2021 Census Proceeds To 2nd Phase

The Census & Statistics Department said that the 2021 Population Census will start the face-to-face interviewing phase from tomorrow until August 4.

Census officers, working in pairs, will visit households that have yet to submit the completed questionnaires to collect the required information.

Commissioner for Census & Statistics Marion Chan reported that as of July 16, around 1.63 million households have completed the questionnaires.

She appealed to households that have received the notification letters from the department to participate in the census by completing their questionnaires through online or telephone means as soon as possible to reduce face-to-face contact.

Those who have received paper questionnaires may also return the completed questionnaires to the department by post.

The census officers will not visit those households that have submitted the questionnaires.

For some households including those without a clearly identifiable postal address who may not have received a notification letter by post earlier, the department will arrange census officers to visit them to deliver the notification letters directly and conduct face-to-face interviews.

Forty-four field centres have been set up for the census in various districts. Ms Chan visited the one in Wan Chai today to learn more about the census officers' work and give them encouragement.

She also called for the public's support for the census and co-operation with the census officers.

The census officers will normally visit households between 1pm to 10pm from Monday to Sunday. They will wear a purple T-shirt uniform with a 2021 Population Census badge and carry a red satchel with the census logo. They will also identify themselves with a census officer identity certificate issued by the department.

People may make a prior appointment for a face-to-face interview by calling the census hotline at 18 2021, and should check the census officers' identity carefully before admitting them to the premises or providing data.

Ms Chan stressed that data of individuals and households collected would be kept strictly confidential. Such information would only be used for compiling statistics but not for other purposes.

All census officers also signed a declaration not to disclose to unauthorised people any information that they have in the course of their duties.