The Statistics Department of Montserrat (SDM) under the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management will be carrying out a Population and Housing Census (PHC). The primary goal of this data collection effort is to gather relevant information on the population. This information will help planners in various sectors of society to better plan for development in education, healthcare, the environment, and other socio-economic areas.
The 2023 Census will create a detailed picture of the social and living conditions in Montserrat. Key statistics and indicators will be generated from two combined questionnaires at the individual and household levels. The household-related questions are asked once and are reported for all persons within the household, while the individual questions are asked of all individuals within the household. The questions will seek to answer the following:
Indicators to be derived include: a total population count, sustainable development goal indicators, Sustainable Development Plan indicators, migration statistics, and demographic and socio-economic indicators of Montserrat – all disaggregated by gender, age, geographic. All of these indicators are extremely important in supporting evidence-based decision making, and they will be disaggregated by gender, age, geographic location, educational level attained, and other variables that are all extremely important in supporting evidence-based decision making.
From September 13th to October 31st, 2023, highly trained enumerators will visit every building, dwelling unit, and household in Montserrat to administer a questionnaire using a tablet device. Every person alive on Census Day (September 12th, 2023) will be counted.
The Statistics Department of Montserrat (SDM) is calling on all usual residents of the country to cooperate fully with enumerators and answer all questions truthfully and completely. Please be assured that all field staff will sign a confidentiality oath to keep all information shared with them in the strictest confidence. Data collected will only be reported as aggregate data and will not be released to any third party or government agency. The SDM is collecting this information under the Statistics Act of 1973 of the Laws of Montserrat. This makes it a legal requirement for all people present in Montserrat on Census night (September 12) to have their information recorded.
The SDM is committed to fulfilling the PHC mandate, as per the 2023 PHC slogan, “Count me in today, Include me in tomorrow Census 2023.” The SDM would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Joshua Golden on winning the Census logo and slogan competition.
Siobhan Tuitt, Chief Statistician of the Statistics Department Montserrat is calling for continued public support. Ms. Tuitt further stated that, “Census 2023 is far more than a simple counting exercise – as there is not a single decision taken on the provision of public services that is not shaped in some way by census data. The SDM has always had great support for the Census, and look forward to this continuing in 2023. This Census features a number of new questions on Unpaid work, Health, Disability and COVID-19. This will add to the immense value the census provides.”
The people of Montserrat are encouraged to “Stand up and be counted” as part of the country’s population. Let us work together to create a development path for Montserrat that is based on careful planning and objective information.
