Census in Switzerland
The first census in Switzerland took place in March 1850 under the direction of Federal Councilor Stefano Franscini . In addition to the population survey, questions were asked about gender, age, marital status, occupation, trade and denomination of the inhabitants. Between 1860 and 2000, a census took place every ten years in December . This ten-year cycle was deviated from only twice: in the census of 1888 (preferred as a basis for the revision of the constituency division) and in the census of 1941 ( postponed by a year as a result of the second mobilization of the army in May 1940). The census in 2000 was last carried out using the conventional method. Since 2010, the census has been carried out and evaluated annually and in a new form by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). In order to relieve the population, the information is primarily taken from the residents' registers and supplemented with sample surveys. Only a small part (approx. 5%) of the population is interviewed in writing or by telephone. The first cut-off date for the new census was December 31, 2010.
The new census
The new census is mainly based on a register survey, which evaluates existing administrative data. For this purpose, the FSO uses the cantonal and communal registers of residents, the federal registers of persons and the federal register of buildings and apartments. Information that is not kept in any register must be obtained using additional sample surveys (structure survey, thematic surveys, omnibus survey).
Register survey
The register survey provides basic information on the entire population. It provides results on the stock and structure of the population and households as well as residential buildings and apartments. The results are available every year at the end of August (population statistics, building and housing statistics) or at the beginning of the year following the survey (household statistics, housing conditions).
Structural survey
From 2010 onwards, 200,000 people (around 2.5% of the population) will be surveyed in writing for the structural survey. Cantons and cities can enlarge the sample for their area. The survey provides additional statistics on the structure of the population (language, religion, migration, level of education) and thus supplements the information in the registers. In order to obtain statistical results for the entire population aged 15 and over, the information recorded in the survey is extrapolated. The results are estimates with a certain degree of inaccuracy. The accuracy of these estimates depends on a number of factors; such as the size and structure of the sample and the willingness of the respondents to answer the questions ( response rate ). In order to increase the accuracy of the results, surveys from different years can be cumulated (pooling).
Thematic surveys
In the thematic surveys, 10,000 or 40,000 people are interviewed annually on one of a total of five topics. With the statistics of these surveys, the information from the structural survey can be significantly deepened. The first results are available one year after the end of the survey.
omnibus
Omnibus surveys are surveys on current topics with 3000 people to quickly answer current political or scientific questions. The results are available around six months after the survey.
Sources and individual references
- ↑ Federal Statistical Office (FSO), structural survey, profile ( memo from November 16, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Federal Statistical Office: Methodological basis for research and regional partners: Accuracy of the results and cumulative data / pooling . June 11, 2020.
- ↑ 2010: Mobility and Transport; 2011: training and further education; 2012: Health; 2013: families and generations; 2014: language, religion and culture; 2015: again mobility and traffic
- ↑ Federal Statistical Office (FSO), Omnibus 2011: Multi-topic survey on life in Switzerland, profile ( Memento from November 16, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ 2010: Internet use; 2011: People, the environment and physical activity