The objectives of Census changed over time shifting from earlier years where they were essentially household registrations and counts, to now where a national population census stands supreme as the most valuable single source of statistical data for the Fiji.
Census data is now widely used to evaluate:
- The availability of basic household needs in key sectors, to identify disadvantaged areas and help set priorities for action
plans;
- Benefits of development programmes in particular areas, such as literacy, employment and family planning;
The survey was conducted during December 2006, following an initial mini census listing exercise which was conducted about two months earlier in late September 2006.
The objectives of the HIES were as follows:
a) Provide information on income and expenditure distribution within the population;
b) Provide income estimates of the household sector for the national accounts;
c) Provide data for the re-base on the consumer price index;
d) Provide data for the analysis of poverty and hardship.
The purpose of the HIES survey is to obtain information on the income, consumption pattern and incidences of poverty for different groups of people in Samoa. This information will be used to guide policy makers in framing socio-economic developmental policies and in initiating financial measures for improving economic conditions of the people.
Some more specific outputs from the survey includes:
The 2013 Vanuatu Demographic and Health Survey (VDHS) is a national sample survey designed to provide information on population, family planning, maternal and child health, child survival, AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), reproductive health, nutrition, disability and child labour and child discipline in Vanuatu.