DCU students are preparing to take this year’s Census, which will attempt to document who is where in Ireland for the first time since 2011.
Census 2016 will take place on the night of Sunday, April 24th, which will count how many people are living in each home across the country, inclusive of those currently living in student accommodation.
DCU offers campus accommodation in Larkfield, Hampstead and College Park, while the privately owned Gateway and Shanowen Square apartments are located nearby.
The Census contains 35 questions, which must be completed for each person living in the accommodation. Questions such as a person’s name, sex, date of birth, place of birth and religion feature, while those aimed at students include: “what is the main field of study of the highest qualification you have completed to date?” And, “what is the full name and address of your place of work, school or college?”
Census enumerator for DCU student accommodation Rebecca Kehoe says that the process is easy to follow and that questions on the Census form are simple to understand. “The questions are really straightforward and it is completely confidential”, she said.
“The answers contained in the Census cannot be opened for at least one hundred years.”
Students should only fill out the form on the night of Sunday, April 24, accounting for each person sleeping in that house on the night.
The Census aims to give a comprehensive picture of the social and living conditions of the population of Ireland in 2016.
It says on its website that: “Only a census can provide such complete detail. The census is not, however, an end in itself. Rather the results are essential tools for effective policy, planning and decision making purposes.”
Censuses of Population have been taking place in Ireland since 1821. It allows the country to track changing developments over a long period of time and can help develop plans for the future in areas housing, transport and healthcare.
Aaron Gallagher
Image Credit: Andrew Byrne
Leave a Reply