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General census

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General census  (GENERAL census)


Population censuses1 are taken to obtain information about the state of the population (201-5) at a given time. Most frequently all inhabitants of a particular country are counted simultaneously: the census is then called a general census2. Occasionally, however, only a section of the population is counted, e. g. persons of European descent, or inhabitants of a given area; in which case the census is called a partial census3. The term "census", however, denotes that there is complete coverage4 of the population, i. e., that every member of the population concerned is counted. In this sense partial censuses differ from sample surveys5 (cf. para. 160). Censuses or surveys are sometimes preceded by pre-tests6 or pilot surveys6.

  • 1. census n. — censal adj. The inter-censal period is the time elapsing between two censuses.
  • 4. complete adj. — completeness n.
  • 5. The term sample census has occasionally been used for a sample survey in which the sample was very large, but this usage is not recommended.


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