By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Census of Population and Housing will begin this month and end in June, with some 115,000 households targeted to be surveyed for the data collecting exercise.

Chief Census Officer Kim Saunders said this year’s census will take a digital format for the first time in the country’s history and is projected to cost some “$6m plus.”

She also reminded people that there will be three ways for individuals to complete the census questionnaire — online, by telephone and in person — and further encouraged all to participate.

“The information we obtain is used by policymakers for social outreach programmes.

“It also gives an idea to our planners and investors to the progress that our country is making,” she said at yesterday’ press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister.

“We are a developing country, so statistics and valuable data is very essential to our future… so be on the lookout for our census workers.”

Census data also helps to determine school zones, the location of housing developments, and helps the government make decisions about the allocation of public resources.

Ms Saunders said once the census has been completed, officials are hoping to have a preliminary report released by September.

She also revealed that Bahamians can expect a survey on the nation’s unemployment rate to be held “not too soon after the census.”

The Bahamas National Statistical Institute, formerly known as the Department of Statistics, has been conducting the census since 1970, which is held every ten years.

The census was scheduled to take place in 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, among other reasons.

Over 1,600 workers have been hired to assist with data collection for this year’s census.