The use of population censuses as multi-subject data bases in the Federal Republic of Germany
Article type: Research Article
Authors: Herberger, L.1 | Bretz, M.2
Note: [1] L. Herberger (born in 1924) studied economics at the University of Frankfurt (M), with special emphasis on statistics (1951–54). He joined the Federal Statistical Office of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1955 for the purpose of implementing a continuous sample survey of the population. Subsequently, he was in charge of various projects in the field of social and demographic statistics, as well as of foreign trade, transport and agricultural statistics. At present, he is Head of Division for Population, Employment, Housing, Election and General Foreign Statistics. Between 1965 and 1977, he acted as rapporteur for the 1965 World Population Conference and for the Conference of European Statisticians and was adviser to the World Health Organization. He was appointed Honorarprofessor at the University of Kaiserslautern in 1984.
Note: [2] M. Bretz (born in 1938) studied business administration at the University of Frankfurt (M), with statistics as an optional subject (1962–66). He joined the Federal Statistical Office of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1967. His main assignments related to the preparation and processing of the 1970 Population Census (including various methodological investigations and precision checking); the methodological and technical preparation of the 1983 Population Census; and to the conceptual preparation of an “Overall Picture of Population and Employment Statistics”. At present, he is Head of Subdivision for Current Population Statistics.
Abstract: In the Federal Republic of Germany, the statistical-methodological purposes of the population census are of great importance: The joint organization of population, building and housing censuses as well as of censuses of non-agricultural local units; and the use of the population census as a sampling and extrapolation frame for population sample surveys (microcensus) are worth mentioning. From a material-systematic point of view, close links exist with other population and economic statistics: – With current population statistics, used for updating the population census results; – with the microcensus by means of which structural data of the population census are annually updated within the scope of a sample survey; – with statistics of employed persons which annually cover about 75% of the economically active persons in a detailed regional breakdown; and – with the census of non-agricultural local units which records the economically active persons at the place of work as opposed to recording them at the place of residence in the population census. The emphasis of the utilization of the population census is on the analysis of its results, frequently also drawing upon other statistics. Main fields of evaluation are: – ‘Population development’, the simple number of the population serving as a measure for various laws (e.g. for the financial compensation between different public authorities), and, together with additional demographic data providing an essential basis for the provision of e.g. infrastructure installations; – ‘Economy’, with the classification of economically active persons for market analyses being in the centre of interest; – ‘Old-age provision’, both public and private pension insurance funds requiring data from the population census; – ‘Regional planning’, aiming at ensuring equivalent living conditions across the country.
DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1985-3108
Journal: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 115-133, 1985
