Start from today's census “Answer as much as possible on the Internet”

Census Starts Today “Answer as much as possible on the Internet” September 14, 6:05

The census, which is conducted every five years for all people living in Japan, will begin on the 14th.

The census is conducted once every five years for all people living in Japan, including foreigners, in order to understand the actual situation of Japan's population and households.

Documents such as survey forms will be distributed to each household from the 14th, and it will be possible to reply via the Internet using a personal computer or smartphone.

The survey will answer 16 questions, including family and employment status as of October 1.

You can send the survey form by mail after the 1st of next month, but the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is calling for answers on the Internet as much as possible as a countermeasure against the new coronavirus.

The census is required to be answered by the Statistics Law, and the deadline for responding is 7th next month for both the Internet and mail.

On the other hand, due to heightened privacy awareness and an increase in single-person households, the number of cases in which investigators hear from neighboring residents is increasing, accounting for 13% of the total in the previous survey five years ago. It is a challenge to maintain the accuracy of the survey.

Taijiro Amukai, Chief of the National Census Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, said, "It is necessary to review the survey method in line with the changing times. This time, due to the influence of the new coronavirus, we are asking for answers on the Internet as much as possible. However, I would like to make this a solid success and take the first step toward future improvement. "

What is a census?

The census is positioned by the government as the "most important statistical survey," and this is the 100th year since the first survey in 1919.

The survey results are used as basic data for national and local government policies such as measures against the declining birthrate and aging population and disaster prevention policies, and are also used in various ways such as reviewing the division of small constituencies in the House of Representatives and analyzing the market of private companies. I will.

The survey targeted all people living in Japan, including foreigners, for each household, including

▽ number and name of household members,

▽ type of residence and length of residence,

▽ work situation, etc., totaling 16 Ask a question.

Of these, in the question of educational background, considering that the number of foreign workers is increasing, "elementary school" and "junior high school" were separated from this time, and it is necessary to grasp the needs of night junior high school that can be attended while working. I am trying to make use of it.

In addition, we are promoting the multilingualization of answers on the Internet for foreigners, and in addition to English, we are now able to support five new languages ​​such as Chinese and Vietnamese.

This time, due to the influence of the new coronavirus, the publication time of the survey results is expected to be delayed by several months compared to the previous time, and the preliminary figures for the announcement of the population are expected to be June next year and the final figures are expected to be November next year.

Investigator In principle, face-to-face visits can be made through the intercom

As a general rule, in the census, investigators who visit each household meet directly to explain the survey and request a response, and then hand over documents such as questionnaires.

The investigators are part-time national civil servants selected through open recruitment, and in the previous survey five years ago, about 700,000 investigators nationwide were in charge of about 50 to 100 households per person.

Again, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications aimed to secure 700,000 investigators, but as a result of a series of people who declined due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection, only about 600,000 investigators were secured. I did.

Each local government has taken measures such as increasing the number of households in charge of each investigator and extending the distribution period of documents.

In addition, as an infection control measure, many local governments avoid direct visits by investigators, explain the investigation through the intercom, and distribute the documents in a mailbox.

Specific answer method

Answers on the Internet will be available from the time you receive the documents.

First, open the homepage of "Census Online" established by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

Next, enter the 8-digit "login ID" and 4-digit "access key" written on the document to proceed to the answer screen.

For the answer, follow the instructions on the screen and enter the status as of next month / October 1 for all members of the household.

After answering all the questions, set a "password" to protect the data and click the "Send" button to complete the procedure.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, it takes about 10 minutes.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is calling for answers on the Internet to prevent infection with the new coronavirus, but there is also a method of filling out the questionnaire enclosed with the documents and replying by mail.

However, we will be able to reply by mail after the 1st of next month.

The survey form is a mark sheet method, and fill in the option column while referring to the entry example.

The questionnaire can be given to the investigator who visits the collection instead of mailing it.

The deadline for responding to both the Internet and the questionnaire is 7th next month.

For households that do not respond by the deadline, the investigator will visit again and remind them.

If the answer is still not obtained due to reasons such as absence, the investigator is supposed to ask the name and gender of the household member from neighboring residents as an alternative measure.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has called for caution against suspicious phone calls, emails, and visitors disguised as a census, saying that investigators will never ask for money or ask for a bank account PIN. I will.

Census Online URL

https://www.e-kokusei.go.jp/html/portal/ja/top.html