‘Green’ Census Launched, 100 Enumerators given E-Power

By Dana Malcolm

Staff writer 

#TurksandCaicos, April 13, 2023 – The first ‘green’ census in Turks and Caicos history is set to start in the coming months after being launched on April 13th.

Going almost entirely paperless hence the ‘green’ label the long-awaited census will be performed on specialized tablets which the enumerators will carry and which will make data collation more reliable, saving information almost instantly explained Athenee Harvey-Basden, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Investment and Trade.

“The process will be made even more effective by immediately uploading all the information and data collected to the cloud after it is finished. The 2023 census will therefore make a positive impact on the environment,” she said

The Computer Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI) will also lessen the chance of a repeat of the 2012 census, where information was lost and therefore only partially shared with the public; the CAPI process also streamlines the process.

At the launch held at Grace Bay Club and carried live on Facebook, Sabrina Williams, Deputy Chief Statistician, explained: “In the past we would have to ship questionnaires to the various islands, and the supervisors would have to issue it to the interviewer who would collect data from the various households.” But that is a thing of the past, she says. “Now we can actually sit within our department and assign questionnaires to the supervisors. They can now use their laptops or desktops, and assign these questionnaires to their interviewers.  The interviewers go out into the field, collect the information and we can get real time information right there.”

CAPI also removes human error, creating built-in instructions that depend on the respondent allowing them only to answer the questions relevant to them. Also interesting, it allows for the collection of geolocation data, giving precise locations of each respondent.

For immigration, healthcare, infrastructure and as one speaker cheekily pointed out even relationship prospects the upcoming census of the Turks and Caicos is absolutely necessary. Gender, equality, food security, the elderly and Internet services are all parts of Turks and Caicos life which the census will inform and improve, Harvey-Basden says.

All persons in the country will be asked to participate reflecting the tagline: “Count me in!” as the country undertakes the exercise that will shape its laws and infrastructure plans for years to come. That specifically includes persons living in private dwellings throughout the eight inhabited islands, persons living in non-private dwellings, group dwellings, and institutions and persons studying abroad.

Residents will be counted at their usual place of residence. Unless they are absent or unable to participate, each member of the household will answer the questions of the Census directly.

Acting Governor, Anya Williams reiterated the value to good governance of the data collected with precision and honesty.

“We ask that the public be cooperative and provide true and accurate information to our census officials, this information is not being used to round up individuals or for immigration or other purposes.”

She promised it would be a safe exercise.