Questions you can expect from the 2011 census takers

I don't see any unusual questions that the guy asked her. Aside from the fact that When he asked her if she can walk and she answered yes, he then asked if she had a wheelchair. He could have just ticked that she doesn't I suppose. The question about if she used a walking stick is perfectly acceptable. The woman is being a little hostile in my opinion, and unnecessarily so. The questions are obviously there to gauge things like lifestyle and affluence, which are needed by government to understand the demographics of SA.

It may be unknown to some on this forum but not everyone in SA can afford a dvd player or a fridge or a stove. And some grow there own vegetables out of necessity. It's called being poor and government want to know how many people are poor, middle class or rich. That's all.
 
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So, having a vegetable patch means you are poor, not that they sell poor quality (IMHO) in the shops, or that you like gardening. Colour doesn't count anymore, therefore why ask?
 
If the government wants to know if you're rich, poor or inbetween, all they have to do is go to SARS and banks. Just because you have a vegetable patch doesn't mean you're poor, or rich, or inbetween. And having a DVD player is hardly a symbol of wealth. Why no questions about whether we have a car? Or two cars? Or whether we have DStv or not. Or even whether we have a mobile phone. Those questions should surely come before 'have you got a music centre?'
 
psheldon said:
So, having a vegetable patch means you are poor, not that they sell poor quality (IMHO) in the shops, or that you like gardening. Colour doesn't count anymore, therefore why ask?
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exactly. so sad.
 
I think the questions are a clear indication of just how poverty stricken the rest of South Africa really is, owning a Dvd player and music centre clearly puts you a class above those dwelling in shacks and such.
 
joy_Energiser said:
I think the questions are a clear indication of just how poverty stricken the rest of South Africa really is, owning a Dvd player and music centre clearly puts you a class above those dwelling in shacks and such.
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No it doesn't. Many, many shack dwellers own music centres and DVD players. And many so-called middle-class citizens don't. Many vegetable growers are the richest people out there, and many are also the poorest. These questions don't do anything to determine wealth or status.
 
jct said:
No it doesn't. Many, many shack dwellers own music centres and DVD players. And many so-called middle-class citizens don't. Many vegetable growers are the richest people out there, and many are also the poorest. These questions don't do anything to determine wealth or status.
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The vegatable patch is a perplexing one tbh, I can't see how they can Correlate data between different social classes with that.Although I find It hard to believe shack dwellers who barely have running water and electricity would own dvd players and music centres.(that they legitimately bought)
 
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jct said:
If the government wants to know if you're rich, poor or inbetween, all they have to do is go to SARS and banks. Just because you have a vegetable patch doesn't mean you're poor, or rich, or inbetween. And having a DVD player is hardly a symbol of wealth. Why no questions about whether we have a car? Or two cars? Or whether we have DStv or not. Or even whether we have a mobile phone. Those questions should surely come before 'have you got a music centre?'
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Oh, I didn't know everyone in SA had a bank account and was working. Funny that, I could have sworn that I had read somewhere that we had this huge unemployment problem. Must have been my imagination.

Sorry for the sarcasm but SARS will only be able to tell government facts on registered tax payers and banks will only be able to tell government facts on bank customers. All the other people that are left in the country are then needed to be found. How do you suppose government does that then? I mean, if they do use two different systems, one to count the people that are registered tax payers and a census system, do you really think they'd be able to get an accurate idea at the end? This particular government?

As for a dvd player being a common household item, LOL, you've never been around many really poor people, have you? I know some people that have got a single little battery radio that is the some total of their entertainment. The questions are a uniform standard for everyone to get as accurate an idea as possible. Just because they may be annoying to you does not change there relevance to the census.
 
Ronjay said:
Oh, I didn't know everyone in SA had a bank account and was working. Funny that, I could have sworn that I had read somewhere that we had this huge unemployment problem. Must have been my imagination.

Sorry for the sarcasm but SARS will only be able to tell government facts on registered tax payers and banks will only be able to tell government facts on bank customers. All the other people that are left in the country are then needed to be found. How do you suppose government does that then? I mean, if they do use two different systems, one to count the people that are registered tax payers and a census system, do you really think they'd be able to get an accurate idea at the end? This particular government?

As for a dvd player being a common household item, LOL, you've never been around many really poor people, have you? I know some people that have got a single little battery radio that is the some total of their entertainment. The questions are a uniform standard for everyone to get as accurate an idea as possible. Just because they may be annoying to you does not change there relevance to the census.
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Take a trip to your local township and see what percentage of users have tvs and dvd players. Not all of them, but many of them. This is 2010. Ever see those electrical cables criss-crossing in nests? Those are powering more than just kettles.
 
jct said:
Take a trip to your local township and see what percentage of users have tvs and dvd players. Not all of them, but many of them. This is 2010. Ever see those electrical cables criss-crossing in nests? Those are powering more than just kettles.
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I have no doubt about that. But there are still a lot of very poor people out there. Anyway it's just my opinion on the census, and I could be wrong. Maybe the questions asked are just a waste of time. I hope not as this is a flipping expensive waste of time if it is.
 
The vegetable patch and dvd player questions don't necessarily relate to class distinction or wealth - they could be asked to determine a whole host of other criteria...
 
DJ... said:
The vegetable patch and dvd player questions don't necessarily relate to class distinction or wealth - they could be asked to determine a whole host of other criteria...
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Exactly. I was just making a suggestion to what might be the reason for the questions. I'm not saying that is the reason at all.
 
Thought the Census was to actually count the population not what they have or not have
 
Cartier22 said:
Thought the Census was to actually count the population not what they have or not have
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It's to collect greater statistics than just population.

You can claim you are a prostitute and trade drugs worth R1 billion a year and they can't use that information to give to the police or SARS.
 
ponder said:
It's to collect greater statistics than just population.

You can claim you are a prostitute and trade drugs worth R1 billion a year and they can't use that information to give to the police or SARS.
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:eek: Fazda picks up laptop and scurries out of the room in search of new R1 billion job!! :eek:
 
I have it on good authority (*) that the only reason they ask certain questions is so that butheads on forums can link to something when arguing.
(*) Citation needed.
 
Good questions. Very statistically diverse (would be stupid to waste question space/time by asking "do you have satellite television?" and then asking "do you have a dvd player?").
 
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