Preparations underway for census in the district

Nearly 12,000 workers are starting the census in 12 townships and subdistricts with more than 8,000 neighborhoods.

Data will be collected including names, ID numbers, gender, marital status, education and profession.

“With the wide application of intelligent equipment, the workload has been greatly reduced,” said Li Lianzhu, of the Yulan No. 1 Community in Anting Town.

Li took part in the sixth national census in 2010 when she and her colleagues used pen and paper to collect the data. Nowadays, collectors use smartphones or tablets to input information, and residents can also use WeChat to submit information themselves.

At some communities, WeChat groups have been set up for data collectors to guide residents to submit the information correctly.

Shanghai began preparations for the census in January but they were interrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The city government says the results will be used to set medium-term and long-term plans for the city and help with setting public policies in urban management and civil affairs.

Citizens’ private information should be protected and kept secret. Sales of personal information are banned, and there will be tough punishments on offenders, the government said.

Expats will be part of the census, with staff visiting them at their homes.

China conducts a national population census every 10 years, with the last census in the world’s most populous country finding that its population had increased to 1.37 billion.