2018 Census - what happened?
Thursday, 11 October 2018
The 2018 Census had the lowest response in more than 50 years - now a team is looking for answers.
Statistics NZ had urged Kiwis to complete their census online in 2018, however one in ten people didn't respond, a drop of five per cent from the last census that concerned Statistics Minister James Shaw.
An independent review will be conducted by New Zealand management consultant Murray Jack and Canadian census expert Connie Graziadei, Stats NZ said on Wednesday.
The government agency wanted to know what caused the lower than expected participation, and a final report from the review is scheduled to be delivered by July 2019.
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'We want to know what worked well and what did not work well, and why,' Government Statistician Liz MacPherson said.
'We need to be clear about what we should have done better … We know how important census information is for decision-makers across New Zealand, and so it is vital that we maintain public trust and confidence in the census.
'I'm determined to do that, and the independent review, as well as the external data quality panel, announced in early September, are key steps on the way,'
The review will also consider the 'design, implementation, and operation of the 2018 Census, with a focus on participation in and the coverage of the census'.
McPherson has previously admitted Stats NZ 'didn't get everything right'.
'We built new systems and processes to run this census, and while the majority of New Zealanders were able to take part without a hitch, we know that some people did not have a good experience this year,' she said in June.
'I have had mixed feedback from people. For some it was the easiest census ever; for others it was more frustrating.'
When Stuff asked Stats NZ in July what went wrong, it did not answer the question but instead said: 'We're pleased with the online response and performance of the online system for 2018 census. Eighty two per cent of responses received were online which surpasses our target of 70 per cent.'
It also pointed to the review as a way to identify what needed to be improved on.
A census is always reviewed internally by Stats NZ. The external, independent review reflected its 'determination to learn the lessons of the 2018 Census', it said.
REVIEWERS
Jack was an independent director and advisor with over 25 years of experience consulting for corporates and government agencies and had carried out other independent reviews for ministers and government agencies, Stats NZ said.
Graziadei recently retired as the assistant chief statistician in the census, operations and communications field at Statistics Canada.
She led Canada to its most successful census ever in 2016, Stats NZ said.
Stats NZ also set up an independent panel of data and statistics experts to assess the census results.
The aim was to give confidence in the results.
That panel met for the first time in late August and would 'provide independent advice to the Government Statistician about whether the methodologies used to produce information from the 2018 Census of Population and Dwellings are based upon sound research and a strong evidence base'.
COST
Stats NZ said the total cost was yet to be confirmed but the review was estimated to be about $500,000.
'This includes two independent reviewers, plus a small secretariat to support the review over six to nine months. This should be seen in the context of the $120 million budget for the Census.'
The results review panel budget was $85,000.
STILL CONFIDENT
In July, Stats NZ was still confident the 2018 census would deliver reliable data.
Despite the lower response rate, it would 'produce a high-quality dataset by making use of reliable government data to fill in gaps,' deputy government statistician Denise McGregor said.
That method had been used by Stats NZ to fill in census gaps since 2001.
Other national statistics organisations around the world did the same, Stats NZ said.
Stats NZ now says it: 'continues to work toward producing robust data from the 2018 Census, making use of reliable government data to fill the gaps. That work continues, with the help of the recently appointed expert data quality panel.'