Unease growing over STATIN's silence on census

Questions are being raised about the silence of the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) on the steps being taken to complete the 2022 Population and Housing Census, amid a disclosure of “under coverage” by Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke.

STATIN, the agency responsible for oversight of the national survey, has not updated the country on its progress since last year.

Susan Goffe, public commentator and former chairman of human rights lobby Jamaicans for Justice, says Jamaicans are entitled to all information concerning the processes of government, calling it a fundamental and basic place to start.

Goffe said there must be full disclosure from STATIN on what was the original plan for the census, what has occurred since that time, the reason behind the current status and what are the strategies, mechanisms and methodologies to be used to complete the process.

Noting that there has been a seeming shift from what Jamaicans were led to expect, she said anything outside of a detailed update is unsatisfactory.

She said significant emphasis was placed on the exercise but held that vast numbers of people have reported and raised concerns about not being contacted by a census worker. The same is true for family members and friends, she said.

“I don’t think that it is sufficient for us to get some sort of superficial explanation; a pat on the head to say, ‘don’t worry about it, we’re managing it’ because at this point we haven’t been counted,” Goffe said.

“How will the planning take place in absence of the very thing that was stressed to us was essential? That we must allow ourselves to be counted because this is part of how the country plans,” Goffe told The Gleaner.

n a 2021 United Nations Demographic Observatory, which looked at the impact of COVID-19 on population and housing censuses for Latin America and the Caribbean, Jamaica indicated that it had to stop or postpone preparatory activities related to its pilot census, procurement processes and training of census workers.

Additionally, funding constraints/limitations were noted.

It also stated that the initial census reference date was April 5, 2021, but indicated that this was postponed to 2022 or beyond.

Data collection for the census, which is the country’s 15th, began in September 2022.

The UN report stated Jamaica, as a result of the postponement, pivoted to web-based data collection interview as a method.

Three weeks ago, the finance minister told the country that STATIN had passed the data collection phase and was in the process of analysing that data.

For the under coverage, he said several resignations, a tight labour market, privacy concerns and challenges from COVID-19 affected the Census but noted that methods recommended by the UN will be employed to fill the gaps. Those methods have not been disclosed by STATIN.

Further, Opposition Spokesman on Finance Julian Robinson has concluded that the exercise has failed, noting that the Government spent $4 billion with fewer than one million people counted.

Calling for a breakdown on how the sum was spent, Goffe questioned whether taxpayers received value for money.

“What was the money spent on? How are we going to get the planned value for what has been spent? I think it is completely unsatisfactory for us to sort of be hanging here in the dark… . If the figure given by Member of Parliament Robinson is accurate, then we need an explanation,” she said.

Civil society advocate Carol Narcisse wants STATIN to share comprehensive details with the public to ensure a better understanding of what is occurring.

She said the public must be told what the gaps are and what will be used to fill those gaps.

“It can’t be a wasted exercise. We can’t abandon the process. So, what are our methods for getting the quality data that we need? There needs to be an ongoing explanation so that there can be confidence in the data once it comes out,” said Narcisse.

kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com