In line with the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, to continually enhance quality of life in the emirate by fulfilling the fast-changing needs ad aspirations of nationals and residents, the Department of Statistics and Community Development (DSCD) has created a significant new opportunity for participatory governance with the announcement of the Sharjah Census 2022.

The Sharjah entity’s biggest public initiative to date will run for five months, starting September 26, under the theme ‘You Count’, and, in its first phase, aims to remind the members of Sharjah community of the instrumental role they play in guiding and supporting the emirate’s developmental journey.

With the launch of this first phase, DSCD reinforces its message that people’s participation in enhancing social welfare counts tremendously, and by participating in this census, they will be empowering the department with clear and real-time statistical updates covering the major sectors of community, economy and infrastructure.

After data is collected from participant responses to a limited number of simple and straightforward questions, they will be processed and collated for official use by DSCD’s team of statistical analysts and experts, and preliminary results will be presented to the Ruler of Sharjah and key government entities in March next year. The findings will also be accessible to the public via the Sharjah Government website and open data platforms.

You Count

The continued welfare of Sharjah’s nationals and residents regardless of their gender, age or nationality is at the heart of this DSCD project, and the nature and extent of their participation will determine its outcomes – the department has asserted. DSCD has also assured that the personal information and data of each and every census participant will remain confidential with the Sharjah Government and will not be shared or published.

The theme of the census ‘You Count’ celebrates the importance and contributions of each individual residing in the emirate, the department added, urging them to cooperate with the census teams by giving them correct data and the information.

Senior government and business officials, media figures and influencers will be championing and highlighting the importance of the census to encourage individuals to participate in the Sharjah Census 2022 and cooperate with census teams.

Sharjah Census 2022: Scope and methodology

The comprehensive census covers all key components of society, including buildings, facilities, housing, families and individuals. The census seeks to make the most of government administrative records in determining key variables like the respondents’ geographical locations according to administrative and statistical divisions. For census forms filled on behalf of buildings, businesses and other infrastructure, the results seek to update critical details like the type of activity, legal form and point of licensing, the status of activities in them, and determining their size according to the number of workers and their nationalities.

DSCD confirmed that they will be applying the ‘De facto’ census methodology, which allocates individuals to the place where they are enumerated — normally where they spend the night of the day enumerated.

The department added that the de jure census might be used, which tallies people according to their regular or legal residence.

Data collection phases
The census will gather information on population demographics and collect comprehensive data on infrastructure, housing and establishments in Sharjah. The data collection journey will begin with a comprehensive inventory phase where DSCD’s field teams will visit all locations and communities pre identified through aerial photography.

This will be followed by the self-counting phase, which targets all nationals and residents of the emirate. Finally the data collection teams will visit those households and individuals who miss the self-counting. A dedicated team would be available through a call centre to assist individuals in completing the self-count form.

Community awareness

HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Humaid Al Qasimi, Chairman, DSCD, stressed the department is keen on raising the community’s awareness of the importance of the census to ensure society’s cooperation with the census team. He pointed out that the generated data gives decision makers a clear understanding of the changes in demographics and identifying segments supported by the government, which would contribute to strategising and planning to support all community components”.

DSCD Chairman added: “We assert in every census that the data collected is confidential and will not be shared with anyone or be published according to laws, which is evident in the slogan of this census. We call on nationals and residents of the emirate to cooperate with the census teams to benefit from its outcomes.”

Comprehensive ecosystem

For his part, HE Sheikh Sultan bin Abdullah bin Salem Al Qasimi, Director, DSCD, said: “Sharjah has a comprehensive ecosystem of advanced statistical applications and services, and a solid infrastructure to guarantee the accuracy of the census. It also includes an advanced data collection, auditing and archiving platform supported by digital maps and device tracking systems for managing work teams and users and following up on their reports.”

DSCD Director added: “The census’ success relies upon qualified national cadres working according to international recommendations and approved methodologies. We support our dedicated teams through ongoing training on the latest tools and systems to advance their skills and raise community awareness to ensure cooperation with the census field teams.”