Why Censuses?

Censuses help us all determine how many of us there are, where and how we live and at what level. Censuses provide data on population, its demographic, social and economic characteristics, on households and level of housing, on the housing fund’s/stock’s structure. These data are essential for the development and changes of the pension system, the education system, the health care system as well as for household and transport policies. Thus interconnected data cannot be obtained in any other way.

Using data from censuses enables municipalities and regions get access to financial resources from the state budget (calculation of share in revenues from several taxes) as well as from European sources (it is impossible to apply without having up-to-date data). They constitute a part of various studies and expertises. Information emerging from the census serves also as a basis for the redistributing of budget funds to regions and municipalities.

The 2011 census is a part of a worldwide program of Population and Housing Censuses coordinated by the United Nations. For the first time in history the Population Census will be done uniformly in all 27 member countries of the European Union; that will permit to create completely comparable data about the EU and its individual members.

Census will provide future generations a reflection of the time we are living in and also show what the past was like. Thanks to the results of historical census we now have a precise image of the way our ancestors lived – what the settlement was like, what families were like, how the housing fund changed, what the quality of living was like and how the social-economic distribution of the population developed.

The first population censuses date back until at least 6000 years ago, as evidenced by clay tablets found in ancient Babylon. Also conducted were the censuses in ancient China and Egypt, in the Roman Empire and in Middle Age.
Census will give a precise and detailed image of the period we are living in also for our descendants.

On the census is also based the population projection, i.e. prognosis of the expected number of future population. There is no need to worry about providing our individual data to anybody. The data are always processed in such a way that is not possible to identify a person, house or dwelling. By the census the whole is concerned, not individuals.

Census results are very important and serve as groundwork for decision-making in various sectors including territorial development, social policies, housing and transport etc. The results can support decision upon investment plans; entrepreneurs acknowledge the structure of current markets as well as potentially new markets with products and services. The results can be also helpful by the development of integrated rescue systems. They map the life of minorities and social groups needing state assistance or local administration help. Also scientific institutions and universities use the Census results. In terms of international environment the Census data are also very important source of information.

Please do not consider this as an attack on your personal rights but as an obligation to provide requested data by completing the Census forms, which is fixed by law in accordance with the Czech Republic’s liabilities resulting from the membership in the European Union. But above all you will help the whole society.