General Population and Housing Censuses

Summary

The population and housing census collects information on persons usually residing in each municipality, thus providing an overview of the demographic and social structure of Italy and its territories. 9 October 2011 is the reference date for the 15th Italian General Population and Housing Census. This census has benefited from a number of methodological and technical innovations intended to simplify field organization, improve administrative data, ensure on-time data dissemination and reduce the burden on respondents. Compared to 2001, questionnaires were mailed out to all the households included in municipal registers. For the first time, respondents had the option of returning questionnaires online, by mail, or by delivery to municipal collection offices. Another new feature was the collection of some socio-economic data from a sample of households only. This was accomplished by the use of two questionnaires: a short form, including a few questions necessary to comply with EU Regulations, and a long form, containing all the topics planned in the enumeration programme. Questionnaires were carried out to face national and international requirements and the new census methodology, ensure international comparability, meet user needs and guarantee the continuity of various time series.

Type of data

Data Source
Survey

Type of Study
Other: Census

Data gathering method
Face-to-face

Access to data

Conditions of access
NA

Type of available data (e.g. anonymised microdata, aggregated tables, etc.)
Aggregate tables.

Formats available
Excel, csv.

Coverage

Coverage Years of collection, reference years, and sample sizes
Sample size: the entire population

First year of collection
1861

Stratification if applicable
NA

Base used for sampling

Geographical coverage and breakdowns
Italy

Age range
There are no age restrictions

Statistical representativeness
Population representative

Coverage of main and cross-cutting topics
NA

Linkage

Standardisation
NA

Possibility of linkage among databases
NA

Data quality

Entry errors if applicable
NA

Breaks
NA

Consistency of terminology or coding used during collection
NA

Governance

Contact information
Giuseppe Sindoni
ISTAT
Via Cesare Balbo 16
00184 Rome Italy Phone: Tel. +39 06 46731
Email: giuseppe.sindoni(at)istat.it
Url: http://dati.istat.it/Index.aspx

Timeliness, transparency
Every 10 years