Population census - what is this? First population censuses

The most important wealth of any state is people, and any wealth must be taken into account. Therefore, the population census is a count of the resources available to the country. Let's talk about who first came to mind to rewrite people, about what the principles and methods of conducting censuses are, what is their history and future in Russia.

The concept of a population census

Each specific territory depends on its inhabitants. They provide her income, but also require the appropriate costs. To competently plan the economic security of the country, region, city, you need to know how many people live in them. For this, there is a census of the population. This is a specially organized procedure for counting the number of inhabitants. The census also makes it possible to identify the qualitative characteristics of the population, which is important for the management of the infrastructure and the activities of the region.

History of the censuses in the world

Many ancient empires conducted the first population censuses in order to collect taxes from residents, as well as to plan military conscription. Rulers should know the amount of projected financial income from each person, and for this, first of all, the calculations of the male population were carried out. Taxes were levied on the heads of families, just as men were recruited, so it was the counting of the number of individuals of the stronger sex that was the main one during the first censuses. In ancient Rome, the censuses were regular, sometimes there were "studies" of a wider level: coins of different dignity were collected from each resident of the country, depending on sex and age. The calculation of collected coins allowed to draw conclusions about the qualitative characteristics of the population. In the Middle Ages, the tradition of writing down scribal books the amount of collected taxes from certain people continued. But the accumulated knowledge about the number of inhabitants was rather scarce. For rulers in those days it was important to know only the number of households. With the growth of industrial production and the detachment of people from peasant farms, more detailed information on the number and characteristics of the population has become in demand. Censuses become more regular and with greater coverage. The development of statistics and sociology leads to the fact that in the 19th century censuses are beginning to be conducted on a scientific basis. The first census of the new type is the Belgian census of 1846. It covered all the available population of the country. Gradually, this experience spread to all countries. Today, there is no country left in the world where at least once a census was not conducted.

History of the censuses in Russia

In the 9-10 centuries, Russian princes also carried out the registration of residents by collecting taxes. In the 13th century, the Mongols who seized the Russian lands were the initiators of household accounting in order to calculate the number of taxes they imposed on the occupied territories. After the unification of the Russian principalities around Moscow, the practice of conducting scribal books is introduced, in which the number of people, villages and cities was recorded. Then taxes were taken depending on the size of the land belonging to the au pair. Later introduced a gateway to file, each yard was fixed in special books. Regular censuses in Russia begin in the 17th century, they are held approximately every 30 years. Under Peter the First introduced the procedure for conducting public audits, during which every 20 years the number of men in the country was counted. The population census over the years became a common practice, it allowed to make some kind of forecasts, to reveal regularities. These estimates were not accurate, since they were based on fixing only those residents who were attributed to taxes. The people were afraid of such audits, as they were accompanied by forcible holding of people at the place of "propiska", also many did not want to pay taxes and tried to avoid the census in order not to pay them. After the abolition of serfdom, attempts were made to count the inhabitants of the country, but it was not possible to collect exact information. The first general census, in which women and children were counted, passed only in 1897. This census was conducted immediately on three grounds and allowed the most complete estimate of the population. People were not only considered, but also referred to different categories, asking 14 different questions. The processing of the census data and publication of the results took several years.

Censuses of soviet time

After the revolution, the new authorities also decided to hold a census, understanding its importance for the state. In 1920, it was decided to conduct a census simultaneously, an agricultural census and compile a register of enterprises. Since military operations were still going on in some territories, the census was not recognized as universal. To conduct it, a questionnaire was used with 18 signs, special interest in the new authorities was caused by the education and occupation of citizens. As the territories were liberated, additional surveys were conducted, and the final results were presented in 1921, according to which it was found that there were 136.6 million people in the country, 15% of them in cities, ie, Russia was an absolutely agrarian state.

In subsequent years, population censuses in Russia were conducted at intervals of about 10 years. In 1937, another "roll call" of the people was held. And it turned out that, contrary to the expectations of the party, the population had fallen and, apparently, significantly, because the results were classified. And in 1939 a new census was carried out. Later, the counting procedures for the number of residents in the country were no longer given much importance, and the censuses began to be conducted less frequently. In total, 7 censuses were conducted during the existence of the USSR, the latter in 1989, according to which there were 286.7 million people in the country.

Censuses of the new Russia

With the collapse of the USSR, the new country had many problems, in particular, an economic nature, and before counting the number of residents, the government simply did not get their hands on it. The first census took place in 2002, which showed that 145 million people live in Russia. The next population census of 2010 was more carefully prepared and made it possible to identify not only the number of residents, but also the qualitative characteristics of the population. According to these estimates, 142 million people live in Russia. In 2014, after the accession of the Crimea, a local census was carried out in the new territories, which showed that the population of the country increased by 2.2 million people.

Goals and objectives of the census

The population census is a complex and costly procedure, why is it needed? The main purpose of the census is to obtain generalized holistic data on the demographic, economic and social characteristics of the population. Regular population surveys can reveal the dynamics of demographic indicators, find out the level and quality of life of people. Based on these data, the government makes decisions in the field of social policy, builds economic forecasts and forms development plans for the country. With these goals, both general and partial surveys can be conducted, for example, the agricultural census of the population 2016. The objectives of such studies are to assess the state of individual segments of the economy and society. Censuses have one more important function - historical, they document the state of the country at some point, are a kind of chronicle.

Types of censuses

From the point of strict scientific terminology, a census is a general survey of the population. But in practice, there are several options for these procedures. According to the principle of obtaining data, censuses are distinguished when information is filled out from the words of the person surveyed, and a one-time account when data about people are taken from different registration forms, for example, personal files at passport offices. According to the object of research, general censuses and partial censuses can be allocated, aimed at assessing a certain segment. For example, the agricultural census of the population in 2016 will be partial, and also censuses of entrepreneurs will be held periodically. The variant of the census is also the forms of statistical accounting, which are submitted by various bodies, for example committees on social. Educational institutions or medical institutions.

Principles of holding

The population census is organized by special rules and principles to collect information. There are several conditions that make the census representative and reliable and allow obtaining objective information. The census should be:

- Universal , that is, to cover all categories of the population. Traditionally, the census includes three groups of residents: the cash population, that is, the one that is currently in the territory, the legal population, ie, fixed by any documents at a given location, permanent, that which resides in one place More than 6 months.

- Single -step procedure - the procedure should be conducted as soon as possible to cover the so-called account moment and not allow people to be counted in several places at the same time.

- Programmed . The census is conducted according to a clear, carefully worked out program, which allows obtaining uniform and reliable information.

- By name . During the census, each person should be interviewed separately.

- Personal . In the course of a census, data on a person is obtained only with his personal answers to questions.

Also, the census should be centralized, run periodically and keep the information confidential.

Methods of conducting

There are several ways to determine the size of the population. The population census is most often carried out by the expeditionary method, ie, a specially prepared person with questionnaires leaves the respondents' house and fills them out according to people's words. There is also a questionnaire method, when respondents are sent a questionnaire, which they fill out in person and returned to the information collection point. Another method of carrying out the census is secret. In this case, the respondents come to specially equipped points, and there they answer the questions of the questionnaire.

Agricultural Population Census 2016

Once in 10 years in Russia, a specific census is conducted - agricultural. It is aimed at counting the number of people living in rural areas and engaged in various types of agricultural work. The planned agricultural census of the population in 2016 will cover not only individuals living in villages, but also owners of personal part-time farms, farmers, gardeners, and individual entrepreneurs in the countryside. The purpose of this event is to collect information on the real state of affairs in the country's agricultural sector.

The Future of the Census

The last census conducted in Russia in 2010 proved to be quite a labor-consuming and costly exercise. Therefore, the government proposes to conduct the next census using the Internet. The experience of some European countries shows that this is quite possible. The next census should take place in 2020, and by this time it is expected to develop an optimal survey mechanism that will cover every citizen of the country. Also considered is the version of the bill that would make participation in the census mandatory. Today there is a rather large population that for various reasons shies away from participating in the survey. Therefore, the government is looking for options to maximize people's involvement in this process.