Stats SA – Census 2021 – Using Technology – Our New Normal

Written on 08/01/2020
MJ Minter Inc


Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) will conduct a population count in 2021, Census 2021. This will be the fourth population count in post-apartheid South Africa.

A census is the largest undertaking by a statistical agency, where everyone in the country is counted. The data collected during a census is used for planning, policy and evidence based decision-making. Census data also provides content for a wide variety of programs and services used by different structures and communities across the country.

According to the Statistics Act (Act No.6 of 1999), a census in South Africa should be conducted every five years. However, a decennial census is undertaken and in between censuses, a large scale survey called the Community Surveys is conducted every five years. 

Census 2021 will be the first population count in the country to use new methods of data collection that involves the use of digital devices. The Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) allows a fieldworker to administer a questionnaire by capturing data on a tablet. Where applicable, the option of Computer Assisted Web Interview (CAWI), where a respondent completes the questionnaire via the web, may be used. 

There is no doubt that our world has changed forever and technology will play an increasingly larger role in how we go about our daily lives, whether it be in our personal, work or business life!