Census amid pandemic a challenge: FS

It will be a special challenge next year for the government to conduct a census amid the pandemic, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said.
The Census and Statistics Department will make more use of technology to gather data, such as creating encrypted surveys, and developing a computer system so that census-takers can immediately enter the data they collect.
“These arrangements could help improve processing efficiency and reduce the risk of epidemic spread,” Chan said.
The next large-scale census will be carried out next year at the end of June to the beginning of August. 
Taking citizens’ different needs into consideration, Chan said there is still a need to recruit censors to conduct interviews with residents in person for next year’s census.
The department will provide frontline census collectors appropriate training and protective equipment, in order to protect the interviewed households’ and their health and safety.
Chan said the collected data helps us understand the actual situation of Hong Kong, and the SAR government consider and formulate public policies.
 “A comprehensive understanding of Hong Kong’s latest population structure and age distribution will help us grasp whether there is a disparity between the speed of ageing population in Hong Kong and the expected, and its extended impact on various measures such as medical treatment and social welfare in Hong Kong,” said Chan.
“The population distribution of different regions will help us assess whether each region’s public services and supporting facilities can meet citizens’ actual needs,” he said.
“Therefore, the work of next year's census is of great significance for the government's policy to keep pace and adjust in time,” he added.