Every person in Kazakhstan is important! Under this slogan, the country will carry out the census in a new way this year. Digital technologies will be assisting specialists. For example, this year Kazakh citizens will be given a possibility to fill out the questionnaire themselves online. For this, the website sanaq.gov.kz will start working from September. Accountants will begin to do rounds in October. A special call center 1446 will work during the census as well. In addition, respondents will be able to ask questions or for advice on the official website of the statistics bureau, director’s blog and through social media. Another innovation is the use of electronic tablets by census-takers. According to experts, this will minimize the influence of the human factor on the quality of data and increase the level of reliability of information obtained during the census.
“The system will be available round-the-clock. Respondents can choose any time convenient for them to take part in the census. The website will also give an opportunity to stop filling out the form and resume its subsequent filling. Moreover, the websites of e-government egov.kz and sanaq.gov.kz will post a special tab, through which it will be possible to take part in the census using an electronic digital signature. In addition, residents will be able to take part in the national census via the Aitu mobile application,” said Assem Aldangarkyzy, Press Secretary of the Bureau of National Statistics.
The census will have new questions this year. Specialists will also ask about migration, employment, and language skills. If in 2009 there were 73 questions, now their number increased to 87. The questionnaire also includes a topic recommended by the Washington Group on Disability Statistics of the United Nations to take into account the number of people with disabilities.
Translation by Saniya Sakenova
Editing by Galiya Khassenkhanova
