2011 Census: survey to clarify discrepancies starting now

WIESBADEN – With the survey to clarify discrepancies, the 2011 Census is entering the final stretch. By conducting that survey, the statistical offices wish to clarify discrepancies occurring in the 2011 Census in the context of linking data from the residents’ registration offices with information from the census of buildings and housing. The purpose of such clarification is to correctly determine the official number of inhabitants in municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants.

The survey to clarify discrepancies is conducted only at addresses with just one inhabited dwelling in municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants. The typical case covered by the survey is a one-family house where the grown-up children are still registered to have their main residence, although they no longer live there because, for example, they moved away for university studies. Households which already provided information on their residence in the household survey will not be questioned again.

To clarify discrepancies, only a few data are needed: Apart from auxiliary variables such as name and address, the questions cover in particular the survey variables of sex, age, marital status, housing status (main or second residence), number of persons in the household, and citizenship – always referring to the census reference date of 9 May 2011. All questions can be viewed in the sample questionnaire (PDF, 865KB, file not barrier free).

The survey to clarify discrepancies is conducted through personal interviews. In the next few weeks, respondents will receive in writing an announcement of an interview date. On the announced date, the interviewer will complete the questionnaire together with the respondent. Alternatively, the respondents may complete the questionnaire by themselves and either return it to the indicated address in the adequately stamped return envelope or take it to their survey office. The data may also be reported online at www.zensus2011.de. As is generally the case in the 2011 Census, it is ensured in the survey to clarify discrepancies that the collected data will remain within the safe area of the statistical offices. No other authorities or institutions – not even the residents’ registration offices – have access to such information.

Parallel to the survey to clarify discrepancies, the survey to clarify the residence is still being conducted. In that survey, persons are interviewed for whom implausible information regarding the main residence have been detected in the population register: It may happen that a person is registered with several main residences or only with a second residence. So that survey, too, is intended to determine the official number of inhabitants. And here again the collected data are safe because they will not leave the safe area of the statistical offices.

For further information please contact the Federal Statistical Office.

© Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis)

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