Does your country do a census? Are they outdated?

[Candleicious Ghost]

Next week is census night in Australia on the 11th and I'm in two thoughts about this. Yeah we have to do this every few years but also if you think that government allocates resources based on census data that's rather farcical I think. This in 2026 seems like duplication and a dinosaur system that still thinks it has value. Maybe it's time to get rid of such outdated things.

Just saying

 

[Avro Arrow]

Yes, in Canada, we do a census every 5 years. And in fact, we just completed our most recent one a few months ago; our official "census day" was May 12. It is how we get statistical data on our population. You can't really make good decisions without good data.

Why do you think it's outdated?

 

[PlainSimpleJoel]

Census is done every 5 years here also. The census collects key demographic, social and economic data from all people in Australia on census night, and census is the largest and most significant statistical event in Australia.

 

[Candleicious Ghost]

Yes, in Canada, we do a census every 5 years. And in fact, we just completed our most recent one a few months ago; our official "census day" was May 12. It is how we get statistical data on our population. You can't really make good decisions without good data.

Why do you think it's outdated?

I just feel it's an outdated thing that's all

 

[Tosk]

I just feel it's an outdated thing that's all

In what way though?

 

[Guy Gardener]

He may mean that there are more modern ways to collect the same data, than hiring 10,000 indigents, students and alcoholics to knock on doors for a month, and crawl under bridges to haggle with the mentally disturbed.

Google already has the complete data set, and they may hand it over for a fraction of the cost of a census, or minimal tax relief.

 

[Candleicious Ghost]

He may mean that there are more modern ways to collect the same data, than hiring 10,000 indigents, students and alcoholics to knock on doors for a month, and crawl under bridges to haggle with the mentally disturbed.

Google already has the complete data set, and they may hand it over for a fraction of the cost of a census, or minimal tax relief.

Exactly what you said, all the right data is already out there in other forms and Google by no means has probably harvested all the data that a census would ask anyway, and they would love to sell that data for a price

 

[Tosk]

So you're cynical about the use of the census data, but you're okay with the idea of sourcing it from a company like Google?

Besides, focusing on user data harvested by Google sounds like an excellent way to completely ignore portions of the population.

 

[Candleicious Ghost]

So you're cynical about the use of the census data, but you're okay with the idea of sourcing it from a company like Google?

Besides, focusing on user data harvested by Google sounds like an excellent way to completely ignore portions of the population.

I guess.. i mean I will fill it out and do it, just to me it feels like something old

 

[Tosk]

What's the cutoff for when we should get rid of old stuff that still works?

 

[Candleicious Ghost]

What's the cutoff for when we should get rid of old stuff that still works?

Ok ok lol I get it