Stats SA provided a further update on the very late release dates for the 2022 census figures. Now, more than 2-years after the completion of the study. Stats SA have still not released all the data and have now made the decision not to release 5 large segments of the census data due to irregularities and uncertainty of the accuracy of the data.
Accordingly, the following variables or segments will be completely excluded from the census 2022:
- Income: The income variable is one of the most sensitive questions asked in a census. The Census 2022 data quality evaluation showed reporting-related biases due to the high occurrence of unspecified responses, and the variable has thus been excluded.
- Water interruptions longer than two consecutive days: The estimates derived from the question were unreliable due to poor responses, hence this variable is excluded. The General Household Survey continues to provide information on water interruptions.
- Labour module: Following extensive analysis of labour data, it has been decided that the labour module data from the Census 2022 will not be released to the public, as the estimates were characterised by reporting and coverage biases. The Quarterly Labour Force Survey continues to provide official labour-related estimates.
- Demography themes: A data evaluation exercise on the two demography themes, Mortality and Fertility, showed that estimates were characterised by reporting and coverage biases, so these themes have been excluded. Further data confrontation will be conducted after the 2022 mortality and cause of death data is released.
- Agricultural households: Tabulations on basic indicators will be generated and published separately at the local municipality level.
According to the South African Parliamentary Monitoring Group, The South African 2022 census is estimated to have cost around R3. 2 billion, which included a new digital portal for data capture, and the question of data accuracy that affects multiple aspects of government planning, infrastructure development and budget allocations persists, despite assurances from Stats Sa that they believe that the data is reliable.
Census 2022 10% Sample Release date
The Census 2022 10% Sample, is one of many Census products that are disseminated to the public in the second dissemination phase. Census 2022 micro-data were sampled from the latest census to cater to the data needs of academia, research institutions, NGOs, planners, and policymakers, as has been the practice for the last three censuses. The Census 2022 10% Sample data will according to Stats SA now be released at the end of August 2024.
Academics and Statisticians have regularly expressed their concerns about the Census 2022 accuracy with Professors Tom Moultrie and Rob Dorrington stating in a recent report that, “ The 2022 South African census set an undesirable record: it is the census with the highest undercount among those where the undercount is measured and reported by the United Nations Population Division. The reported undercount of 31% is some 10 percentage points higher than the previous highest notified undercount (in Comoros in 2017).
The question remains, if the data will be reliable enough to base serious policy making decision on or if the whole of Census 2022 should be shelved and alternative data sought that will better suit the African Economic Giant’s purposes.
