Census results to improve planning of decision-making on all levels: Deputy Director of Astana Statistics Department

ASTANA. January 27. KAZINFORM /Kanat Kulshmanov/ As reported earlier, the National Population Census will be held in the country on February 25 – March 6. Deputy Director of the Statistics Department of Astana Yerkebulan Bagramov told the Kazinform about the preparatory work in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana.

Mr. Bagramov, would you tell about main stages of preparation to the census? Preparatory work has been already accomplished. We set about the second stage ? informing the population. Special banners have been installed at the city bus stops, television channels broadcast adverts in two languages. Thus the agitation of population is underway. 70 census offices were established in different parts of the city. Heads of census offices entered upon their duties. Training of census workers is on. -What about the personnel that will be directly engaged in the census? How can people identify them? There must be 2 338 census enumerators in Astana, 1 636 enumerators have been recruited. The population will recognize the enumerators by their uniform: they will have ID with three protection levels, a blue scarf and a brief case with census logos. The census address lists will be published by mass media. All census offices will have stations where people can pass enumeration procedure themselves. Are there any hotlines to ensure that people can get answers about the census? People can get answers by calling 28 02 48 or 28 02 49. Our specialists will answer all questions of the citizens. Will law-enforcement officers accompany census enumerators as different unforeseen circumstances may occur? In fact, many nonresidents live in Astana in summer cottages and in remote areas of the city. Police officers will ensure safety of our enumerators. Some citizens are afraid to give us some information about themselves and do not want to open doors. Will they ask citizens to show IDs? Will information, received from people, be confidential ? I want to note that all data collected within the census is stricktly confidential and will be used only for analysis. Respondents should not show any documents, which identify their personality. What will be the list of questions the citizens should answer? Following the census results a wide range of indicators will be collected: population, sex, age, family composition, language comprehension level, educational level, employment and housing. The data will allow to improve planning of decision-making on all levels in formation of economic, language, social, migration and education policy. What would you wish capital residents? I call on all citizens of Kazakhstan to show active citizenship and take part in the national census. This campaign is held once in 10 years. We hope for help on the part of Astana residents. Thank you for the interview.