Census 2010 will be the Cayman Islands’ single largest statistical exercise, producing raw data to advise and inform government planning in the short, medium and long term. We will get a picture, not only of the population, but also of housing stock.
By now you are also likely aware that for the first time, questions cover aspects such as insurance and health, including medically diagnosed chronic diseases, to provide us with long-needed and vital data. And in future, we will now be able to use some of this information for humanitarian and disaster-recovery purposes.
As always, no individual census data will ever be shared by the Economics and Statistics Office (ESO). This is already the case with all their Labour Force Surveys which, incidentally, have one of the highest response rates in the region.
Much preparation has gone into this census exercise. The ESO is in the final countdown, having paved the way for a smooth start. I know a number of civil servants have been actively involved in the planning stages which began three years ago. Census Advisory Committee members helped to formulate the census questionnaire, drew up Enumeration Area maps and developed strategy and action plans to ensure a smooth operation.
And even now, the education campaign for the census continues and will carry forward into November, since the goal is to capture all households and this will take time.
Preparations are ongoing, also as per plan and the enumerators, mainly civil servants, are ready to go into the districts and knock on doors.
But are we equally ready to open those doors when they knock and are we ready to answer their questions?
Knowing the importance and confidential nature of the data we will capture, I am sure that all civil service personnel will be model suppliers of all the information being sought. Please invite the enumerators in and cooperate.
Let us play our parts in getting to know our islands better. It will only help us as we work and as we advance into the future. I wish all concerned every success for a smooth and productive census exercise.
