A population and housing census is a nationwide statistical survey conducted, in the Slovak Republic, every ten years. It serves as a source of information about the population and their social and economic characteristics, as well as about the existing housing stock. The information obtained from census statistics cannot be currently obtained from other sources. This applies e.g. to information regarding education, economic activity, commuting to work and school or information on the quality of housing. There is one principle that should be followed in census taking: Describe the present time, you will influence the future.
Participating in the Census and being counted means enhancing the representativeness of unique data that are critical for decision-making processes at all levels of society and for social forecasting.
In 2011, population and housing censuses will be held in all European Union Member States at a time, using uniform or comparable definitions of surveyed information. This Census will also be part of an international program coordinated by the United Nations.
Participating in the Census and being counted means contributing to the creation of comparable data about the European Union’s population, their demographic, cultural, educational, social and economic structure, about their housing standards, and the structure of their housing stocks. These data are necessary for coordinating the actions taken by individual EU Members States in creating their social and economic policies, for decision making in addressing common issues and problems.
Censuses are as old as advanced civilizations. Historical records tell us about population censuses held many thousand years ago in ancient Babylon, Egypt, China, Palestine, Greece, or Rome. In Europe, first population censuses date back to the early 1700s. In what is now Slovakia, the year 1715, in which a nationwide registration of population was conducted in what was formerly the Hungarian Kingdom, is generally regarded as the beginning of modern organized statistical inquiry. Hungary’s first population census was held during the reign of Joseph II from 1778 to 1785. Historical reports of censuses, charters, deeds and records of this type help us better understand the social and economic history of preceding generations.
Participating in the Census and being counted means leaving a message to the generations to come, telling them about how we, their ancestors, lived.