Statistics Estonia: now is the best time to participate in the e-census

The recommendation of Statistics Estonia is to complete the e-census now, instead on waiting until the end of January when the system load will be higher and could make the enumeration process slower. In the first two weeks, more than 310,000 persons have already been enumerated in the e-census.

“Now is a very good time for participating in the e-census, because the system load is low and the enumeration should go quite fast,” said Mr Priit Potisepp, Director General of Statistics Estonia. “We do not recommend waiting until the last days of January, as that is when many people will realise that they want to complete the census online, and the enumeration may take much longer due to a high system load.”

As of noon on 13 January, the online Personal Questionnaires had been completed on 311,219 persons, which is almost 24% of the estimated population of Estonia. In percentage terms, participation rates are the highest in Tartu and Harju counties (27%) and in Järva, Hiiu, Pärnu and Rapla counties (24%).

The number of enumerated persons by county can be seen on the census website at www.stat.ee/58604. The census progress is updated hourly. It should be noted that the table published on the website includes people who have been enumerated twice. The data will be revised during the data processing after the census and each person will only be counted once.

The e-census questionnaires can be completed on the census website www.REL2011.ee until 31 January. All permanent residents of Estonia aged 15 and above can complete the census questionnaires themselves. The questionnaires on children will be completed by their parents or guardians.

Should respondents have any questions about completing the census online, they can contact customer support by email at klienditugi at stat dot ee or by phone at 625 9100. The working hours of the customer support are 08:00 to 22:00 every day.

The census is conducted until 31 March. During the first month (31 Dec 2011 to 31 Jan 2012), the permanent residents of Estonia can complete the census online. Those who do not participate in the e-census will be visited by an enumerator in the period of 16 February to 31 March 2012.