Filenews 27 April 2022 - by Vassos Vassiliou
The ongoing population census conducted by the Statistical Service of Cyprus, which is the last, was destined to be episodic not only because of the restrictive measures of the pandemic but also because of the extreme behaviour of citizens.
It is worth mentioning that there was a citizen who threatened an enumerator with a shotgun while others released their dogs which attacked the people who undertook to carry out the work assigned to them by the Government for a wage, since several of them were temporarily employed only for the census.
"F" contacted officials of the Statistical Service who said that the conditions for processing the census were not the best, which they attributed, in part, to the pandemic and the suspicion it created. Of course, the fact that the identity of the citizens was being asked for was also a role in the attitude of some, which some attributed to an attempt to stay under the radar. The issue raised by some of the citizens was that a census, in general, aims to record the population and the conditions under which citizens live, etc., without asking for personal data. However, because the census is the last and because in the future the statistics will be drawn from the entries that exist in the various public services, the identity is considered the element through which all the other information needed in each case will be drawn. Of course, the registration of all citizens in the GHS is already an important repository of information / data for every citizen. Along with these there is information in social insurance or in the various sponsorship programs, in income tax and elsewhere.
It is worth noting that while the census began with a completion schedule of 3-4 months, but while six months have passed, it continues and there are citizens who even to this day receive letters for census purposes, mainly because they were not identified by the enumerators in their places of residence.
An employee of the Service, who was also speaking on behalf of his colleagues, said that in recent years the environment has been very negative. As he explained, the one element that slowed down the process is the fact that while about 1,400 enumerators were needed, 500 were employed and today there are just over 300 left. Due to the strict protocols, the enumerators could not enter the citizens' homes to receive the data but also due to the bad weather conditions, many times there was no room even outside the houses to "book" them, even a few minutes, in order to answer the standard questions.
According to the same employee, people were cautious and suspicious and in some cases some were contentious and aggressive. He also said that some citizens insulted the enumerators who knocked on the doors of the premises not to beg but to carry out a task assigned to them by the state and is also a requirement of the EU.
It is not conceivable, it is not human to open the door and see in front of you an enumerator at the age of your son or daughter and react by uttering even vulgar expressions, because unfortunately we have had such incidents, the Statistics Office official said. He also said some let the dogs attack the enumerators while one went so far as to threaten an enumerator using a hunting gun.
However, the same employee clarified that most of the population were polite and responded in order to help the enumerators to do their work, which he described as comforting compared to other behaviours.
In progress from October 1, 2021
This population census in the free areas began on October 1, 2021. As it had been announced, its purpose was the complete and accurate geographical coverage of residences, institutions and individuals, Cypriot and foreign nationals, who have their habitual residence in the areas controlled by the State.
The Statistical Service has announced its obligation to ensure the observance of statistical confidentiality, as defined in the Official Statistics Law of 2021 (Law 25(I)/2021) and the protection of personal data in accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR). The Service had made a strong appeal to the public to cooperate with the enumerators and to provide all the information to be requested.
How we started in 1881 and where we are going
The population of Cyprus in the free areas may be approaching 900,000 (on 1/1/2021 it was 896,000) but when the first census was made in 1881 the total population of Cyprus (including the Turkish Cypriots was limited to 181,366. The Turkish Cypriots in 2011, coincidentally, were 181,000, that is, the total population of Cyprus in 1881.
Based on the data of the Statistical Service, in 1881 the Number of Greek Cypriots was 131,193 (71,120 men and 69,673 women) and the Turkish Cypriots 40,573 (20,070 men and 20,503 women).
The number of other inhabitants of Cyprus in 1881 is also of interest. Specifically, in Cyprus lived 960 people of Arab origin, 760 British, 146 French, 48 Germans, 301 Italians, 31 Persians, two Russians and 14 Spaniards.
In 1960, when Cyprus was declared independent, the total population was 577,615 of which 285,288 were men and 292,327 women.
Of the total population, the Greek Cypriots amounted to 442,512 and the Turkish Cypriots amounted to 104,350. The Maronites were 2,708, the Armenians 3,628, the British were 11,591 and there were 502 gypsies and 2,921 of various other nationalities.
Of the total population, 77.1% were Greek Cypriots and 18.2% Turkish Cypriots. Moreover, the percentage of Maronites, Armenians and Latins was 1.1% while 3.6% of the population were citizens of other countries.
