Home > Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Survey Procedure
2. e-Questionnaire
3. Face-to-face Interview
4. Appointment for Face-to-face Interview
5. Data Security and Confidentiality
6. Questionnaire Content
7. Legislation
8. Background Information
9. Background Information
1.1. When will households receive the notification letters?
Letters will be sent to selected households on 25 June 2015.Households should receive them before end-June 2015.
1.2. All members of my household will not be in Hong Kong during the 34-day survey period. What should I do?
You may use e-Questionnaire on the Internet or via a dedicated mobile app to provide information.
1.3. Why do I not receive a notification letter?
Not every households will receive a notification letter from the Census and Statistics Department prior to the conduct of the Census because:
(1) For quarters without identifiable postal addresses in the Frame of Quarters maintained by the Department (including some newly erected buildings, non-built-up areas and non-residential quarters), the letter will be distributed by the Census Officers upon visit; or
(2) Notification letters are issued on quarters basis. If there are more than one household living in the unit of quarters, you may ask the other household(s) whether they receive the letter from the Department.
(3) Your quarter is not selected to participate in the Pilot Survey.
(a) General information
2.1. What is e-Questionnaire (e-Q)? How can I use it? e-Questionnaire is an online system to facilitate the public in providing the information required for the 2011 Population Census electronically. All households issued with a notification letter (selected for either simple enumeration or detailed enquiry) can use e-Questionnaire. Those who wish to do so are required to complete a simple online registration by activating their e-Questionnaire account using the information provided on the questionnaire (for those selected for simple enumeration) or the notification letter (for those selected for detailed enquiry) starting from 30 June 2011. After registration, they can fill in their e-Questionnaire.
2.2. Who can use the e-Questionnaire (e-Q)? Any restriction to the age of users? Can children complete the e-Q themselves? Information required by the population census should be provided by the household members concerned personally. Persons aged under 15, or those who cannot personally answer the questions due to illness, disability, being not in Hong Kong throughout the whole census period or any other sufficient reasons may have their household head or other adult household members (excluding domestic helpers) reports the information on their behalf. Besides, you may provide information on behalf of the household members from whom authorisation has been obtained.
2.3. Who can use the e-Questionnaire (e-Q)? Any restriction to the age of users? Can children complete the e-Q themselves? Information required by the population census should be provided by the household members concerned personally. Persons aged under 15, or those who cannot personally answer the questions due to illness, disability, being not in Hong Kong throughout the whole census period or any other sufficient reasons may have their household head or other adult household members (excluding domestic helpers) reports the information on their behalf. Besides, you may provide information on behalf of the household members from whom authorisation has been obtained.
2.4. Can I register for using e-Questionnaire (e-Q) if I do not have an email address? Households must provide a local contact telephone number and an email address to register for the e-Q. The information is required for identity verification when an e-Q user account is frozen due to password forgotten and the user wants to apply for account re-activation.
(b) System requirements and technical issues
2.5. What is the system requirement for e-Questionnaire? You should be able to access the e-Questionnaire using one of the most popular browsers in the market. Please refer to the following link for details.
System Requirements for Online Services
2.6. Why are some Chinese characters not displayed on the e-Questionnaire? e-Questionnaire adopts Unicode 3.0 and Hong Kong Supplementary Character Set (HKSCS) as the encoding standard for Chinese characters. Therefore, client workstations have to support Unicode 3.0 and HKSCS in order to display the Chinese characters (including HKSCS) in e-Questionnaire. For more information about Chinese characters and HKSCS, please refer to:
FAQs about GovHK Online Services - Other Technical Questions and Trouble Shooting
Hong Kong Supplementary Character Set (HKSCS)
2.6. What is the system requirement for e-Questionnaire? You should be able to access the e-Questionnaire using one of the most popular browsers in the market. Please refer to the following link for details.
2.7. Why some Chinese characters still cannot be displayed, even though I have installed the HKSCS on my Apple computer? It is known that the HKSCS from Apple does not support the full set of HKSCS. You may consult the dealer concerned for more details.
2.8. Why some Chinese characters cannot be displayed when I re-open a webpage that I have saved? In order to save the Chinese characters on a webpage properly, “Unicode” or “Unicode (UTF-8)” must be chosen as the encoding scheme (not applicable for Firefox) and HTML format should be selected.
2.9. Why can't I install the HKSCS downloaded from Digital 21 web site on my Linux computer? It is known that some Linux distributions would encounter problem in installing the HKSCS modules. You may consult the dealer concerned to see if there is any alternative.
2.10. Why in some situations, the number of Chinese characters that can be inputted using Microsoft Windows Vista or Microsoft Windows 7 is less than that in other Windows platforms, such as Windows XP? With the new character-coding standard adopted by Windows Vista and Windows 7, some Chinese characters occupy 4 bytes instead of 2 bytes. When these Chinese characters are inputted, the browser wrongly interprets a 4-byte character as two 2-byte character. Hence, the number of characters that can be inputted is less than that in other Windows platforms
2.11. Can I use e-Questionnaire (e-Q) with smartphone? e-Q currently does not provide a tailor-made version for smart phone. Using the current web version, the e-Q contents may not be fully displayed on the small screen of smart phones. As such, we do not recommend households using e-Q on their mobile phone / smart phone.
2.12. Is broadband facilities required to access e-Q? Not necessary. Either broadband or 56K dial-up users can use e-Q, but generally speaking, broadband service can provide a smoother and faster operation than dial-up service.
2.13. Is the e-Questionnaire (e-Q) of the 2011 Population Census accessible for the visually impaired? Throughout the development of e-Q, we have placed significant priority on its accessibility. The e-Q conforms to priority 2 level (Double-A conformance) of the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) internationally recognised Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0. This means that it meets both basic and advanced accessibility standards and can be used by most people with special needs. Besides, the e-Q adopts the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and style templates, which standardise all system web pages, and thus enhance the accessibility.
2.14. How can I verify the website I am visiting is the official website of e-Questionnaire for the 2011 Population Census? You may follow the steps below to check the e-Certificate of the website.
i. Click the padlock icon on the right-hand side of the website address
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ii. Click “View certificates”.
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iii. Check the website information contained in the e-Certificate. Correct information of the e-Q is shown in the circle on the certificate below.
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(c) Data security
2.15. How to ensure the security and confidentiality of personal information in the e-Questionnaire (e-Q)? Data confidentiality is a major concern of the Census and Statistics Department in conducting statistical surveys. According to the provisions of the Census and Statistics Ordinance, it is an offence to disclose information pertaining to individual person or household to unauthorised persons. Census and Statistics Department adopts the following measures to safeguard the confidentiality of information pertaining to individual person in the e-Q:
(1) password is required to login the e-Q account;
(2) information entered is encrypted before transmission over the Internet; and
(3) a set of clear procedures is devised for the processing of the survey data. All staff must comply with this set of procedures to ensure the security and confidentiality of information pertaining to individual person in the e-Q.
2.16. What do I need to know about data protection when using e-Questionnaire? e-Questionaire uses Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol to encrypt data during network transmission to protect your personal data. All personal data you provide to the Census and Statistics Department via e-Questionnaire are secured, and access to them is restricted to authorised personnel only. For useful tips on information security, visit the following pages on the InfoSec website:
Points to note when handling your personal information Points to note when handling your accounts and passwords Points to note when surfing the web Making enquiries and reports to Government and related organisations about information security and computer crimes
2.17. Can I use public computer facilities (e.g. computers provided by the Hong Kong Public Libraries) to complete the e-Questionnaire (e-Q)? Although data in the e-Q which contain personal information are encrypted before transmission over the Internet, the use of public computer facilities for completing e-Q is not recommended for security reasons.
2.18. How to avoid providing data in a fraudulent website? Please enter the 2011 Population Census website (http://www.census2011.gov.hk) shown on the notification letter in the website address bar of Internet browser. Do not use the hyperlinks provided by suspicious emails or websites to enter the site. The Census and Statistics Department will not ask the public to fill in the census data via email.
(d) Tips in system operation
2.19. What should I do if I forgot my password or my account has been frozen after 5 unsuccessful login trials? You need to re-activate your account through the Internet. Our system will verify with you some basic information that you have provided in the registration. A new “Activation Key” will be mailed to you. You can then use it to re-activate the account and re-set the password.
2.20. Why do I encounter error when clicking the “Refresh”, “Back” button or other hot keys of the browser? Under normal operation, the buttons, address bar and the hot keys of the browser are disabled by the system. However, these buttons, address bar and hot keys may be enabled again by some external means. Anyhow, you should never use these buttons, address bar and hot keys, as this would affect the normal operation of e-Questionnaire.
2.21. Why does the system always direct me to a webpage with message "Your login session has been closed for system security reasons (e.g. session time-out). Please click the button below to return to the homepage and then login again." when I try to login? Please check the setting of your browser to ensure Cookies have been enabled.
2.22. I always receive the pop-up screens warning me about security. How should I get rid of it? Please refer to the steps on the following webpage: www.gov.hk/en/about/helpdesk/faq/infosec/index.shtml#q3
2.23. Why can't I login e-Questionnaire (e-Q) again after the browser is closed? If you have logged in e-Q and closed the browser without clicking the “Logout” button, the account will still remain in the " login" status, you cannot re-login the e-Q at once. The system will apply a time-out function to end the session automatically after 20 minutes. Therefore you can login the e-Q again after around 20 minutes. You should click the “Logout” button before closing the browser to avoid such situation.
2.24. I cannot clearly identify the characters shown on the verification code label, how can I input verification code correctly? The purpose of entering verification code is to prevent machine-generated login. You may either click the speaker button to listen to the characters spelt out by the system or click on “click here to reload” for another group of characters.
2.25. Would the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) contact me via email? For users who have registered e-Questionnaire (e-Q) before but not yet submitted the e-Q, C&SD will send an e-mail in due course to remind them to submit the e-Q as soon as possible. However, C&SD will not ask households to submit information by e-mail. If there is any above-mentioned case, please call the 2011 Population Census Telephone Enquiry Centre at 2153 2011 immediately for follow-up.
2.26. I have suspended using the e-Questionnaire for a while to handle some other matters. Upon return, I find that the system has logged out. What should I do? If users neither make any request for action by the system nor enter data for 20 minutes, the system will automatically log out. Users need to log in the system again.
2.27. When I try to view a PDF document, why nothing is shown but a blank window? i. Start Acrobat Reader, click "Reference", in "Categories" choose "Internet"
ii. Check "Display PDF in browser", "Allow fast web view" and "Allow speculative downloading in the background"
iii. Click "OK"
iv. Start Internet Explorer, click "Tools", click "Internet Options", click "Delete Files"
v. Check "Delete all offline content", click "OK"
vi. Click "OK"
vii. Start Firefox, click "Tools", click "Privacy"
viii. Click "Clear Now"
ix. Check "Browse History", "Download History", "Cache", "Authenticated Sessions"
x. Click "Clear Private Data Now"
xi. Click "OK"
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2.28. How can I know that the e-Questionnaire (e-Q) is successfully submitted to the Census and Statistics Department? When the e-Q has been successfully submitted, an acknowledgement message with an Acknowledgement Reference Number will be displayed on screen. You may print or save the Acknowledgement Reference Number for your reference. The Census and Statistics Department will not send confirmation emails to users.
2.29. Why are my data in e-Q cleared after account re-activation? For further strengthen data security and protection of privacy, users can choose, during registration, to keep or erase the data kept in e-Questionnaire when the account is re-activated. If you chose to erase the data, all the previously inputted data would be erased automatically after the account is re-activated.
2.30. Can I change to use e-Questionnaire (e-Q) after I have booked an appointment for face-to-face interview? You can login the e-Q to cancel the appointment at least two days prior to the appointment day and choose using e-Q for providing information for the 2011 Population Census.
2.31. Is it necessary to complete the entire e-Questionnaire (e-Q) in a single login session? Can an incomplete e-Q be saved for completion later? Users can complete and submit the e-Q immediately after the registration. If information of some household members is not available, you can save the entered information and then log out. Once the Information available, you can login the system as "Existing User" using the password you have created to fill in and submit the e-Q.
2.32. What does the blue circle icon with an "i" at the centre appearing in some questions in e-Questionnaire (e-Q) mean? Users can click the icon for supplementary information on the question concerned prompted on a separate screen.
2.33. Why does the system stay on the same page instead of proceeding to the next question after I have clicked the "Save and Continue" button? Please check whether there is any missing information, logical mistake or inconsistency in the information provided. There will be a red exclamation mark shown beside the question and a warning message shown at the top of the screen.
2.34. What should I do if information on the household or household members have to be amended after the registration? Users may login the system as "Existing User", and then click "Basic Information" on the left of the screen to access the page of household basic information and enter the correct information.
2.35. Do I need to re-enter information if I have been disconnected from the e-Questionnaire due to network problem during form-filling? When users finish a page of e-Questionnaire and then click the "Save and Continue" button, the system will save the entered data and show the next question. Saved data need not be re-inputted no matter users properly log out the system or are disconnected due to network problem.
2.36. What should I do if I found that there are some mis-reported information in my submitted e-Questionnaire (e-Q) ? After e-Q has been submitted, users cannot login the e-Q again and thus the submitted data cannot be amended through the e-Q. If there are mis-reported data in your submitted e-Q, you may call the 2011 Population Census Telephone Enquiry Centre at 2153 2011 to provide the correct data.
2.37. Will census officer visit my household after I submitted the e-Questionnaire (e-Q)? E-Q submitted by households will undergo detailed checking. If necessary, census officers of our department will contact the households concerned for follow-up.
2.38. Can I proceed to a specific question directly without clicking the "Back" button? No, you have to use the "Back" button. The current design faciltates the system to monitor question flow.
2.39. How can I amend the information on sex of a household member in e-Questionnaire? Please click "Basic Information" on the left of the screen and amend the title of the household member concerned. The system will update the sex according to the title (e.g. male for "Mr.", female for "Mrs", "Ms" or "Miss").
3.1. Can I ask to check the Hong Kong Identity Card of the census officers?
No. You could only check his/her Census Officer Certificate of Identity. In case of doubt on the identity of the census officers, you may call the Population By-census Telephone Enquiry Centre on 2920 2016 for verification.
3.2. How to verify the identity of census officers?
All census officers will carry a Census Officer's Certificate of Identity issued by the Census and Statistics Department. This certificate will bear the photo, name and identity number of the census officer concerned. Census officers will also carry a red satchel with the census logo. Households are reminded to check the identity of the census officers before interview. In case of doubt, households may call the 2016 Population By-census Telephone Enquiry Centre at 2920 2016. [Service hours of the 2016 Population By-census Telephone Enquiry Centre: 25 June 2015 - 2 August 2015 (Monday to Sunday, including public holidays), from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.].
3.3. How long will it take to complete a questionnaire for a household?
It depends on the number and characteristics of household members. The estimated time for a household of 3-4 persons is about 50 minutes.
3.4. At what time of the day will the census officers call at the households?
Household visits will usually be carried out from 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. each day during 16 July to 2 August 2015. Depending on situations, visits may be made during 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. for households living in remote areas, on board vessels and with appointments so arranged.
3.5. How will the Face-to-face interview be conducted?
To better protect the safety of the enumerators, enumerators will be arranged in pair to conduct the Face-to-face interview. Depending on the number of household members and the real situation, the two enumerators may conduct the Face-to-face interview with different household members at the same time to shorten the interview time. In addition, enumerators will adopt mobile device for data collection, replacing the traditional paper questionnaire, to facilitate the overall data collection process and improve data quality.
(a) General introduction
4.1. How can I make an appointment request through the Department's online booking service? The Census and Statistics Department will conduct the Pilot Survey for the 2016 Population By-census from 30 June 2015 to 2 August 2015. The Department sends out notification letters to households on 24 June 2015 and the subsequent few days. Household members can login the e-Appointment for Face-to-Face Interview through the 2016 Population By-census website (http://www.bycensus2016.gov.hk) using Household Reference Number, Household Account Number and Activation Key, which are printed on the notification letter received. Alternatively, household members can scan the QR code on the notification letter to access the online booking service.
4.2. When does the e-Appointment for Face-to-Face Interview start operation? What are the time slots available for booking? The e-Appointment for Face-to-Face Interview starts operation on 10 July 2015. You can make an appointment request during the second phase of the Pilot Survey for the 2016 Population By-census (16 July 2015 to 2 August 2015), except for the last 2 days (1 and 2 August 2015) which are reserved for our Census Officers to organise their work. Four time slots are available in each day, including 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm and 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm. The Census Officer will visit you according to your requested time slot. Households having special appointment requests may call the 2016 Population By-census Telephone Enquiry Centre at 2920 2016 for assistance. Telephone enquiry service hours: 9:00 am - 10:30 pm, 25 June 2015 to 2 August 2015 (Monday to Sunday, including public holidays).
4.3. How many time slot can I choose each time? Each household can select one preferred time slot for visit by census officer in each booking. Depending on the latest work situation of the Census Officer concerned during the selected time slot, the system will confirm whether the household has successfully made an appointment.
4.4. How do I know whether the appointment is confirmed? After finishing the procedures for online appointment booking, the system will prompt you to confirm the appointment details as well as your personal information. After confirmation, an Acknowledgement Reference Number will be generated. Households can choose to save or print that page for their further reference.
4.5. Will personal information be stolen over the Internet when using the e-Appointment for Face-to-Face Interview? Households have to input Household Reference Number and Password in order to use the e-Appointment for Face-to-Face Interview. All the information would be encrypted before transmission over the Internet.
(b) System requirements and technical issues
4.6. What is the system requirement for e-Appointment for Face-to-Face Interview (e-Appointment) ? System Requirements for Online Services
4.7. Why are some Chinese characters not displayed on e-Appointment webpages? e-Appointment adopts Unicode 3.0 and Hong Kong Supplementary Character Set (HKSCS) as the encoding standard for Chinese characters. Therefore, client workstations have to support Unicode 3.0 and HKSCS in order to display the Chinese characters (including HKSCS) in e-Questionnaire. For more information about Chinese characters and HKSCS, please refer to:
FAQs about GovHK Online Services - Other Technical Questions and Trouble Shooting
Hong Kong Supplementary Character Set (HKSCS)
4.8. Why some Chinese characters still cannot be displayed, even though I have installed the HKSCS on my Apple computer? It is known that the HKSCS from Apple does not support the full set of HKSCS. You may consult the dealer concerned for more details.
4.9. Why some Chinese characters cannot be displayed when I re-open a webpage that I have saved? In order to save the Chinese characters on a webpage properly, “Unicode” or “Unicode (UTF-8)” must be chosen as the encoding scheme (not applicable for Firefox) and HTML format should be selected.
4.10. Why can't I install the HKSCS downloaded from Digital 21 web site on my Linux computer? It is known that some Linux distributions would encounter problem in installing the HKSCS modules. You may consult the dealer concerned to see if there is any alternative.
4.11. Why in some situations, the number of Chinese characters that can be inputted using Microsoft Windows Vista or Microsoft Windows 7 is less than that in other Windows platforms, such as Windows XP? With the new character-coding standard adopted by Windows Vista and Windows 7, some Chinese characters occupy 4 bytes instead of 2 bytes. When these Chinese characters are inputted, the browser wrongly interprets a 4-byte character as two 2-byte character. Hence, the number of characters that can be inputted is less than that in other Windows platforms.
4.12. Is the e-Appointment of the 2016 Population By-census accessible for the visually impaired? Throughout the development of e-Appointment, we have placed significant priority on its accessibility. The e-Appointment conforms to priority 2 level (Double-A conformance) of the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) internationally recognised Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0. This means that it meets both basic and advanced accessibility standards and can be used by most people with special needs. Besides, the e-Q adopts the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and style templates, which standardise all system web pages, and thus enhance the accessibility.
4.13. How can I verify the website I am visiting is the official website of e-Appointment for the 2016 Population By-census? You may follow the steps below to check the e-Certificate of the website.
i. Click the padlock icon on the right-hand side of the website address
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ii. Click “View certificates”.
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iii. Check the website information contained in the e-Certificate. Correct information of the e-Q is shown in the circle on the certificate below.
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(c) Data security
4.14. What do I need to know about data protection when using e-Appointment? e-Appointment uses Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol to encrypt data during network transmission to protect your personal data. All personal data you provide to the Census and Statistics Department via e-Questionnaire are secured, and access to them is restricted to authorised personnel only. For useful tips on information security, visit the following pages on the InfoSec website:
Points to note when handling your personal information Points to note when handling your accounts and passwords Points to note when surfing the web Making enquiries and reports to Government and related organisations about information security and computer crimes
(d) Tips in system operation
4.15. Why do I encounter error when clicking the “Refresh”, “Back” button or other hot keys of the browser? Under normal operation, the buttons, address bar and the hot keys of the browser are disabled by the system. However, these buttons, address bar and hot keys may be enabled again by some external means. Anyhow, you should never use these buttons, address bar and hot keys, as this would affect the normal operation of e-Questionnaire.
4.16. Why does the system always direct me to a webpage with message "Your login session has been closed for system security reasons (e.g. session time-out). Please click the button below to return to the homepage and then login again." when I try to login? Please check the setting of your browser to ensure Cookies have been enabled.
4.17. I always receive the pop-up screens warning me about security. How should I get rid of it? Please refer to the steps on the following webpage:
http://www.gov.hk/en/about/helpdesk/faq/infosec/index.shtml#q3
4.18. When I try to view a PDF document, why nothing is shown but a blank window? i. Start Acrobat Reader, click "Reference", in "Categories" choose "Internet"
ii. Check "Display PDF in browser", "Allow fast web view" and "Allow speculative downloading in the background"
iii. Click "OK"
iv. Start Internet Explorer, click "Tools", click "Internet Options", click "Delete Files"
v. Check "Delete all offline content", click "OK"
vi. Click "OK"
vii. Start Firefox, click "Tools", click "Privacy"
viii. Click "Clear Now"
ix. Check "Browse History", "Download History", "Cache", "Authenticated Sessions"
x. Click "Clear Private Data Now"
xi. Click "OK"
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(e) Tips for appointment booking
4.19. Do I require to make an appointment or wait for the visit by Census Officer at home? It is not a must to make an appointment. Households need not worry to wait for the visit by Census Officer at home. During the second phase of the Pilot Survey for the 2016 Population By-census (16 July 2015 to 2 August 2015), Census Officers will conduct interviews for the households not choosing self-enumeration. In the first visit, our Census Officer will leave an appointment booking card showing his/her duty area and contact phone number to households that cannot be contacted. Households can call the Census Officer to arrange for another visit.
4.20. Can Household Reference Number, Household Account Number, Activation Key and password be changed? Household Reference Number and Activation Key cannot be changed. However, households can set a password when using the system for the first time. After a password is set, the activation key is no longer valid.
4.21. How many days should I make the request before the appointment date? You should make the request at least 2 days before the appointment date either through the e-Appointment for Face-to-Face Interview or by calling the Telephone Enquiry Centre at 2920 2016. If you need to change or cancel your appointment, please make the request at least one day before the appointment date. Households with special appointment requests may call the Telephone Enquiry Centre. The operator will record the information and then transfer the case to the responsible enumerator for follow-up. But this booking cannot be confirmed on the spot. Census Officer will call the household for arrangement.
4.22. How can I find out whether the appointment is successfully made if the booking is suddenly terminated due to network or computer problem? You can re-enter the system and click 'Enquire Appointment' on the left to see your appointment booking details. If no record is found, you must make the appointment again. Due to time-out function of the system, you may need to wait for 20-30 mins to login again after abnormal system termination.
4.23. If I have registered for e-Questionnaire, do I need to register again for using e-Appointment? If you have registered for e-Questionnaire and have not submitted the questionnaire, you may use that account to login the e-Appointment for Face-to Face Interview by clicking "Existing User". The system will ask you to confirm whether you want to cancel the e-Questionnaire account or not. You may proceed to appointment booking after updating the basic information (if needed). In case you have submitted e-Questionnaire, you cannot use the e-Appointment for Face-to-Face Interview.
4.24. Can I change or cancel appointment or enquire details of appointment booking which was made through online booking system via the enquiry hotline? Yes. Households can either use the e-Appointment for Face-to-Face Interview or call the Telephone Enquiry Centre at 2920 2016 to make, change, cancel or enquire about appointment bookings.
For change in or cancellation of appointment, the request should be made at least one day before the appointment date.
4.25. Is it the only way to make an appointment through the e-Appointment system? What should I do if I do not have computer at home? Apart from using the e-Appointment service, households can make an appointment for face-to-face interview by calling 2920 2016 from 9:00am to 10:30pm, Monday to Sunday.
5.1. Am I required to provide my Hong Kong Identity Card number?
All respondents are not required to provide Hong Kong Identity Card numbers.
5.2. Will information on individual persons and households collected in the 2016 Population By-census be used for criminal investigation, taxation, rate evaluation, or enforcement of the housing or immigration ordinances?
No. Information will only be used for compiling statistics only. Identifiable individual data will neither be kept in the computer nor be disclosed to any other bodies (including government departments). Within the Census and Statistics Department, the information will not be accessible to any unauthorized persons for whatsoever purposes.
5.3. How would the Census and Statistics Department ensure the security and confidentiality of the census data, including those provided on e-Questionnaires?
Ensuring the confidentiality of data in the conduct of census/By-census is one of the central concerns of the Census and Statistics Department. Under the Census and Statistics Ordinance, it is an offence to disclose the particulars of individual persons or households to unauthorized persons. The following measures will be taken to ensure data confidentiality :
(i) e-Questionnaire is operated on a secure platform and stringent security standards and handling procedures are in place for data protection, including password creation by households for future account logins, completion of questionnaires at designated password-protected account, as well as encryption of data during transmission over the Internet and for storage in the system;
(ii) Respondents can contact the 2016 Population By-census Telephone Enquiry Centre to verify the census officer’s identity. Census officers will be identified by a Census Officer Certificate of Identity;
(iii) All census officers are required to take an oath of secrecy;
(iv) All staff performing data processing are required to make a statement to ensure the confidentiality of data;
(v) All questionnaire data will be processed, encrypted and stored in systems designated for processing census data only;
(vi) All completed questionnaires will be destroyed within 12 months after commencement of the By-census;
(vii) The reference link between records and addresses of units of quarters will be deleted when the data set is constructed for subsequent tabulations; and
(viii) All published tables will be scrutinized to ensure no small values appear in them for small geographical units from which personal particulars may be derived through complicated deduction.
6.1. What factors are considered for selecting data topics of population censuses/by-censuses?
In deciding the topics for the population censuses/by-censuses, the following factors are considered:
1.Usefulness of data;
2.Willingness and ability of the respondents to answer;
3.Ability of census officers to understand the questions and communicate with respondents;
4.Existence of other data source/data collection channel
5.Processing efforts;
6.Comparability of data with previous censuses/by-censuses;
7.Keeping the interviewing time within reasonable length; and
8.Recommendations of the United Nations and international practices.
6.2. Why is my household selected for the Pilot Survey for the 2016 Population By-census?
The Pilot Survey is mainly intended to test the questionnaire design and the operational arrangements of the 2016 Population By-census to be conducted in mid-2016. In the Pilot Survey, about 3 000 quarters in four selected District Council districts (Eastern, Sham Shui Po, Yau Tsim Mong, and Yuen Long) are covered
7.1. Are household members required to answer the questions in person?
Household members should answer the questions themselves, except for those who are aged below 15 or who are unable to give the particulars by reason of sickness, disablement, absence or other sufficient cause.
7.2. Can I refuse to answer any question? If no, why?
The Pilot Survey is conducted as a voluntary statistical survey under Part IIIA of the Census and Statistics Ordinance. In accordance with the Ordinance, data collected regarding individual persons and households will be kept in strict confidence and will not be released to any other parties including government departments. All questionnaires will be destroyed within 12 months after the survey is completed.
7.3. When will the completed questionnaires of the Pilot Survey for the 2016 Population By-census be destroyed?
Within 12 months after the commencement of the Pilot Survey is completed.
8.1. Why do we need a census and a By-census?
Since 1961, a population census is conducted in Hong Kong once every ten years, and a By-census in the middle of the intercensal period. Population censuses were conducted in 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001 and 2011, and population By-censuses in 1966, 1976, 1986, 1996 and 2006. Following this practice, the next population By-census will be conducted in 2016.

The aim of conducting population censuses/by-censuses is to obtain up-to-date benchmark information on the socio-economic characteristics of the population and on its geographical distribution. Population censuses involve a complete headcount of the population, while population By-censuses enquire about the detailed characteristics of the population on the basis of a large sample. The sizable scale of a population By-census ensures statistics for population sub-groups and small geographical areas are of high precision. The information collected is vital to the Government planning and policy formulation, particularly in such fields as education, housing, transport, medical and social services. The data are also important to the private sector for formulating business strategies and to researchers for conducting social and economic studies.
8.2. What is the difference between a census and a By-census?
A By-census differs from a full census in not having a complete headcount of the population but enquiring on the detailed characteristics of the population on the basis of a large sample. The size and characteristics of the entire population are inferred from the sample results in accordance with appropriate statistical theory.
8.3. How is the census/By-census data used for planning? Can the private sector use the census/By-census results? Please give some examples.
The census/By-census will meet the needs of policy bureaux and government departments for up-to-date population data. In particular, it will provide:
1.benchmark data for studying the direction and trend of population changes, which are key inputs for preparing projections of population, household, labour force and employment ;
2.population data on small areas for population distribution projections by geographical area and segment, which form the basis for government development programmes at regional and district levels; and
3.comprehensive data on small population sub-groups, such as the ethnic minorities and single parent families, for the government to plan welfare policies and service programmes.
The census/By-census data are useful to the private sector for appraising market conditions and planning investment. For example, they are important for estimating customer demand which depend, among other factors, on the size, composition and geographical distribution of the population. The census/By-census data are also widely used by researchers in conducting social and economic researches.
8.4. What are the estimated number of households and persons to be enumerated in the 2016 Population By-census?
The 2016 Population By-census requires the participation of one-tenth of the households in Hong Kong. About 300 000 quarters are selected using scientific random sampling procedures and all households residing therein will be asked to take part in the By-census.
8.5. When was the 2016 Population By-census be conducted?
The 2016 Population By-census was conducted in the 34-day period from 30 June to 2 August 2016.
8.6. How were the 2016 Population By-census data be collected?
A multi-modal data collection approach is used. Starting from 30 June 2016, respondents of the sampled units of quarters may complete their e-questionnaires (e-Q) online or using the e-Q mobile app. From 16 July to 2 August 2016, the Census and Statistics Department will arranged census officers to visit households that have not yet submitted e-Q and use mobile tablets to collect the requested information.
8.7. What is the estimated cost of the 2016 Population By-census?
An amount of $256.59 million has been allocated to the Census and Statistics Department for the preparatory work and the conduct of the 2016 Population By-census (16BC) for employing additional manpower resources and setting up an office for conducting the 16BC. Separately, an amount of $88.814 million was approved by the Legislative Council Finance Committee for the acquisition of computer equipment and services to support various activities in the 16BC.
8.8. Has the Census and Statistics Department conducted any test to ensure that the design of the 2016 Population By-census is feasible?
A population census/By-census is a complex, costly and one-off exercise. It is essential to test thoroughly the various aspects of the operation well in advance so that any necessary enhancements can be introduced in good time. For the planning of the 2016 Population By-census, a pilot survey will be conducted from June to August 2015 to assess the feasibility of the proposed design. With reference to the evaluation results of the pilot survey in respect of questionnaire design, data collection methods and various operational aspects, the overall design of the 2016 Population By-census will be refined and finalised.

Last revision date: 15 August 2016

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