[May 02, 2010] Cooperation key to Census 2010 accuracy Tweet May 02, 2010 (Cayman Net News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The Cayman community got involved in the official launch of Census 2010 for Grand Cayman last week, with schoolchildren singing the National Song and "10-10-10," the census jingle, and the Hon Premier McKeeva Bush urging residents to "give full support and cooperation," to the census enumerators. "We cannot plan for the people of these islands if we do not know you are there," he told the large gathering at the Mary Miller Hall on 29 April. Census Day this year is 10 October, with all residents counted between the months of October and November. The launch began with a prayer from Pastor Felix Manzanares, followed by the National Anthem and then the National Song, sung by Red Bay Primary School Students. Financial Secretary Kenneth Jefferson took the opportunity to dispel any misinformation about the purpose of the census, explaining that it will not be used to facilitate the introduction of any new taxes. The census is designed to provide statistics on the residents of a country, for the purpose of planning and managing resources. Generally a census is taken every 10 years, but the last one in the Cayman Islands was in 1999. Enumerators from the Economics and Statistics Office will visit households to conduct interview with residents and complete the questionnaires, as required by the Cayman Islands Statistics Law. A "resident" is defined as anyone living in Cayman for at least six months, or having intentions to stay for at least six months. The 2010 Census will provide updated information on the population count, as well as such characteristics as age group, gender, nationality, employment and education level. Housing characteristics will also be recorded. The information will be used for developing government agency programmes. Activities that rely on census data include: -- Developing offices, commercial and industrial buildings -- Determining housing needs, schools, and health and recreation facilities -- Developing roads, telecommunications and other infrastructure. Everyone in the household age 18 or older will be interviewed during the census. If this is not possible, a responsible household member who can provide the information on all members will be interviewed. During last week's launch, the confidential nature of the information gathered during the census was stressed. Statistics Law protects the confidentiality of census interviews, and no names are entered or kept in the census database. The Statistics Law limits the exclusive and confidential use of individual census responses to the Economics and Statistics Office. The Statistics Law prohibits the ESO from disclosing any statistics relating to any identifiable person. To guarantee confidentiality, no names are entered or kept in the census database. Premier Bush said that the rapid development of the Cayman Islands from "a group of isolated fishing villages," to something more resembling a "micro state", made the census vital. "Ultimately we cannot continue to grow without thought to the consequences or weighing comparative benefits," he said. "The information collected will be a valuable commodity...as a country we must plan, and all of us must have a hand in that planning," he said. HE the Governor Duncan Taylor said that in the first Cayman census, taken more than 200 years ago, there were about 900 people counted in the Cayman Islands. At the end, potential enumerators, who will be carefully selected and fully trained, signed up. The government expects to have more than 250 enumerators by Census Day. To see more of the Cayman Net News or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.caymannetnews.com/. Copyright (c) 2010, Cayman Net News, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]