Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 25, 2022 (SKNIS): The Department of Statistics in the Ministry of Sustainable Development, held an open day on Friday, March 25, to further educate the general public on the upcoming Population and Housing Census which is scheduled to be rolled out in April 2022.
“Today, we are hosting an open day. It is really another activity in our drive for awareness of the Census that should be rolled out next month. It is really another event where we are trying to enlighten the general public that we are going to be out there to give them all the information that they want, answer all the questions so that we don’t have anybody not wanting to answer because of lack of information,” said Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Mrs. Elreter Simpson-Browne.
PS Simpson-Browne noted that the department had a very comprehensive plan on bringing awareness to the general public but it was scaled down due to COVID-19. She added that the aim was to target all the non-governmental organizations (NGOs), churches and especially schools … “because we believe that when the children know and understand what is happening they can help us” to encourage their parents and or guardians to actively participate in the Census.
Mrs. Simpson-Browne appealed to every citizen and resident to do his or her part in the 2021 Population and Housing Census.
“Please comply and answer our enumerators when they come to you. Remember that the information they give to you is strictly confidential and the information collected will be extremely important for all sectors to create a better standard of living for persons in St. Kitts and Nevis,” she said.
Director of Statistics, Carlton Phipps, said the turnout started out slow but picked up over time as people grew eager to learn more about the Census.
“We do encourage people to continue, even [after] this, and continue to reach out to us. Any questions, queries or concerns about the Census we are ready and able to answer,” said Mr. Phipps. “I invite one and all to listen in, stay tuned, you will hear more of us on social media, radio and TV as much as possible. We will be talking about the Census because ‘It’s Me, You, Us… 2021 Census’.”
In addition to the open day, a Population and Housing Census informational booth will be located in downtown Basseterre on Friday, April 01. An island drive is slated for April 02, 2022, where staff from the Department of Statistics will provide information about the Census and reach out to the general public encouraging them to participate.
The Census is to gather information about the general population to present a full and reliable picture of the population in the country – its housing conditions and demographic, social and economic characteristics. The information collected includes data on age, gender, country of origin, year of immigration, marital status, housing conditions, marriage, number of children, education, employment, travel habits, etc.
