interview with the field enumerators starting from December 13, while the third method is a paper envelope form that will be distributed during the field visit, which citizens and residents can fill up and hand over later to field enumerators.
The paper form includes a special QR code, allowing access to the statistical form on the PSA’s website, and filling it out electronically, without the need for paper filling, Al Mahdi pointed out.
Al Mahdi also noted that PSA has completed all the preparations for the implementation of the census, which lasted two years, while also conducting a pilot census in a previous period to ensure that all systems for this national project are ready.
He stressed the importance of the general census pointing out that it provides decision-makers with accurate data that contribute to designing plans and policies for various development services and projects that serve everyone in Qatar.
Al Mahdi stressed the full commitment to precautionary measures against coronavirus in the last phase of the census, stressing that field enumerators will receive intensive training on the procedures in coordination with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).
Director of the Public Health Department at MoPH Sheikh Dr Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani said there is complete coordination between the ministry and the PSA to implement the census in accordance with strict precautionary measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Director of the Public Relations Department at the Ministry of Interior Brigadier Abdullah Khalifa Al Muftah affirmed that the ministry is a major partner in implementing the census and is keen on making it a success, adding that they will contribute significantly to raising awareness of the importance of the census in various languages.
The press conference’s participants called on citizens and residents to fully cooperate with the Qatar Census 2020 project by providing accurate data.
The PSA had completed all the preparatory stages of the census, including the first phase of field work that was carried out from November 15 to December 17, 2019, with the participation of more than 400 field enumerators and supervisors, in addition to preparing the electronic system and field enumerators for the last phase of the census.