Measuring Migration In A Census - UNFPA
Measuring Migration in a CensusSelect Topics in International Censuses1Released February 2019INTRODUCTIONKEY CONCEPTS AND VARIABLESThe global significance of migration has increased markedly in the last few decades. Many migrants relocate withinthe boundaries of their own countries—often from rural tourban areas—while others cross one or more internationalboundary while migrating. Their motivations for migratingmay include economic, educational, or familial reasons; orthey may be forced to migrate due to natural disasters,war, or political conflicts such as in the case of refugees orinternally displaced persons.Achieving international data comparability requires thatNSOs work with the same concepts and definitions. Inthis section, we define and explain essential concepts forthe measurement, analysis, and tabulation of internal andinternational migration.Migration issues have gained prominence in the international and domestic agendas of many countries. Qualitydata on internal and international migration—alongwith fertility and mortality—are fundamental to prepareaccurate population estimates for planning purposes, toallocate resources, and to determine migration policies.Moreover, the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda provides a new global development framework for the yearsbetween 2015 and 2030. The 17 Sustainable DevelopmentGoals and 169 targets with their 244 indicators demonstrate the scale and ambition of this new universal agenda.Of the 244 indicators, 30 make reference to migration;24 require disaggregation by migration status; 5 concernmigration directly; and 1 indicator provides context regarding the density and distribution of health workers. Theinternational community agreed to address these datagaps by investing in more methodological work, more fullyutilizing existing data, and addressing the urgent need toenhance capacities of national statistical offices (NSOs).Migrant Stocks and FlowsBoth stocks and flows are important concepts in the analysis of migration. Typically, a stock of migrants is definedas the set of persons who have ever changed their placeof usual residence (be it a country, province, county, etc.).That is to say, persons who have spent at least 1 year oftheir lives in a place other than the one in which theylive at the time the data are gathered (United NationsStatistics Division, 1998) or, simply put, the total count ofmigrants present in a given country or political division ata particular point in time (Bilsborrow et al., 1997).Migration flows (i.e., inflows and outflows), on the otherhand, are also population counts, with the inflow being thenumber of migrants arriving in a given country or civil division (province, county, etc.) over the course of a specificperiod of time (usually a calendar year) and the outflowbeing the number of migrants departing from such areasover the same period (Bilsborrow et al., 1997).Migrant stocks represent a static measure, while flowsrepresent a dynamic measure of the migration process.For this reason, inflows and outflows are considerablymore difficult to track than stocks. This is particularly truewhen trying to measure migration flows with a census.This technical note is one in a series of “Select Topics in International Censuses” exploring matters of interest to the international statistical community.The U.S. Census Bureau helps countries improve their national statistical systems by engaging in capacity building to enhance statistical competencies insustainable ways.1
For example, if an immigrant arrived and departed severaltimes from the same country over a period of 10 years,how many moves are counted in the census for this individual—several or only one? Or, if the place of previousresidence question is used, how do multiple moves withina 1- or 5-year period get accounted for if respondents areonly asked about residence at two points in time? Finally, itwould not be possible to count migrants in a census if theyemigrated with their whole household.MigrationMigration consists of all the relatively permanent changesof residence into, out of, or within a given political divisionor administrative area. Typically, internal migration involvesthe crossing of one or more administrative divisions—suchas states, counties, or provinces, but it always occurswithin the boundaries of a given country. Conversely, thecrossing of an international boundary with the intention ofchanging residence is what defines international migration.Information on place of birth, duration of residence, placeof previous residence, or place of residence at a specifieddate in the past can be used in conjunction with place ofusual residence to determine the migration status of arespondent.Internal MigrationThe United Nations Statistics Division (2015) recommendsthat countries planning to produce internal migrationstatistics from census data ask place of usual residence inaddition to place where present at the time of census ifthe latter is the only question they ask in their censuses.In most instances, the usual residence of respondents andtheir place of residence on census day will be the same.Furthermore, the concept of place of usual residence willmost likely be synonymous with the concept of de jureresidence,2 while the place where present at the timeof census would be the same as the de facto residence.In practice, place where present at the time of censusis often not asked in census questionnaires and insteadextracted from georeferenced address registries or viaGPS technology.“immigrants”), and also how many and to what countriespeople of a country are moving (collectively referred to as“emigrants”)—in addition to their characteristics. It is recommended that census data be used for the measurementof immigrant stocks only. The internationally recognizedstandards for the collection of international migration datawill be explained in this section.Usual ResidenceThe United Nations Statistics Division (2015) defines usualresidence for census purposes as the place at which a person lives at the time of the census and has been there for“some time” or intends to stay there for “some time.”To reduce ambiguity, it is recommended that countriesapply a threshold of 12 months when considering placeof usual residence according to one of the following twocriteria:(a) The place at which the person has lived continuously for most of the last 12 months (that is, for at least6 months and 1 day), not including temporary absencesfor holidays or work assignments, or intends to live forat least 6 months.(b) The place at which the person has lived continuouslyfor at least the last 12 months, not including temporaryabsences for holidays or work assignments, or intendsto live for at least 12 months.Box 1 shows an example of how the U.S. Census Bureauinstructed respondents to indirectly confirm their “current”usual residence in the 2010 Census questionnaire. Since2000, the U.S. Decennial Census has had 10 or fewer questions, none of which can be used to measure migration.Box 1.U.S. 2010 Decennial Census QuestionnaireGuidelines on Usual Residence QuestionInternational MigrationInternational migration is the movement across nationalborders. It can be measured by tracking migration in/outflows and immigrant stocks. To accurately measuremigration, each country should know how many migrantsand from where they come (collectively referred to as2“In certain circumstances, however, the term ‘de jure’ may carry withit a requirement that the person’s residence at that place has a basis in thelegal system applicable to that specific place” (United Nations StatisticsDivision, 2015, p. 47).2Source: U.S. Census Bureau; U.S. 2010 Census.U.S. Census Bureau
Place Where Present at Time of CensusPlace of BirthThe place where present at time of census is defined bythe United Nations Statistics (2015) as the geographicplace at which each person was present on the “day of thecensus,” whether or not this was his or her place of usualresidence. However, the concept is generally applied tothe place where the person was present at the “momentof the census,” because many persons may not be physically present at the place of enumeration during most ofthe day. The census “moment” is typically fixed at midnightat the beginning of the “census day.” This moment is the“census reference moment.”For the native-born population, place of birth refers tothe civil division in which the person was born (e.g., state,province, and county). In the case of foreign-born individuals, place of birth refers to their country of birth, as discussed below.Box 2 shows an example on how the place where presentat time of census question was asked in the 2011 Census inAustralia.Typically, place of birth refers to the place of residenceof the mother of the individual at the time of the birth.However, in some countries, this concept refers to thegeographic unit in which the birth actually occurred. TheUnited Nations Statistics Division (2015) considers bothapproaches as correct—depending on the informationneeds of the country—as long as the concept is clearlydefined in the enumerator instructions and census reports.See Box 3 for a sample question.Box 2.Sample Indirect Question on Place Where Present at Time of CensusSource: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2011 Census.Box 3.Sample Place and Country of Birth QuestionSource: Nigeria National Population Commission, Census 2006.U.S. Census Bureau3
Duration of ResidenceYear of EntryDuration of residence is defined as the number of complete years that a person has lived in their locality of usualresidence or in the civil division in which such locality issituated (United Nations, 2015).Year or period of arrival in the country refers to the calendar year and month of arrival of a foreign-born person tothe country of enumeration. It is recommended that fortabulation purposes, this information is shown in terms ofyear (or period) of arrival and not in terms of completedyears (United Nations, 2015). The year and month of arrivalcan also be asked in terms of number of years and monthssince arrival. However, the use of this kind of question ismore likely to yield inaccurate data than simply asking theyear and month of arrival.It should be made clear that, when collecting information,the interest is in the length of residence in the civil division, not in a particular housing unit. Also, this question isusually asked along with place of previous residence. Thisway, cross-sectional estimates of internal and internationalmigration flows can be generated.Place of Previous Residence and Place of Residence at aSpecified Date in the PastThe place of previous [usual] residence is the civil division or the foreign country in which the individual residedimmediately prior to migrating into the civil division ofpresent usual residence. In the case of place of residenceat a specified time in the past, the reference date chosenshould be that which is most useful for national purposes.In most cases, this has been deemed to be 1 or 5 yearspreceding the census (United Nations, 2015).Box 4.Sample Indirect Question on Place of Residenceat a Specified Date in the PastBox 4 shows an example of how place of residence at aspecified date in the past (i.e., 1 year before enumeration)was asked in the 2018 American Community Survey (ACS).The Census Bureau launched the ACS in 2005. This surveyreplaced the decennial census long-form questionnaire in2010.Country of BirthSimilar to place of birth for the native-born population,country of birth refers to the country in which a foreignborn person was born. Like place of birth, it usually refersto the country where the mother of the individual residedat the time of the birth. However, in some countries, country of birth is defined as the country in which the birthactually took place (United Nations, 2015). For purposes ofcoding, it is recommended that countries use the UnitedNations’ (2015) Standard Country or Area Codes forStatistical Use3 system.3United Nations, Standard Country or Area Codes for Statistical Use, http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49.htm .4Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2018 American Community Survey.U.S. Census Bureau
Finally, countries should decide if they want to collectinformation on either the date of first arrival or the dateof the most recent arrival in the country, depending ontheir information needs. For example, a country with highlevels of international return migration may want to inquireabout the most recent arrival in the country. Box 5 shows asample question where the most recent entry is preferredover the first arrival.Box 5.Sample Year or Period of Arrival QuestionThe International Recommendations on Refugee Statistics(Eurostat & United Nations, 2018) recommends includinga question on reason for migration, as it differentiates thepeople who moved to a country for humanitarian reasons from those who migrated for economic or familialreasons. The United Nations Economic Commission forEurope (2017) also recommends that censuses ask a question about reason for migration, which should include aresponse category of “forced displacement” to help identify the size and characteristics of the refugee population.Box 6 represents an example on how the reasons formigration question can be asked in a census. In thisexample, an “other” category was included for all otherless common reasons for migrating.Box 6.Sample Indirect Question on Place of Residenceat a Specified Date in the PastSource: Jordan Department of Statistics, Population and HousingCensus 2015.Reasons for MigrationSome countries may want to include questions on reasonsfor migration in their census questionnaires. The reasonsreported include economic, personal, family reunification,education, and humanitarian categories. However, theinclusion of such questions in censuses to study domesticmigrant movement is not recommended because thesequestions tend to result in high proxy respondent bias.In addition, the small set of precoded reasons typicallyincluded with the question fails to capture the complexityof migrants’ motivations for relocating.This does not mean that there is no value in inquiringabout reasons for migration in a census. This question canbe useful to assess the size of the refugee population incountries where immigrant registration systems are weakand even to provide insight into the changing legal statuses of immigrants.U.S. Census BureauSource: Jordan Department of Statistics; Population and HousingCensus 2015.5
POPULATION CENSUSES AND ALTERNATIVESOURCES OF DATAMigration statistics are typically gathered from three mainsources—border collection, registries, and field inquiries.Border collection includes the entry and exit statisticscollected at all points of entry or departure in a country.Points of entry are not necessarily situated at the border, as they also include airports and seaports. Registriesinclude population registers, employment registers, andother administrative records. Finally, field inquiry includespopulation censuses and sample surveys.Given that border collection data only contain arrival anddeparture information, this method cannot be used tocalculate the number or characteristics of migrants living in a country at a given point in time. However, bordercollection may represent the only feasible method ofmigration data collection in places where registers are notsufficiently developed or accurate to provide informationon migrant flows and where field inquiries cannot be conducted frequently enough to produce significant estimates(United Nations, 1980).Registration is another source of data for migration.Registers can be useful sources to complement censusdata. However, one of the main disadvantages of usingregisters for migration data collection is that most registers have not been specifically designed to obtain information on migration, and those which have, are typically limited to collect the facts needed for specific administrativepurposes. Moreover, migrants leaving the country may nothave to inform the registry if they are leaving for less thana specified period of time, and they may not be required toinform officials of their return (United Nations, 1980).Field inquiry—namely household surveys and populationcensuses—can be the most comprehensive and detailedsource of data on migration. Field inquiry as a source formigration flow statistics can be used by itself or in combination with border collection or registers. This methodof collecting data offers the opportunity of obtainingextensive detail that is not ordinarily available in registers and cannot be investigated at border crossings orpoints of entry. Migration flow statistics (whether internalor international) can be collected in any survey or censusby asking respondents a simple question on the place ofresidence on one or more dates in the past (e.g., place ofresidence 1 year ago). However, one of the main limitationsof field inquiry is that surveys or censuses do not permit anassessment of the flow of migration on a continuous basis.This is because immigration coverage is restricted to netresidual immigrants in the population at the time of theinquiry and because information on emigration is collectedby proxy response. Data on emigrants cannot be collectedwhen a whole household emigrates, and responses aboutemigrants are typically collected from family members,which leads to inaccurate responses (United Nations, 1980).6In regards to international migration, population censusesmay be the most comprehensive source of internationally comparable statistics. In part, this is due to censuses’essential characteristics of universality and periodicity.That is, censuses should cover every person present ata given point in time in a country and censuses shouldbe taken at regular intervals so that information can becompared in a fixed sequence (United Nations EconomicCommission for Europe, 2015). See Box 7 for an analysis ofquestions asked in the 2010 round of censuses. Populationcensuses are well suited for collecting data on immigrantstocks. Unlike migration flows, migrant stocks are staticmeasures of migration that represent a count. And this isprecisely what censuses are meant to do, obtaining dataon a given population at a given moment in time. However,they also have a number of limitations. First, censuses generally happen only every 10 years. Second, short questionnaires or even longer questionnaires with few questionson migration cannot provide much detail. Third, someimmigrants, such as irregular migrants, may conceal theirmigrant status to governmental agencies. Finally, errors inreporting may happen because census takers often receiveminimal training in migration topics and because censusquestions are often responded to by a person other thanthe migrant.Migration flow data obtained from field inquiry can also beused as a measure of internal migration. Box 8 shows netmigration flows between California and other states. Datafrom the 1960 and 2000 U.S. population and housing censuses were used by analyzing the questions on current andprevious residence, namely the question on place of usualresidence 5 years ago.MIGRATION TABULATION AND ANALYSISAsking questions on usual and previous residence alongwith reasons for migrating in a census can be very valuablefor the study of migration. Table 1 presents an example ofhow data on reasons for migration can be cross-tabulatedwith key sociodemographic characteristics.In addition, georeferencing current and previous residencealso allows for estimating distance moved and type ofmove (i.e., intracounty/intercounty/from abroad), as shownin Table 1. In addition, with these data, it would be possibleto produce subnational net migration tables, e.g., provinceto-province or county-to-county migration flow tables.The inclusion of the question on country of birth (often asan option in the place of birth question) allows for in-depthanalysis of census data in
Of the 244 indicators, 30 make reference to migration; 24 require disaggregation by migration status; 5 concern migration directly; and 1 indicator provides context regard-ing the density and distribution of health workers. The international community agreed to address these data
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Index to Indiana Statistics in the Decennial Censuses Contents 3rd Census of the United States (1810) 2 4th Census of the United States (1820) 3 5th Census of the United States (1830) 4 6th Census of the United States (1840) 5 7th Census of the United States (1850) 7 8th Census of the United States (1860) 10 9th Census of the United States (1870) 17
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1940 The census tract became an official geographic entity for which the Census Bureau would publish data for. Census tracts covered major cities and block number areas (BNAs) covered many other cities 1970 1980 The number of BNAs increased and the criteria of the BNA matched the census tract 1990 Census tracts and BNAs covered the entire nation
SIMS is up to date before running the Census. The 10% of data not held in SIMS must be entered in the Census panels each time a Census is completed (eg questions related to teaching of RE). If the SIMS data is not kept up to date it will need to be entered into the Census panels each time the Census is completed.
South Carolina Department of Archives and History. South Carolina Census Records on Ancestry.com U.S. Census Reconstructed Records, 1660-1820 1910 South Carolina, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1790-1890 Index to the 1800 Census of South Carolina Free Blacks and Mulattos in South Carolina 1850 Census
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