The census rehearsal of the 2011 Population Census will begin on the last day of the year

According to Diana Beltadze, the Project Manager of the 2011 Population and Housing Census of Statistics Estonia, in 2011 the first paper-free census will be conducted during the 130 years of census history in Estonia. “This means that Statistics Estonia has abandoned paper questionnaires and the enumerator enters the data in the laptop computer, from where the data will be forwarded to the server through security channels. The most essential innovation is that people can enumerate themselves by filling in e-questionnaire on the Internet. This kind of paper-free population census is a challenge that has been taken up by a few countries,” Beltadze said.

In the course of the pilot Census of the 2011 Population Census conducted from 31 December 2009 to 31 March 2010 over 10,000 persons and their dwellings will be enumerated. “Different regions and settlement units all over Estonia have been selected for the pilot Census in order to test thoroughly the organisation and information systems of the Census,” Beltadze explained. The pilot Census will be carried out in Tallinn, Narva, Püssi, Pärnu-Jaagupi, Paide, Aravete, and in Rae, Rõuge and Viimsi rural municipalities. “As in the 2011 Population and Housing Census, also in the course of the pilot Census the people are inquired about the residents, households and dwellings,” Beltadze added.

The 2011 pilot Census will be conducted in two parts: e-census (from 31 December 2009 to 21 February 2010) and face-to-face interviews (5–31 March 2010) where enumerators will visit the households who did not participate in e-census or whose questionnaires were incomplete.

The residents of the regions of pilot Census can participate in the e-census starting from the midnight of 31 December (30 December before 31 December) in the electronic data collection environment of Statistics Estonia eSTAT (https://estat.stat.ee/).

According to Diana Beltadze, the pilot Census serves as a basis for successful organisation of the 2011 Population Census. “The lessons of the pilot Census will guarantee that the 2011 Population and Housing Census would be conducted without failure. That is the reason why the data collected in the course of the pilot Census and people’s feedback will be thoroughly analysed and in case of need the census process will be changed or revised. The success of the 2011 Population Census depends to a large extent on the pilot Census and on the help of the residents of the respective region,” Beltadze remarked.

Folders introducing the 2011 Population Census and the pilot Census will be sent to all residents in the region before the pilot Census.

The pilot Census of the 2011 Population and Housing Census will be conducted in the following local governments:

1. Ambla rural municipality: Aravete small town
2. Narva city: 1, 1a, 3, 3a, 5, 7 and 9 Partisani Street
3. Kesklinna city district of Tallinn, Raua Street; Lasnamäe city district of Tallinn, Narva Road, the district between Ussimäe and Linnamäe Road
4. Paide city: the district between Raudtee, Tiigi and Jaama Streets
5. Halinga rural municipality: Pärnu-Jaagupi town
6. Püssi city: the district between Kivitee and Raudtee Streets
7. Rae rural municipality: Peetri village
8. Rõuge rural municipality: Aabra, Augli, Haabsilla, Haki, Hallimäe, Heibri, Hinu, Hotõmäe, Hurda, Härämäe, Jaanipeebu, Jugu, Järveküla, Kadõni, Kahru, Kaluka, Karba, Kaugu, Kavõldi, Kellämäe, Kogrõ, Kokõmäe, Kuklasõ, Kurgjärve, Kähri, Kängsepä, Listaku, Lutika, Mikita, Muduri, Murdõmäe, Märdi, Mõõlu, Ortumäe, Paaburissa, Pulli, Pärlijõe, Põdra, Põru, Rebäse, Rebäsemõisa, Riitsilla, Ristemäe, Roobi, Ruuksu, Saarlasõ, Sadramõtsa, Saki, Savioru, Soemõisa, Soomõoru, Suurõ-Ruuga, Tialasõ, Tiidu, Tüütsi, Vanamõisa, Viitina, Viliksaarõ and Väiku-Ruuga villages
9. Viimsi rural municipality: Kelvingi and Rohuneeme villages

The aim of the 2011 Population and Housing Census is to provide the public, research institutions, local governments, government agencies, enterprises and international organisations with quality information about the number, composition and location of the population, about migration, dwellings and living conditions, as well as to present basic data for the future official statistical surveys.

In 2011 the Population and Housing Census will be conducted for the tenth time on the territory of Estonia. The previous censuses were conducted in 1881, 1897, 1922, 1934, 1959, 1970, 1979, 1989 and 2000. In 2010 and 2011 Population and Housing Censuses will be conducted in the majority of countries all over the world.