The State of Qatar is holding every five to 10 years regular census while it conducted its first national census in 1986, and today set to launch one-month long final phase of this year’s comprehensive census.
The systematic process of population census provides with an integrated picture of the entire society with demographic, social, economic and detailed data about households, individuals and establishments along conditions of the people who are living in the State.
In many parts of the world, census is still conducted under particular restrictions for a limited period of time to collect accurate data but in Qatar thanks to advancement in technology, being applied in every aspect of daily life, time and efforts have been saved greatly by averting such outdated methods.
This year Qatar Census 2020, is being conducted in phases, but no one has been forced to stay at home waiting for field researchers, due to continuous work of systematic data collection and compilation. The basic data are available in the system making many steps of traditional census redundant for the field researchers.
Not only this, but the Planning and Statistics Authority, has also given people options either to receive field researcher or prefer to deal with electronic form so that they can answer questions at their convenient time.
In a statement, the Authority pointed out that the field work consists in collecting and completing data on families and individuals, as the researcher will provide the head of the family with three options. Family heads are required “to complete his data and his family data, either through a direct interview with the researcher, or through the enveloped paper form that will be distributed during the field visit, in a way that allows citizens and residents to fill it out in a timely manner and hand it over to field researchers on another day during the census period, or by self-completing the electronic form on the Authority website”.
The Authority has deployed for this final stage over 2,000 field researchers who will be working until mid of January 2021 with complete adherence to all precautionary measures imposed by health authorities to combat the spread of COVID-19. The field researchers have received intensive training on precautionary measures to ensure their safety and the safety of community members, and made well aware about the culture of the society and manner of approaching individuals and families.
Census dealing with human capital has a great value as a benchmark for setting development plans and achieving the Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030 and beyond. Therefore the Planning Authority has called on all citizens and residents to fully cooperate with field researchers and to provide accurate and correct data due to its importance in drawing up the State’s development policies and plans.
