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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1977
RESULTS OF 1976 BY-CENSUS
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HONG KONG'S BIRTH RATE HAS DECLINED, THE AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD SIZE IS SMALLER, AND THE MEDIAN AGE HAS RISEN.
THESE AND OTHER DETAILS ARE CONTAINED IN A COMPARATIVE SUMMARY WHICH ACCOMPANIED THE FIRST REPORT OF THE 1976 BY-CENSUS PUBLISHED TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
ACCORDING TO THE FINDINGS, THE ANNUAL POPULATION GROWTH
RATE BETWEEN 1971-1976 WAS 1.9 PER CENT COMPARED WITH 2.5 PER CENT BETWEEN 1961-1971.
THE AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD SIZE WAS FOUND TO BE 4.2 PERSONS IN 1976 COMPARED WITH 4.5 IN 1971.
LAST YEAR, THE PROPORTION OF POPULATION AGED UNDER 15 WAS 30.1 PER CENT COMPARED WITH 35.8 PER CENT FIVE YEARS AGO. BUT THE PROPORTION OF POPULATION AGED 65 AND OVER WAS 5.5 PER CENT COMPARED WITH 4.5 PER CENT FIVE YEARS AGO. THE MEDIAN AGE OF THE POPULATION HAS RISEN BY 1.9 YEARS, FROM 22.0 IN 1971 TO 23.9 IN 1976.
THE FIRST BY-CENSUS REPORT CONSISTS OF 24 BASIC CROSS- TABULATIONS WHICH FULLY CONDENSE THE WHOLE RANGE OF BY-CENSUS INFORMATION. THESE TABLES WITH EXPLANATORY NOTES ON COVERAGE AND DEFINITIONS USED WERE PREPARED BY COMPUTER FROM QUESTIONNAIRES COMPLETED BY CENSUS ENUMERATORS DURING THE 1976 BY-CENSUS WHICH COST $3.5 MILLION. A TOTAL OF 2,650 TEMPORARY STAFF OF TEACHERS AND POST-SECONDARY STUDENTS WERE ENGAGED IN THE FIELD OPERATION.
COMMENTING ON THE REPORT, THE COMMISSIONER FOR CENSUS AND STATISTICS, MR. D.S. WHITELEGGE, SAID IT WAS DESIGNED TO PRESENT A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF INTERESTING AND USEFUL DETAIL AND AT THE SAME TIME A RECOGNISABLE GENERAL PICTURE.
+DETAILED ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF THE BY-CENSUS RESULTS ARE NOT ATTEMPTED IN THIS REPORT. THIS WILL BE PRESENTED IN THE MAIN REPORT OF THE BY-CENSUS WHICH WILL BE PUBLISHED NEXT YEAR, HE EXPLAINED.
A BOOKLET IN CHINESE AND ENGLISH SHOWING THE MAIN RESULTS OF THE CENSUS IN COLOURED DIAGRAMS AND CHARTS WILL ALSO BE PUBLISHED SOON,
THE BY-CENSUS WAS CONDUCTED ON A 10 PER CENT RANDOM SAMPLE OF THE POPULATION OF HONG KONG, AND TOOK PLACE IN JUNE 1976 FOR THE BOAT PEOPLE, AND IN AUGUST FOR THE LAND POPULATION.
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