Census takers often injured while making city's massive head count

The city's population census is still encountering difficulties as some enumerators have been injured while conducting preparatory surveys during the past three months and some have quit because of the heavy workload and the unwillingness of some residents to cooperate.

However, at the launch ceremony for the month-long promotion of the national census on Sunday, it was announced that the enumerators in the city will continue to carry out door-to-door registrations from Nov 1 to Nov 10.

According to statistics from the Beijing Census Office, there were a total of 188 injuries to enumerators between June 1 and Sept 14, including 94 cases involving broken bones and other injuries, nine of them serious. Most of them injured during their night visits on suburban regions.

There were also 64 injuries from dog bites.Jiang Qiqin, an enumerator working at the Dongxinfang communities in Mentougou district, was bitten by a dog when she attempted to knock on a door.

"I do hope residents can show more understanding for our job and keep better control of their dogs, at least during the period of the census," Jiang said.

Zhu Jing, a woman at the Hepingli census office in Chaoyang district, said ideally at least one person who can provide accurate information about the family should stay at home to complete the census.

She also said that aside from signing privacy agreements with residents, enumerators will also try to choose a good time to visit, based on different lifestyles, andmake appointments with householders who seem absent for a long time.

A spokesman for the Municipal Public Security Bureau told Beijing Daily in June,that the bureau has dispatched more night patrol forces and auxiliary policemen to the communities and police will accompany each enumerator to ensure their safety.

The police will be more careful in handling households including those with mental patients and large dogs.

China Daily

(China Daily 09/28/2010)