Researchers will collect demographic, economic and social data at municipal level, to assist in policy evaluation and monitoring. The survey will focus, among other issues, on employment and unemployment levels, the extent of poor households and access to facilities and services.
Statistics SA (Stats SA) plans to publish the results of the survey by October.
Until recently, South Africa collected census information every five years, but the magnitude of carrying out censuses - which count every household in the country - weighed heavily on the capacity of Stats SA and Cabinet subsequently decided to have a census once a decade.
Manuel, speaking at the launch of the survey in Pretoria, noted that only an “elite” group of countries could afford to conduct a census every five years and South Africa, which was still “collecting basic information”, had to continue gathering information between censuses. If successful, South Africa would consider conducting the community survey every five years.
A complete census would have cost the country R2-billion, statistician-general Pali Lehohla added.
Community Survey 2007 would be used to build human, management and logistical capacities for Census 2011. “The money we spend now is not lost,” he noted.
Lehohla reported that a total of 284 000 households in 17 098 enumeration areas had been selected to participate in the survey over a period of three weeks - from February 7 to February 28. Some 5 800 fieldworkers would be employed during the period to visit households and to conduct interviews with respondents.
He said that the fieldworkers would be clearly identifiable as Stats SA officials and added that every Stats SA official was sworn to uphold the confidentiality of the collected data.
In addition, Manuel said that the South African Revenue Service would not have access to the detailed information.
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