Are there advantages and disadvantages to conducting a census?

Answer 1

the advantages of a census are:
- it helps the government plan for the future
- keeps the government more organised
- shows the government the population status of the country
- keeps detail of all the people with the country

the disadvantages are:
- people may feel uncomfortable revealing their personal details
-

time consuming

very expensive to conduct

limited in the data collected, does not get indepth data

Answer 2

The advantages of conducting a census are that the figures that are received are vital for planning and development purposes. The authorities can make plans for infrastructure according to the population trends. Some disadvantages arise regarding the validity of the figures collected. Wrong figures ultimately mean that the wrong factors are being considered.

Answer 3

A census is a complete survey of a population. A census may be impractical due to the size of the population. The time factor to conduct a census may reduce the value of the statistics. For example, I want to know what percentage of people in NYC approve of President Obama. It would take months to poll everyone who lives in New York, and perhaps over this period his popularity changes. My end result is difficult to interpret. So, census works when the population is limited so timely and complete information can be obtained. If the object under study is not likely to change for the period of the census, then it can provide accurate descriptions. A consensus of the location of all dinosaur bones in the world is a good example. Another would be of all the visible stars in one part of the sky. Taking inventory can be considered a census.