Solomon Islands Population and Housing Census 2009

OBJECTIVES

For making current administrative decisions and prepare longer term socio-economic development policies governments and private organisations need reliable up-to-date knowledge about available natural and human resources. In a country like Solomon Islands one of the most important statistical systems for obtaining the required socio-economic information is the population census. This does not only provide a numerical description of the population at a given census date - through comparison with previous census results - but also of the ongoing trends in a sustained and sustainable development of certain population characteristics such as changes in population growth, age composition, direction of mobility and levels of urbanisation, economic activities and educational status. Such knowledge may allow the development planner to devise policies that will stem the flow of trends considered not in line with development aims. Alternatively, trends considered fitting can be identified and fostered by the introduction of appropriate policies. The success thereof can then be assessed when a next census is held some ten years later.

By the end of the project it is expected:
1. To have provided basic information on population development indicators at a particularly point in time namely November 2009.
2. To have ensured the continuity of collection of demographic and socio-economic data so that comparison with the previous census is possible and population projections can be made.
3. To have strengthened the technical and managerial capability at national and regional level, for efficient data collection, processing, analysis and dissemination.

The results of the 2009 census will be required to:

a. help produce high-quality information for planning, decision-making, and monitoring of development progress in Solomon Islands. This implies very heavy data requirements and these requirements are continuously increasing, particularly towards development planning, implementation monitoring and evaluation of Government policies outlined in NERDEP and the current Medium Term Development Strategies.

b. The data from the Census will also be used for monitoring the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG's) and other goals included in the International Conference for Population & Development (ICPD).

c. check whether the population policies, which were put in place after the 1986 census on the basis of 1976-86 population trends and then as reviewed in the early 2000s in respect of the 1999 population trends, proved effective, and

d. Establish a new benchmark and a new set of post-1999 population trends on which to base a reconsideration of existing (population) policies in the framework of sustained and sustainable development.

e. Also, the results of this census will help facilitate updating of constituencies in preparation to the 2010 national election of Solomon Islands.

f. Further to these, the results of the census will provide a sample Frame from which further household capability surveys which include a household income expenditure in 2010/2011, a second demographic and health survey (DHS) 2011/2012 and a Labour Force Survey before the next census can be undertaken.

g. The 2009 census will also provide the much needed village level data on population, resources and infrastructure for government's bottom-up approach development policy initiative.

Version 2 - The data was cleaned and edited, and was the basis for some information releasee for Public. The final result will be accessible to the soon in 2012.

The Scope of the Solomon Islands 2009 Census covers the:

1. For all Persons
-Name
-Relationship
-sex,birth and age
-Ethnic and Citizenship
-Martal status and Relgion
-Place of birth and Residence

2. For all Persons 5 + (born in 2004 or before)
-Residence 5 years ago and Educational background
-Read and Write

3. For all Persons 12 + (born in 1997 or before)
-Work activities and Main occupation

4. For all Women 15 + (born in 1994 or before)
-Children - total birth ( alive or died)
-Date of birth and age

5. Household and Housing
-Living quarters and Materials
-drinking water,cooking and washing
-Toilet facility and rubbish disposal
-Lighting and cooking energy
-Housing tenure and Land Tenure
-Bednets and insecticide treated
-Durables
-Growing food,cash groups,livestock and fishing
-Source of Income ( Money/remittances)
-residents and died during last 12 months.

* Collection start: 2009
* Collection end: 2009