Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, to promote comprehensive development plans in the Emirate, the Department of Statistics and Community Development (DSD) announced the launch of the “Population Census 2022” under the slogan “You Matter” today (26 September), with the aim of supporting the process of comprehensive development plans and achieving social welfare.
Data Users
The Department pointed out that the results of the report will be submitted to His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi and a number of government entities, in order to paint a comprehensive picture of the reality of the Emirate, as it represents a report on the living conditions of the citizens of the Emirate and the nominal lists of community groups.
The Executive Council of the Emirate of Sharjah uses the results of the census in the processes of formulating policies and making development decisions that contribute to the development of the lives of all residents of the Emirate, in addition to its contribution to providing government agencies with statistical reports that help them in the planning and implementation processes.
The Department called on every resident of the Emirate to help complete the census operations and disclose the required information clearly, noting that the census guarantees the confidentiality of the data of families and individuals, and its details do not entail any executive procedures, as some residents believe who avoid revealing all details related to them.
“You matter” motto
The Sharjah Census 2022 comes under the slogan “You Matter”, to confirm that every individual resident of Sharjah represents an essential part of the pillars of comprehensive development and development policies that the Emirate government relies on in its anticipation for the future and development strategies.
Based on the slogan, a group of officials, media professionals, artists and influencers participate in introducing community members to the importance of the population census, highlighting it as a key part of the economic and development building that Sharjah is witnessing, and that to the extent that the information they provide to the census delegates is accurate, they will contribute to the success of Sharjah’s development planning in all fields.
Schedule
Regarding the timetable for the “Sharjah Census 2022”, Sharjah Statistics noted that by the beginning of October 2022, the Department has completed the preparatory and experimental stages of the census, and has started the implementation phase, which lasts 5 months, until February 2023, pointing out that the preliminary results of the census will be announced during March 2023.
The final and main results of the various institutions allow all other entities or individuals, such as researchers, scholars, and media professionals, to benefit from their outputs published through the official websites of the Government of Sharjah and the Open Data Platform.
Uses of Outputs
The census outputs will be used in development planning for various fields, measuring growth and demographics, counting the various categories sponsored by the Government of Sharjah, measuring the size of the workforce, promoting policies that support women’s empowerment in all fields, and providing an updated framework for surveys and socio-economic statistical studies.
Census Features
The census is comprehensive as it covers all components of society, including buildings, facilities, residences, families and individuals, and the data collection forms are characterized by ease and the presence of limited questions, and the census takes into account quality control in all its stages, and the census seeks to make the most of government administrative records in collecting variables, while spatial data are collected and published according to the administrative and statistical divisions in the emirate.
Census Methodology
The Department pointed out that the census process it conducts depends on the use of the actual census method, by counting people according to their whereabouts at the time of the census, whether they are habitually residing in this place or they happen to be there on the night of the counting.
The theoretical census method, which relies on counting people according to their usual place of residence, regardless of where they are on the night of the count, can also be used, because it is necessary to provide comprehensive data on the citizens of the Emirate of Sharjah and their characteristics.
Census scenario
Regarding the methods of data collection, the Department pointed out that it is going through several stages, including a comprehensive inventory, where all models whose coordinates have been determined are visited in office on aerial photographs to count all buildings, residences, facilities and families, with the possibility of adding buildings in the field.
The Department pointed out that after the comprehensive counting stage, the census goes through the “self-count” stage, during which all residents of the Emirate are targeted, and is completed in the subsequent phase by targeting individuals and families who did not respond to the self-count, as they will be targeted in the field counting stage through special visits, and a group of call center researchers is allocated to receive calls from the Emirate’s community in case they are unable to complete the self-count form.
Census Data
The population census includes the collection of statistical data related to the number of the population and their demographic, social and economic characteristics, in addition to data on buildings and establishments, their condition and characteristics, and the determination of their geographical locations according to administrative and statistical divisions, the type of activity, the legal form, the licensing destination, the status of practicing activities therein, and determining their size according to the number of employees and their nationalities.
Community Outreach
Commenting on the “Sharjah Census 2022” project, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Humaid Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Department of Statistics and Community Development, stressed the Department’s efforts to enhance the community’s awareness of the importance of the census, in order to ensure their response and provide census delegates with the correct data and information, pointing out that the census provides decision-makers with the necessary opportunity to know the changes that have occurred in the demographics of the emirate, and to list the categories sponsored by the government of Sharjah, which in turn contributes to strengthening support plans and policies for all groups.
He said: “In every census, we emphasize that the personal data of individuals and establishments are confidential information, and they are only used for statistical or developmental purposes, and they are not shared with any other entities, as stipulated in the Law Regulating the Objectives, Powers and Competencies of the Department of Statistics and Community Development, and this is what we seek to confirm through the census slogan, through which we urge everyone to treat the census as an added value for various segments of society and all residents of Sharjah.”
Integrated system
For his part, H.E. Sheikh Sultan bin Abdullah bin Salem Al Qasimi, Director of the Department of Statistics and Community Development, said: “Sharjah has an integrated system of advanced statistical applications and services, with a strong infrastructure that supports the accuracy of the statistical results of the population census, and includes an advanced platform for data collection, auditing and preservation, through which work teams and users can be managed and follow up on their achievement reports.
He added: “The success of the census is also based on qualified national cadres to manage and implement the census, in accordance with international recommendations and approved methodologies, and in order to ensure that the skills of statistics staff in Sharjah keep pace with the latest global developments in this sector, we are continuously working to train them intensively on the use of systems and communication with families and establishments, in addition to supporting them through community media awareness, which ensures the cooperation of various target groups.”
