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Major Events


Timeline List

Consultation

Consultation on Data Topics

May to July 2008		 Policy bureaux, government departments, academic institutions, chambers of commerce and non-government organisations were consulted on the data topics.

Consultation on the Plan for the 2011 Population Census

September 2008 to January 2009		 District Council members were consulted on the overall plan for the 2011 Population Census. The consultation paper was tabled for discussion at the meeting of the Legislative Council Panel on Financial Affairs on 5 January 2009.

Consultation on Sample Design

February to March 2010		 Academics were consulted on the sample design for selecting households for detailed enquiry.

Consultation on Definition, Questioning Approach and Classification

March to May 2010		 Policy bureaux, government departments, academic institutions, chambers of commerce and non-government organisations were consulted on the definition, questioning approach and classification for the data topics.

Tests

Small-scale Test Survey

December 2009 to January 2010		 A sample survey of about 2 800 quarters was conducted during December 2009 to January 2010 to test the questionnaires and data collection arrangements of the 2011 Population Census.

Pilot Survey

June to August 2010		 A sample survey of about 30 000 quarters was conducted during June to August 2010 to test the questionnaires and various operational aspects of the 2011 Population Census.

Publicity Programme

Mini-exhibition on Official Statistics

19 October to 17 November 2010		 As the first wave of publicity for the 2011 Population Census, the Census and Statistics Department organised a one-month Mini-exhibition on Official Statistics during 19 October to 17 November 2010, which covered the promotion of 2011 Population Census in addition to serving as part of the celebrating programme in support of the first World Statistics Day on 20 October 2010. The exhibition aimed to introduce the many achievements of official statistics in Hong Kong and raise the awareness of the importance of population census.

Launch of the Thematic Website

31 December 2010		 A thematic website was launched on 31 December 2010 for publicising the 2011 Population Census and disseminating relevant data and information.

Roving Exhibition

20 March to 31 July 2011		 A roving exhibition was staged in the city to boost people's understanding of the 2011 Population Census.

Conduct of Briefings

4 May to 16 June 2011		 Briefings were conducted for the District Councils and property management company representatives. Members of the District Councils and property management company representatives were invited to assist in promoting household co-operation.

School Publicity

30 May to mid-July 2011		 The school sector was amongst the major targets for publicising the 2011 Population Census. Publicity programme targeting at primary and secondary school students ran from 30 May to mid-July 2011. Students were encouraged to bring home the census message and urge their parents and relatives to co-operate in the 2011 Population Census.

Distributing Publicity Materials

Early to late June 2011		 Letters, posters and information leaflets were sent to members of the Executive Council, Legislative Council and District Councils, consulates, ethnic communities, commerce and trade associations, non-government organisations, building management offices, etc., to promote the 2011 Population Census.

Press Conference

23 June 2011		 The Commissioner for Census and Statistics announced the details of the 2011 Population Census operation at the press conference.

Publicity through Multi-media Channels

Late June to early August 2011		 A wide range of publicity activities was carried out through multi-media channels (e.g. TV and radio announcements, interview with media, advertisements, banners, etc.) to convey the census message to the general public.

Legislation

Gazette of the Census and Statistics (2011 Population Census) Order

19 November 2010		 The Census and Statistics (2011 Population Census) Order made by the Chief Executive in Council under section 9 of the Census and Statistics Ordinance (Cap. 316) was published in Gazette on 19 November 2010. The Order renders statutory backing for conducting the 2011 Population Census in Hong Kong.

Recruitment and Training

Recruitment and Training of Temporary Field Workers

January to July 2011		 Some 18 300 teachers and students were employed to participate as Temporary Field Workers to support the data collection work for the 2011 Population Census. The recruitment exercise was started in mid-January 2011, followed by training courses for successful applicants to be conducted in phases.

Data Collection

Census Reference Moment

3:00 a.m. on 30 June 2011		 The census reference moment was 3:00 a.m. on 30 June 2011, which was the time-point for enumerating the population.

First Phase of Enumeration :Self-enumeration

30 June to 15 July 2011		 In the first phase of the 2011 Population Census, households were encouraged to choose self-enumeration mode through submission of an e-questionnaire online or by postal return (the latter applicable to simple enumeration only).

Registration period for e-Questionnaire

30 June to 15 July 2011		 Households who wished to use e-Questionnaire should activate their account and complete the registration online during 30 June to 15 July 2011. The information required for account activation could be found on the questionnaire (for simple enumeration) or the notification letter (for detailed enquiry).

Suggested date of returning postal questionnaire

7 July 2011		 Households should return the completed postal questionnaire using the prepaid return envelope on or before 7 July 2011 so that census officers would not visit them during the face-to-face interview period.

Appointment booking for face-to-face interview

8 July to 1 August 2011		 Households which had not provided the required information during the self-enumeration period would be visited by a census officer during the face-to-face interview period (from 16 July to 2 Aug 2011). They could book an appointment online using e-Appointment or by calling the Telephone Enquiry Centre during 8-30 July 2011. Alternatively, households could do so by phoning the number specified on the appointment card dropped by the census officer before 2 Aug 2011.

Second Phase of Enumeration : Face-to-face Interview

16 July to 2 August 2011		 In the second phase of the 2011 Population Census, the Census and Statistics Department arranged census officers to conduct face-to-face interviews for the remaining households not choosing self-enumeration mode.

Deadline of returning e-Questionnaire by registered users

24 July 2011		 Registered users should return the completed e-Questionnaire as soon as possible, but in any case not later than 24 July 2011.

Data Processing

Data Processing

July 2011 to February 2012		 Information collected from the 2011 Population Census was inputted into the computer using data capturing technology. Data processing tasks such as computer-assisted coding, data validation and editing, and statistical imputation were performed subsequently.

Post Enumeration Survey

Post Enumeration Survey

22 August to 30 September 2011		 In order to provide information for evaluating the results of the 2011 Population Census, a Post Enumeration Survey was conducted during 22 August to 30 September 2011, after the completion of the Census. A random sample of some 16 000 quarters were re-visited by the permanent field staff of the Census and Statistics Department to collect some basic information. The conduct of such a survey follows standard international practices for evaluating data collected in the Census.

Data Dissemination

Announcement of Summary Results

21 February 2012		 A press conference was conducted on 21 February 2012 to announce the key findings of the 2011 Population Census. The publication “Summary Results” and the leaflet “Key Statistics” were published on the same day.

Release of Main Tables

February 2012 to February 2013		 A set of statistical tables were released by phases from February 2012 to February 2013 to convey the results of the 2011 Population Census on various data topics.

Release of District Profiles

April to December 2012		 Summary results of the 2011 Population Census for individual District Council districts were released in the form of fact sheets in April 2012. The fact sheets for Constituency Areas and Tertiary Planning Units were released in May 2012. Those for selected major housing estates were released in December 2012.

Publication of a series of thematic reports

June 2012 to February 2013		 A series of thematic reports on various population subgroups as well as a report on household income distribution were released by phases from June 2012 to February 2013.

Launch of Interactive Data Dissemination Service

17 September 2012		 The Interactive Data Dissemination Service providing free-of-charge online service for data users to build their own statistical tables based on the data from the 2011 Population Census was launched on 17 September 2012.

Publication of Graphic Guide

25 September 2012		 The publication “Graphic Guide” presenting key results of the 2011 Population Census in graphic form was published on 25 September 2012.

Publication of Main Report

27 November 2012		 The “Main Report” for the 2011 Population Census was published on 27 November 2012. The report consists of two separate volumes. Volume I presents detailed analysis and interpretation of the results of the 2011 Population Census with comparison with results of the previous population census and by-census, and Volume II describes the technical and operational aspects of the 2011 Population Census.

Last revision date: 22 February 2013