The most important wealth of any state is people, and any wealth must be taken into account. Therefore, a population census is an account of the country's resources. Let's talk about who first came up with the idea of enumerating people, about what are the principles and methods of conducting censuses, what is their history and future in Russia.
Census concept
Each specific territory depends on its inhabitants. They provide her income, but also require appropriate expenses. To correctly plan the economic support of a country, region, city, you need to know how many people live in them. For this, there is a census. This is a specially organized procedure for registering the number of inhabitants. The census also reveals the qualitative characteristics of the population, which is important for the management of infrastructure and the activities of the region.
World Census History
Many ancient empires conducted the first censuses in order to levy taxes on residents, as well as to plan military draft. Rulers should know the amount of projected financial income from each person, and for this, first of all, the male population was calculated. Heads of families were taxed, just like men were drafted into the army, so the calculation of the number of individuals of the stronger sex was the main thing during the first censuses. In ancient Rome, censuses were made regular, sometimes there was a “study” of a wider level: coins of different denominations were collected from each inhabitant of the country, depending on gender and age. Counting the collected coins allowed us to draw conclusions about the qualitative characteristics of the population. In the Middle Ages, the tradition of writing in scribe books the amount of taxes collected from certain people continued. But the accumulated knowledge about the number of inhabitants was rather scarce. For rulers in those days, it was important to know only the number of households. With the growth of industrial production and the detachment of people from peasant farms, more detailed information on the number and characteristics of the population became in demand. Censuses are becoming more regular and with more coverage. The development of statistics and sociology leads to the fact that in the 19th century censuses begin to be conducted on a scientific basis. The first census of a new type is considered the Belgian census of 1846. It covered the entire population of the country. Gradually, this experience spread to all countries. Today in the world there is not a single country where at least once a census has not been conducted.
The history of censuses in Russia
In the 9-10 centuries, Russian princes also carried out registration of residents by collecting taxes. In the 13th century, the Mongols who captured the Russian lands initiated the accounting of households in order to calculate the amount of taxes that they levied on the occupied territories. After the unification of the Russian principalities around Moscow, the practice of conducting scribe books was introduced, in which the number of people, villages, cities was recorded. Then taxes were taken depending on the size of land owned by the farm. Later introduced the courtyard lodge, each yard was recorded in special books. Regular censuses in Russia begin in the 17th century; they are carried out approximately once every 30 years. Under Peter the Great, the procedure for conducting state audits was introduced, during which the number of men in the country was calculated every 20 years. Census of the population over the years has become a common practice; it allowed us to make some forecasts and identify patterns. These estimates were not accurate, since they were based on fixing only those residents who were attributed to taxes. The people were afraid of such revisions, since they were accompanied by forcible restraint of people at the place of registration, many also did not want to pay taxes and tried to avoid the census so as not to pay them. After the abolition of serfdom, attempts were made to count the inhabitants of the country, but it was not possible to collect accurate information. The first general census, in which women and children were counted, took place only in 1897. This census was carried out immediately on three grounds and made it possible to most fully estimate the population. People were not only counted, but also assigned to different categories, asking 14 different questions. Processing census data and publishing the results took several years.
Soviet censuses
After the revolution, the new authorities also decided to conduct a census, realizing its importance for the state. In 1920, it was decided to simultaneously conduct a population census, an agricultural census and compile a register of enterprises. Since military operations were still ongoing in some territories, the census was not recognized as universal. To conduct it, a questionnaire with 18 signs was used, of particular interest to the new government was the education and occupation of citizens. As the territories were liberated, additional polls were conducted, and the final results were presented in 1921, according to which it turned out that 136.6 million people live in the country, 15% of them in cities, that is, Russia was an absolutely agrarian state.
In subsequent years, censuses in Russia were carried out at intervals of approximately 10 years. In 1937, another “roll call” of the people was held. And it turned out that, contrary to the expectations of the party, the population fell and, apparently, significantly, because the results were classified. And in 1939 a new census was conducted. Later, the procedures for counting the number of inhabitants in the country ceased to be of great importance, and censuses were conducted less frequently. In total, during the existence of the USSR, 7 censuses were conducted, the last in 1989, according to which 286.7 million people lived in the country.
Censuses of New Russia
With the collapse of the USSR, the new country had many problems, in particular, of an economic nature, and the government simply did not get their hands on counting the number of inhabitants. The first census took place in 2002, which showed that 145 million people live in Russia. The next census of 2010 was more carefully prepared and revealed not only the number of inhabitants, but also qualitative characteristics of the population. According to these estimates, 142 million people live in Russia. In 2014, after the annexation of Crimea, a local census was conducted in the new territories, which showed that the population of the country increased by 2.2 million people.
Goals and objectives of the censuses
A census is a complex and costly procedure, why is it needed? The main goal of the census is to obtain generalized, integrated data on the demographic, economic and social characteristics of the population. Regular population surveys make it possible to identify the dynamics of demographic indicators, to find out the level and quality of life of people. Based on these data, the government makes decisions in the field of social policy, makes economic forecasts and draws up development plans for the country. For these purposes, both general and partial surveys can be carried out, for example, the 2016 agricultural census. The objectives of such studies are to assess the state of individual segments of the economy and society. The censuses have another important function - historical, they document the state of the country at some point, are a kind of chronicle.
Types of censuses
From the point of strict scientific terminology, the census is a general survey of the population. But in practice, there are several options for these procedures. According to the principle of obtaining data, censuses are distinguished when information is filled out according to the words of the person being examined, and one-time accounting, when data about people are taken from various registration forms, for example, personal files in passport offices. According to the object of study, general and partial censuses can be distinguished, aimed at assessing a specific segment. For example, the 2016 agricultural census will be partial, and censuses of entrepreneurs are also periodically conducted. A variant of the census are also forms of statistical accounting, which are submitted by various bodies, for example social committees. provision of educational or medical facilities.
Principles of
A census is a collection of information organized according to special rules and principles. There are several conditions that make the census representative and reliable and allow obtaining objective information. The census should be:
- Universal, that is, cover all categories of the population. Traditionally, three groups of residents are included in the census: the present population, that is, the one that is currently located in the territory, the legal population, that is, fixed by some documents at this place, the permanent one, that lives in one place more than 6 months.
- Simultaneous - the procedure should be carried out as soon as possible in order to cover the so-called moment of counting and not allow counting people in several places at the same time.
- programmed. The census is carried out according to a clear, carefully designed program, which allows you to get uniform and reliable information.
- by name. During the census, it is necessary to interview each person separately.
- Personal. During the census, data about a person is received only with his personal answers to questions.
Also, the census should be centralized, take place periodically and maintain confidentiality of information.
Methods
There are several ways to determine the population. The population census is most often carried out by the expeditionary method, that is, a specially trained person leaves the house to the respondents with questionnaires and fills them out according to the people. There is also an interrogation method, when respondents are sent a questionnaire, which they fill out personally and return to the place of information collection. Another census method is explicit. In this case, respondents come to specially equipped points, and there they answer the questionnaire.
2016 Agricultural Census
Once every 10 years in Russia a specific census is carried out - agricultural. It is aimed at counting the number of people living in rural areas and engaged in various types of agricultural labor. The 2016 planned agricultural census will cover not only individuals living in villages, but also owners of private farms, farmers, gardeners, individual entrepreneurs in the village. The purpose of this event is to collect information about the real situation in the agricultural sector of the country.
