Rolling electronic stats superior to traditional census - States

Thursday 01 April 2021

Guernsey's States will not be following the UK or Jersey in conducting a traditional census of the population, with a top civil servant saying the island's method of collecting information is the envy of other countries.

The last formal traditional census undertaken by the States of Guernsey was two decades ago in 2001. From 2006 onwards, basic population counts were calculated from administrative records, then in 2015, the first publication was made using the Rolling Electronic Census IT system.

The Rolling Electronic Census sources information from numerous States of Guernsey databases including Income Tax, Social Security, Population Management, Health and Driving Licenses and Vehicle Registrations to create a live insight into population numbers and rolling updates. 

Pictured: At the end of March 2020, Guernsey's population was 63,155. It is believed to have increased since during the pandemic, with statistics published a year in arrears. 

While our sister Channel Island is taking the well-worn route of a survey, which carries punitive fines for non-completion, Guernsey's Chief information Officer Colin Vaudin said the island already has superior data collection methods which have saved the island around £700,000 by negating the need to hold a traditional census every ten years.

"The Rolling Electronic Census is a brilliant, cost-effective solution providing us with information more frequently than any traditional census ever could," said Mr Vaudin.

"Because of its success, we're aware of other jurisdictions that are looking to replicate our award-winning system.

"Having more up to date and accurate information that we can trust means that we are in a very good position to develop policies and plans that are right for our islands."

The rolling census takes quarterly updates of the population, including information on demographics, immigration, emigration, births and deaths. Household income reports, which cannot be produced using traditional census data, are also published each year, with that information fed into various projection models, such as population and Gross Domestic Product. 

Pictured top: States of Guernsey Chief Information Officer Colin Vaudin.