T&T must make good use of census data says Caricom official

Instead of relying on personal views to make informed decisions, citizens must make use of the newly released data from the 2011 Population and Housing Census Demographic Report, says Dr Philomen Harrison, Project Director, Regional Statistics, Caricom Secretriat. 

“To some extent, we are all guilty of relying too heavily on personal experience and not evidence when it comes to views on how society should work. This year is being designated the year of International Statistics worldwide, with the motto Statistics in Everyday Life. It is hoped that the Central Statistical Office (CSO) can use this volume and the others to follow, to educate users in the usefulness of statistics,” she said.

Dr Harrison, speaking on Tuesday at the launch of the 2011 Demographic Report at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port-of-Spain. She commended the CSO and T&T government officials for completing the report in a short space of time.

“The director of statistics must be highly commended for being able to release this data in a record time in a period of approximately 18 months after the collection in May 31, 2011. It is noteworthy in the history of census-taking in T&T, the release of the first report normally takes approximately four years to be produced and disseminated,” she said.

Dr Harrison said T&T’s census was part of a regional approach to how censuses should be carried out. 

“For the first time countries were able to meet and deliberate on the census questionnaires to derive a common core of questions, to review the methodologies and to explore common mechanisms for disseminating the census results. The regional strategy was only possible through the support of the international development partners, including the International Development Bank (IDB), the European Union and the United Nations Statistics Division,” she said.

To download or read the 2011 T&T Census report, click http://www.guardian.co.tt/business/2013-02-21/trinidad-and-tobago-2011-d...