General Population and Housing Censuses: The population and housing census collects information on persons usually resident in each municipality, thus providing an overview of the demographic and social structure of Italy and its territories.
9th October 2011 is the reference date for the 15th Italian General Population and Housing Census. This census has benefited from a number of methodological and technical innovations intended to simplify field organization, improve administrative data, ensure on-time data dissemination and reduce the burden on respondents.
Compared to 2001, questionnaires were mailed out to all the households included in municipal registers. For the first time, respondents had the option of returning questionnaires online, by mail back or by delivery to municipal collection offices.
Another new feature was the collection of some socio-economic data from a sample of households only. This was accomplished by the use of two questionnaires: a short form, including few questions necessary to comply with EU Regulations, and a long form, containing all the topics planned in the enumeration programme.
Questionnaires were carried out to face national and international requirements and the new census methodology, ensure international comparability, meet user needs and guarantee the continuity of various time series.