Resident Submitting Census Questionnaire
The 15-day data collection for the Population Census covering all households in Macao has passed its halfway point. As at 14 August, over 80,000 households in Macao have completed and submitted the Census questionnaire, which accounted for about 38.5% of the total. The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) appeals to the public to respond to the Census at the earliest convenience by completing the online or paper questionnaire or by telephone interview.
Among the households that have submitted the Census questionnaire, more than 90% completed the Census online while the rest completed the questionnaire via telephone interview or in paper form. Although the online completion rate exceeded that in the previous round of Population Census, the overall response rate is not as high due to the suspension of door-to-door data collection, which is in line with the pandemic prevention and control measures. DSEC appeals to the public to complete the Census sooner to raise the overall response rate.
Census Hotline Increased to 90 Lines; Households May Conduct Telephone Interview by Calling the Assigned Census Officers
In view of an increase in demand for the hotline service of the Population Census, DSEC has increased the number of Census Hotline to 90 lines, which would enable staff to handle enquiries, telephone interview appointments and applications for access to the online questionnaire more efficiently. Apart from calling the Census Hotline at 8809 8809, households may obtain the work phone numbers of the Census officers assigned to their unit by scanning the QR code on the notification letter or questionnaire and call them to conduct a telephone interview.
Moreover, DSEC has set up 12 Census questionnaire collection points in different districts in Macao and households may return their completed short-form paper questionnaire to any of the collection points.
SMS Reminder Spurs Census Completion; DSEC Appreciates Public Support and Co-operation
To effectively provide the public with updates on the Population Census, SMS and leaflets were distributed to appeal to the households to complete the Census by 21 August. DSEC indicated that the SMS reminder spurred completion of questionnaires, with the number of online completion on 12 and 13 August surpassing the average number of the preceding two days by 42.5% and 34.5% respectively. DSEC expresses their gratitude for the support and co-operation of the public in the Population Census.
DSEC reiterates that they will not take the initiative to contact households to collect information by telephone, email or text message. DSEC will only call households on the number provided to verify questionnaire data.
Census Results Help Government Plan Ahead
Census results reflect the changes in the structure and socio-economic characteristics of the population in Macao, and serve as an important reference source for government policy formulation. DSEC appeals to the public to co-operate in the Census and complete the Census as soon as possible. Households that have responded to the Census will automatically be entered into Early Census Response for Greater Chance of Winning Lucky Draw. For more information about the Census, please visit the webpage of the 2021 Population Census (https://www.dsec.gov.mo/Censos2021) or call the Census Hotline at 8809 8809.
