Background Information

Data collection method

In the past population censuses, data were collected basically by face-to-face interviews, where enumerators visited all households to interview persons therein one by one. Following the advancement of technology and changing lifestyle of the Hong Kong people, and to be in line with the latest recommendation of the United Nations, new and additional means are available for data collection from the households in the 2011 Population Census, including postal return of completed short form questionnaire and self-enumeration of both long form and short form questionnaire via the Internet by households. The new arrangement is backed by positive experiences of other countries/territories which indicate that the "self-enumeration" approach is becoming one of the most important means of data collection in population censuses.