The census presents a picture of Japan's population and household composition, and is utilized in a wide range of areas from government policy to the private sector. It is important for the government to inform the public of the significance of this survey and keep it highly accurate.
The census is held every five years, and will be conducted this autumn. It will ask every household in Japan to provide such information as the gender, employment status, and school location of all its members, including foreign nationals. This year marks the centennial of Japan's first census, which was conducted in 1920.
The population based on the census is called the "legal population" and is used to review the zoning of single-seat constituencies for the House of Representatives. The census can be described as statistics that are linked to the fundamentals of democracy.
Census data has become the basis for calculating tax grants to local governments and for the central and local governments' compilation of social security policies and disaster prevention plans. It also helps private companies forecast demand for products and services, and plan locations for stores and factories.
Despite its importance, the census now faces challenges. Due to a shortage of actual census takers, there are concerns about a decline in its accuracy.
The novel coronavirus has spurred a shortage of would-be census takers amid the aging of society. People either declined or became reluctant to perform the task due to fears of infection, and the target of 700,000 census takers may not be realized.
In the past, it was the rule to distribute questionnaires by hand and revisit households if they were away or census takers could not obtain a response from them. As face-to-face interviews are currently difficult, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry plans to shift its focus to a "non-contact style."
Depending on the situation in each community, census takers will be allowed to provide explanations through intercoms or drop questionnaires into a mailbox if residents are away. The ministry also plans to extend the period for distributing and collecting the questionnaires.
The internet response rate was about 37% in the previous census, but this time, the ministry has set a target of 50%. Increasing the number of responses collected via the internet and by mail is expected to reduce the burden on census takers and minimize the impact of the coronavirus disaster.
Low response rates in urban areas, as well as among young people, are also a problem. In the previous census, responses obtained from talking to the neighbors of target residents accounted for over 10% of the total for the first time, because census takers could not obtain their responses on time. This figure was 30% in Tokyo.
In addition to a lack of awareness about the significance of the census, not a few people today react negatively to visits by strangers. This attitude probably stems from rising demand for privacy and wariness about unscrupulous door-to-door sales and crime.
The ministry is seeking cooperation from universities and companies to encourage young or single people to get involved. The ministry is urged to lay the foundation for continuing the census in the future.
-- The original Japanese article appeared in The Yomiuri Shimbun on July 27, 2020.
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