Planning is, therefore, the first order of business when a census is to be taken. It should be started, even on an informal basis if necessary, long before approval for the census is obtained from the appropriate government body. Everything necessary for each step must be planned sufficiently in advance so that it will be carried out at the appropriate time and in the proper sequence. Questionnaire Design and Table Outlines Well-designed questionnaires and other forms are crucial to the success of the census. If questions are poorly worded and the format is confusing, census resources will be wasted, and no amount of processing will improve the data.
Questionnaires contain the items for which information is collected during the enumeration.
Therefore, a questionnaire serves as the basic instrument for obtaining accurate and necessary data. Designing a questionnaire requires a good understanding of why the information is being obtained and how it will be used. It requires skill in judging how well the questions will be understood by those furnishing the data. It calls for knowledge of how the information will be tabulated and how it will be processed. Also, it demands good judgement in putting together all the elements.