Census 2011 in Portugal:

Development of e-Census system

Statistics Portugal - Census Unit and IT Department

Geneva, 28 - 30 October 2009

Innovation & Security

will shape the e-Census 2011 !

Overview

Portugal has been adopting policies that foster internet use as a preferential platform for the relationship of the public administration with citizens and enterprises.

To prepare the 2011 Census there is a clear concern as to modernising collection methods and processes, reaping the benefits of the use of information and communication technologies, of which the possibility of answering the 2011

Census online poses the main challenge.

Development of the e-Census

The strategy has been oriented towards providing users with an easy, secure and beneficial system.

Specific areas have been identified for the implementation of this strategy:

• Online form;• Online validation rules;• Authentication and security;• Notification of enumerators;• Communication/Helpline.

e-Census collection system

Collection sub-systems1. e-Census or Web Collection Sub-system

(SRW)

2. Fieldwork Control Sub-system (SCTC)

3. Management and Operations Sub-system – The Backoffice

4. Helpline Sub-system– The Helpdesk

Local CensusDatabase

FieldWorkControl

`

Enumerators and

Supervisors

e-Census

Respondents

FieldWorkForms

Optical Recognition

& Processing

HelpdeskTech Support

Central Census

Database

Census 2011 - Test 2 - April 2009

Helpdesk & Census Unit

FormsCensusPaperForms

Final Census Database

`

Data

Process

Legend

Backoffice

FieldWorkControl

Census Unit &

IT Administrators

`

Sync

Questions

CensusData

SMS & e-Mail

SPIS

SPIS

FormsCensusPaperForms

e-Census or Web Collection Sub-system (SRW)

Allows users to complete the 2011 Census questionnaire online:

It makes a public access area available, with auxiliary information for questionnaire completion;

A help form to send questions to the helpdesk team; A private area that can be accessed through credentials

produced for that purpose, to complete the questionnaire;

Collection Sub-systems

Fieldwork Control Sub-system (SCTC) Functionalities to support the organisation and control of

the various tasks performed during the field operation of the 2011 census (human resources, data repository, control, expenses and payments, results, support files, synchronisation);

This sub-system was made available at national level, centralised at Statistics Portugal servers with preferential online access, only a few modules being available offline;

It renders works related to the registration, consultation, organisation, control and extraction of data easier for all those intervening in the executive structure of the 2011 Census fieldwork, with pre-established access permissions.

Collection Sub-systems

Management and Operations Sub-system – The Backoffice

Assures the carrying out of all activities related to the configuration and support of tasks performed by the experts in the field.

Guarantees operational feasibility, ID/PIN generation and management, including functionalities for SCTC synchronisation, initial installation and updating of local applications.

These functionalities are accessed only by the Census Unit and IT teams;

Collection Sub-systems

Helpline Sub-system - The Helpdesk

Is the technical support that channels, registers and actually replies to the help requests of respondents to the e-Census questionnaire and members of the executive structure involved in the fieldwork;

Templates for help web forms; Simulate the respondent of e-Census questionnaire,

does not allow data changes.

Collection Sub-systems

Central / Local - web environments The application collection system is distributed into two distinct web environments:

Central environment, located at Statistics Portugal support: e-Census website sub-systems; The Fieldwork Control website; The BackOffice and Helpline sub-system;

Local environment, installed in laptops for the members of the structure in the field (civil parish coordinators and municipal delegates):

Local Fieldwork Control website uses a local database, for reasons of speed and to ensure operational conditions in locations with less reliable communications.

This environment can only be installed in portable equipment that has been previously configured for that purpose. (SPIS)

Technological infrastructure

Test surveys

Statistics Portugal conducted two test surveys in 2008 and 2009, with a population sample of around 7,000 and 17,000 dwellings respectively.

The population had two modes of response options available:

– The traditional one, by filling in the paper questionnaire themselves, with subsequent collection and checking by

enumerators;– The online form (e-Census), with recourse to a secure

authentication system. Upon distribution of the questionnaires, the enumerator would also leave a closed envelope containing the access codes to the online form.

Results

The online response rate was 14% for the 2008 test and 9% for the 2009 test. Overall, this rate was lower in rural areas and for elderly population segments with lower educational level.

The population counted online is relatively young. Persons aged less than 50 accounts for 70-75% of the population covered and those aged 65 and over stand between only 7-10%. In terms of education, school attendance is higher for those aged 25-49, decreasing in inverse proportion to the age group. Most of the population works and those not working are predominantly students and retired people.

Results The greatest number of daily responses was recorded

on the website’s opening day (which coincided with the time of the census) and on the closing day. On the first three days around 30% of total responses were recorded.

0

50

100

150

200

250

Op

en

ing

Ce

nsu

s D

ay

Clo

sin

g

Data collection period

Nu

mb

er o

f o

nlin

e f

orm

s

1st test 2nd test

Results The highest number of daily

responses occurred after 6 p.m., which shows that forms were filled in at home after work. The time period with the greatest number of responses was between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m., which shows that many households took advantage of a break after dinner to answer the form.

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Hours

Num

ber o

f onli

ne fo

rms

1st test 2nd test

Results

49 minutes was the average time spent to complete the online form.

83% of the households filled in it on a single session and the remaining did so in more than one session, by saving it and returning on a later stage.

Less than 4% of users have abandoned the session after concluding the authentication process, which is a rather positive result.

Conclusions

Tests performed show that online responses to the 2011 Census have a great potential, especially among the younger population with a higher educational level. An adequate advertising campaign will be crucial importance to increase the online response rate.

Over 98% of e-Census respondents declared in the tests that they intended to answer the 2011 Census online).

Respondents considered the online form visually pleasing, easy to respond and browse through. A vast majority claimed to be satisfied with the authentication system, considering it easy and secure.

Conclusions

Data collected online are of a higher quality than those of paper questionnaires

The notification of enumerators via SMS messages has proven to be an effective method to connect e-Census responses to fieldwork organisation.

The coexistence of two collection systems – e-Census and paper entailed the implementation of the online Fieldwork Control application for fieldwork management and control, in order to enable real-time monitoring.

The use of bidirectional synchronisation processes between central and local environments in the Fieldwork Control application has shown that critical points emerge in the use of this latter environment. Highly relevant updating functionalities must not be made available on the local environment, rather only on the core environment.

Thank you for your attention!