NDLI: Counting the Population or Describing Society? A Comparison of English and Welsh and French Censuses

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Coast, Ernestina Fanghanel, Alex Lelièvre, Eva Randall, Sara
Copyright Year	2016
Abstract	Data collected at household level in censuses are used for a wide range of purposes including practical planning and academic analysis of changing social conditions. Comparability is a core demographic value, and to understand the limits of the comparability of census data across time and space, it is important to recognise if, how and why, concepts and definitions change between censuses. This paper examines definitions of the household in censuses in England and Wales (E&W) and France from 1960 to 2012 in order to investigate how census definitions have changed and to examine the drivers of such changes. Two research methods were used: (1) longitudinal analyses of census documentation since the 1960s and (2) in-depth interviews with key informants oriented around respondents’ roles in the collection and/or use of household data from censuses and surveys. We identify two contrasting national approaches to the data collection exercise that is called a census, which reflect political and institutional differences. These differences call into question the comparability of some aspects of census data across national boundaries, despite increased harmonisation of approaches to data collection. By comparing the evolution of the definitions of the “household” in censuses, we develop insight into the diversity of the priorities of census commissioners and designers, and consider the broader implications of this for producing comparable data.
Starting Page	165
Ending Page	188
Page Count	24
File Format	PDF
ISSN	01686577
Journal	European Journal of Population / Revue européenne de Démographie
Volume Number	32
Issue Number	2
e-ISSN	15729885
Language	English
Publisher	Springer Netherlands
Publisher Date	2016-01-21
Publisher Place	Dordrecht
Access Restriction	Subscribed
Subject Keyword	Household Census Survey France England Comparability Demography Sociology Human Geography Population Economics Public Finance & Economics Methodology of the Social Sciences
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Demography

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
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