Census obligatory for Czechs and foreigners
On Saturday, 27 March, the 2021 Population and Housing Census began, for the first time in history offering the possibility of online participation. Whom does it concern, what obligations does it involve and what should be watched out for?
The census involves the regular process of obtaining detailed information about population and households. The census is held at regular 10-year intervals, the reference year being the first year of each decade. Since the last census took place in 2011, the process takes place again this year.
The online census runs from Saturday, 27 March to Tuesday, 11 May. Respondents have several options how to meet their obligations. The first one is to fill out the form directly on the website of the Czech Statistical Office. It is also possible to use a mobile application available for both Android and iOS systems. Respondents who cannot or do not want to participate online may use the traditional paper form of the census, available from 17 April.
Printed forms will be distributed starting April 17. Respondents may also pick them up at any contact point. These have been established at selected branches of the Czech Post and regional administrations of the Czech Statistical Office. The census will run until 11 May. If someone does not participate in the census in either of these forms, they will to a limited extent be included on the basis of data available in the state databases. Fines of up to CZK 10,000 may be imposed for failure to provide data or for providing data contrary to the 2021 Census Act.
Another novelty is that the census form covers half as much data as the last one. Information is gathered for instance on the house or apartment where the respondent and other persons live together, their completed education, employment, and place of work or school. As it turned out, the coronavirus pandemic also affected the census: for example, there was confusion about what response to give about commuting, as respondents are currently mostly working from home. According to published information, they should respond according to whether they will continue working from home even after the end of anti-pandemic measures.
The census concerns Czech citizens with permanent residence in the Czech Republic, including those temporarily residing abroad, as well as those who do not have permanent residence here but live in the Czech Republic (e.g. who have returned from abroad, but have not yet been able to register in the Czech Republic). The census also concerns foreigners who have permanent residence in the Czech Republic or temporary residence for more than 90 days, or have been granted asylum, subsidiary protection or temporary protection. The census obligation applies to these foreigners regardless of whether they are currently in the Czech Republic. Only foreigners with stays of less than 90 days (e.g. tourists) and diplomats are excluded from the census. Census forms will also be available in foreign languages, including English, German, Polish, Russian, Romani, Ukrainian and Vietnamese. The mobile applications and the online census on the CSO’s website also work in these languages.
The results of the census will be processed by the end of this year and published in 2022.