2016-2020 ACS 5-Year estimates of demographic variables (see below) compiled at the county level..The American Community Survey (ACS) 5 Year 2016-2020 demographic information is a subset of information available for download from the U.S. Census. Tables used in the development of this dataset include: B01001 - Sex By Age;

B03002 - Hispanic Or Latino Origin By Race; B11001 - Household Type (Including Living Alone); B11005 - Households By Presence Of People Under 18 Years By Household Type; B11006 - Households By Presence Of People 60 Years And Over By Household Type; B16005 - Nativity By Language Spoken At Home By Ability To Speak English For The Population 5 Years And Over; B25010 - Average Household Size Of Occupied Housing Units By Tenure, and; B15001 - Sex by Educational Attainment for the Population 18 Years and Over; To learn more about the American Community Survey (ACS), and associated datasets visit: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs, for questions about the spatial attribution of this dataset, please reach out to us at GISHelpdesk@hud.gov. Data Dictionary: DD_ACS 5-Year Demographic Estimate Data by County Date of Coverage: 2016-2020

Professional organizations in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) can use demographic data to quantify recruitment and retention (R&R) of underrepresented groups within their memberships. However, variation in the types of demographic data collected can influence the targeting and perceived impacts of R&R efforts - e.g., giving false signals of R&R for some groups. We obtained demographic surveys from 73 U.S.-affiliated STEM organizations, collectively representing 712,000 members and conference-attendees. We found large differences in the demographic categories surveyed (e.g., disability status, sexual orientation) and the available response options. These discrepancies indicate a lack of consensus regarding the demographic groups that should be recognized and, for groups that are omitted from surveys, an inability of organizations to prioritize and evaluate R&R initiatives. Aligning inclusive demographic surveys across organizations will provide baseline data that can be used to target and evaluate R&R initiatives to better serve underrepresented groups throughout STEM. Methods We surveyed 164 STEM organizations (73 responses, rate = 44.5%) between December 2020 and July 2021 with the goal of understanding what demographic data each organization collects from its constituents (i.e., members and conference-attendees) and how the data are used. Organizations were sourced from a list of professional societies affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, AAAS, (n = 156) or from social media (n = 8). The survey was sent to the elected leadership and management firms for each organization, and follow-up reminders were sent after one month. The responding organizations represented a wide range of fields: 31 life science organizations (157,000 constituents), 5 mathematics organizations (93,000 constituents), 16 physical science organizations (207,000 constituents), 7 technology organizations (124,000 constituents), and 14 multi-disciplinary organizations spanning multiple branches of STEM (131,000 constituents). A list of the responding organizations is available in the Supplementary Materials. Based on the AAAS-affiliated recruitment of the organizations and the similar distribution of constituencies across STEM fields, we conclude that the responding organizations are a representative cross-section of the most prominent STEM organizations in the U.S. Each organization was asked about the demographic information they collect from their constituents, the response rates to their surveys, and how the data were used. Survey description The following questions are written as presented to the participating organizations. Question 1: What is the name of your STEM organization? Question 2: Does your organization collect demographic data from your membership and/or meeting attendees? Question 3: When was your organization’s most recent demographic survey (approximate year)? Question 4: We would like to know the categories of demographic information collected by your organization. You may answer this question by either uploading a blank copy of your organization’s survey (linked provided in online version of this survey) OR by completing a short series of questions. Question 5: On the most recent demographic survey or questionnaire, what categories of information were collected? (Please select all that apply)

Disability status Gender identity (e.g., male, female, non-binary) Marital/Family status Racial and ethnic group Religion Sex Sexual orientation Veteran status Other (please provide)

Question 6: For each of the categories selected in Question 5, what options were provided for survey participants to select? Question 7: Did the most recent demographic survey provide a statement about data privacy and confidentiality? If yes, please provide the statement. Question 8: Did the most recent demographic survey provide a statement about intended data use? If yes, please provide the statement. Question 9: Who maintains the demographic data collected by your organization? (e.g., contracted third party, organization executives) Question 10: How has your organization used members’ demographic data in the last five years? Examples: monitoring temporal changes in demographic diversity, publishing diversity data products, planning conferences, contributing to third-party researchers. Question 11: What is the size of your organization (number of members or number of attendees at recent meetings)? Question 12: What was the response rate (%) for your organization’s most recent demographic survey? *Organizations were also able to upload a copy of their demographics survey instead of responding to Questions 5-8. If so, the uploaded survey was used (by the study authors) to evaluate Questions 5-8.

This API returns a search for the demographic information for a particular geography type and geography ID

The Decennial Census provides population estimates and demographic information on residents of the United States.

The Census Summary Files contain detailed tables on responses to the decennial census. Data tables in Summary File 1 provide information on population and housing characteristics, including cross-tabulations of age, sex, households, families, relationship to householder, housing units, detailed race and Hispanic or Latino origin groups, and group quarters for the total population. Summary File 2 contains data tables on population and housing characteristics as reported by housing unit.

Researchers at NYU Langone Health can find guidance for the use and analysis of Census Bureau data on the Population Health Data Hub (listed under "Other Resources"), which is accessible only through the intranet portal with a valid Kerberos ID (KID).

This map contains NYC administrative boundaries enriched with various demographics datasets.Learn more about Esri's Enrich Layer / Geoenrichment analysis tool.Learn more about Esri's Demographics, Psychographic, and Socioeconomic datasets.Search for a specific location or site using the search bar. Toggle layer visibility with the layer list. Click on a layer to see more information about the feature.

Population and other demographic information is collected by the US Census Bureau.

View the US Census Bureau's Quick Facts page about Bloomington, Indiana at https://www.census.gov/quickfacts

The Demographic Profile and other data for Bloomington can be viewed or downloaded from the American FactFinder search tool: https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/cf/1.0/en/place/Bloomington city, Indiana/POPULATION/DECENNIAL_CNT

The Census Bureau is creating a new platform for data. This site is in a preview stage and some parts are under construction. Here is a link for Bloomington: https://data.census.gov/cedsci/results/all?q=Bloomington%20city,%20Indiana&g=1600000US1805860&ps=app*from@SINGLE_SEARCH

The City webpage for Census data contains other related information: https://bloomington.in.gov/about/census-data

These data comprise Census records relating to the Alaskan people's population demographics for the State of Alaskan Salmon and People (SASAP) Project. Decennial census data were originally extracted from IPUMS National Historic Geographic Information Systems website: https://data2.nhgis.org/main (Citation: Steven Manson, Jonathan Schroeder, David Van Riper, and Steven Ruggles. IPUMS National Historical Geographic Information System: Version 12.0 [Database]. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota. 2017. http://doi.org/10.18128/D050.V12.0). A number of relevant tables of basic demographics on age and race, household income and poverty levels, and labor force participation were extracted. These particular variables were selected as part of an effort to understand and potentially quantify various dimensions of well-being in Alaskan communities. The file "censusdata_master.csv" is a consolidation of all 21 other data files in the package. For detailed information on how the datasets vary over different years, view the file "readme.docx" available in this data package. The included .Rmd file is a script which combines the 21 files by year into a single file (censusdata_master.csv). It also cleans up place names (including typographical errors) and uses the USGS place names dataset and the SASAP regions dataset to assign latitude and longitude values and region values to each place in the dataset. Note that some places were not assigned a region or location because they do not fit well into the regional framework. Considerable heterogeneity exists between census surveys each year. While we have attempted to combine these datasets in a way that makes sense, there may be some discrepancies or unexpected values. The RMarkdown document SASAPWebsiteGraphicsCensus.Rmd is used to generate a variety of figures using these data, including the additional file Chignik_population.png. An additional set of 25 figures showing regional trends in population and income metrics are also included.

Demographics......................................

Abstract (en): This data collection supplies standard monthly labor force data as well as supplemental data on work experience, income, and migration. Comprehensive information is given on the employment status, occupation, and industry of persons 14 years old and older. Additional data are available concerning weeks worked and hours per week worked, reason not working full-time, total income and income components, and residence. Information on demographic characteristics, such as age, sex, race, educational attainment, marital status, veteran status, household relationship, and Hispanic origin, is available for each person in the household enumerated. Persons in the civilian noninstitutional population of the United States living in households and members of the armed forces living in civilian housing units in 1969. A national probability sample was used in selecting housing units. (1) This hierarchical file contains 202,112 records. There are approximately 157 variables and two record types: family and person. Family records contain approximately 58 variables, and person records contain approximately 99 variables. (2) Each family and person record contains a weight, which must be used in any analysis. (3) This data file was obtained from the Data Program and Library Service (DPLS), University of Wisconsin. Some data management operations intended to store the data more efficiently were performed by DPLS. That organization also revised the original Census Bureau documentation. (4) The codebook is provided by ICPSR as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file. The PDF file format was developed by Adobe Systems Incorporated and can be accessed using PDF reader software, such as the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Information on how to obtain a copy of the Acrobat Reader is provided on the ICPSR Web site.

Context

There are a number of Kaggle datasets that provide spatial data around New York City. For many of these, it may be quite interesting to relate the data to the demographic and economic characteristics of nearby neighborhoods. I hope this data set will allow for making these comparisons without too much difficulty.

Exploring the data and making maps could be quite interesting as well.

Content

This dataset contains two CSV files:

1. nyc_census_tracts.csv

   This file contains a selection of census data taken from the ACS DP03 and DP05 tables. Things like total population, racial/ethnic demographic information, employment and commuting characteristics, and more are contained here. There is a great deal of additional data in the raw tables retrieved from the US Census Bureau website, so I could easily add more fields if there is enough interest.

   I obtained data for individual census tracts, which typically contain several thousand residents.

2. census_block_loc.csv

   For this file, I used an online FCC census block lookup tool to retrieve the census block code for a 200 x 200 grid containing New York City and a bit of the surrounding area. This file contains the coordinates and associated census block codes along
   with the state and county names to make things a bit more readable to users.

   Each census tract is split into a number of blocks, so one must extract the census tract code from the block code.

Acknowledgements

The data here was taken from the American Community Survey 2015 5-year estimates (https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml).

The census block coordinate data was taken from the FCC Census Block Conversions API (https://www.fcc.gov/general/census-block-conversions-api)

As public data from the US government, this is not subject to copyright within the US and should be considered public domain.

Users can obtain demographic characteristics of the foreign-born population in each state. Topics include: language, education, income, and poverty. Background The American Community Survey and Census Data on the Foreign-Born interactive map was created by the Migration Policy Institute using Census data. This website provides information pertaining to the immigrant population in the United States. Topics include: demographics, language, education, income and poverty of the foreign-born population. User Functionality Users can click on states to generate fact sheets about the demographic, social, language, educ ation, workforce, income, and poverty characteristics of the population in each state. Data can be downloaded into SAS statistical software. Users can view demographic information by race/ethnicity, Hispanic origin, place of origin, citizenship status, sex/gender, and marital status. Data Notes Data are derived from the 1990 and 2000 Decennial Censuses and the 2007 American Community Surveys (ACS). Information is available on national and state levels. The website does not indicate when the data will be updated.

A computerized data set of demographic, economic and social data for 227 countries of the world. Information presented includes population, health, nutrition, mortality, fertility, family planning and contraceptive use, literacy, housing, and economic activity data. Tabular data are broken down by such variables as age, sex, and urban/rural residence. Data are organized as a series of statistical tables identified by country and table number. Each record consists of the data values associated with a single row of a given table. There are 105 tables with data for 208 countries. The second file is a note file, containing text of notes associated with various tables. These notes provide information such as definitions of categories (i.e. urban/rural) and how various values were calculated. The IDB was created in the U.S. Census Bureau''s International Programs Center (IPC) to help IPC staff meet the needs of organizations that sponsor IPC research. The IDB provides quick access to specialized information, with emphasis on demographic measures, for individual countries or groups of countries. The IDB combines data from country sources (typically censuses and surveys) with IPC estimates and projections to provide information dating back as far as 1950 and as far ahead as 2050. Because the IDB is maintained as a research tool for IPC sponsor requirements, the amount of information available may vary by country. As funding and research activity permit, the IPC updates and expands the data base content. Types of data include: * Population by age and sex * Vital rates, infant mortality, and life tables * Fertility and child survivorship * Migration * Marital status * Family planning Data characteristics: * Temporal: Selected years, 1950present, projected demographic data to 2050. * Spatial: 227 countries and areas. * Resolution: National population, selected data by urban/rural * residence, selected data by age and sex. Sources of data include: * U.S. Census Bureau * International projects (e.g., the Demographic and Health Survey) * United Nations agencies Links: * ICPSR: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ICPSR/studies/08490

Population by age groups, race and gender, and the poverty by race is attached to the split tract geography to create this split tract with population and poverty data. Split tract data is the product of 2020 census tracts split by 2023 incorporated city boundaries and unincorporated community/countywide statistical areas (CSA) boundaries as of July 1, 2023. The census tract boundaries have been altered and aligned where necessary with legal city boundaries and unincorporated areas, including shoreline/coastal areas. Census Tract:Every 10 years the Census Bureau counts the population of the United States as mandated by Constitution. The Census Bureau (https://www.census.gov/)released 2020 geographic boundaries data including census tracts for the analysis and mapping of demographic information across the United States. City Boundary:City Boundary data is the base map information for the County of Los Angeles. These City Boundaries are based on the Los Angeles County Seamless Cadastral Landbase. The Landbase is jointly maintained by the Los Angeles County Assessor and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works (DPW). This layer represents current city boundaries within Los Angeles County. The DPW provides the most current shapefiles representing city boundaries and city annexations. True, legal boundaries are only determined on the ground by surveyors licensed in the State of California.Countywide Statistical Areas (CSA): The countywide Statistical Area (CSA) was defined to provide a common geographic boundary for reporting departmental statistics for unincorporated areas and incorporated Los Angeles city to the Board of Supervisors. The CSA boundary and CSA names are established by the CIO and the LA County Enterprise GIS group worked with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Unincorporated Area and Field Deputies that reflect as best as possible the general name preferences of residents and historical names of areas. This data is primarily focused on broad statistics and reporting, not mapping of communities. This data is not designed to perfectly represent communities, nor jurisdictional boundaries such as Angeles National Forest. CSA represent board approved geographies comprised of Census block groups split by cities.Data Fields:CT20: 2020 Census tractFIP22: 2023 City FIP CodeCITY: City name for incorporated cities and “Unincorporated” for unincorporated areas (as of July 1, 2023) CSA: Countywide Statistical Area (CSA) - Unincorporated area community names and LA City neighborhood names.CT20FIP23CSA: 2020 census tract with 2023 city FIPs for incorporated cities and unincorporated areas and LA neighborhoods. SPA22: 2022 Service Planning Area (SPA) number.SPA_NAME: Service Planning Area name.HD22: 2022 Health District (HD) number: HD_NAME: Health District name.POP23_AGE_0_4: 2023 population 0 to 4 years oldPOP23_AGE_5_9: 2023 population 5 to 9 years old POP23_AGE_10_14: 2023 population 10 to 14 years old POP23_AGE_15_17: 2022 population 15 to 17 years old POP23_AGE_18_19: 2023 population 18 to 19 years old POP23_AGE_20_44: 2023 population 20 to 24 years old POP23_AGE_25_29: 2023 population 25 to 29 years old POP23_AGE_30_34: 2023 population 30 to 34 years old POP23_AGE_35_44: 2023 population 35 to 44 years old POP23_AGE_45_54: 2023 population 45 to 54 years old POP23_AGE_55_64: 2023 population 55 to 64 years old POP23_AGE_65_74: 2023 population 65 to 74 years old POP23_AGE_75_84: 2023 population 75 to 84 years old POP23_AGE_85_100: 2023 population 85 years and older POP23_WHITE: 2023 Non-Hispanic White POP23_BLACK: 2023 Non-Hispanic African AmericanPOP23_AIAN: 2023 Non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska NativePOP23_ASIAN: 2023 Non-Hispanic Asian POP23_HNPI: 2023 Non-Hispanic Hawaiian Native or Pacific IslanderPOP23_HISPANIC: 2023 HispanicPOP23_MALE: 2023 Male POP23_FEMALE: 2023 Female POV23_WHITE: 2023 Non-Hispanic White below 100% Federal Poverty Level POV23_BLACK: 2023 Non-Hispanic African American below 100% Federal Poverty Level POV23_AIAN: 2023 Non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native below 100% Federal Poverty Level POV23_ASIAN: 2023 Non-Hispanic Asian below 100% Federal Poverty Level POV23_HNPI: 2023 Non-Hispanic Hawaiian Native or Pacific Islander below 100% Federal Poverty Level POV23_HISPANIC: 2023 Hispanic below 100% Federal Poverty Level POV23_TOTAL: 2023 Total population below 100% Federal Poverty Level POP23_TOTAL: 2023 Total PopulationAREA_SQMil: Area in square mile.POP23_DENSITY: 2023 Population per square mile.POV23_PERCENT: 2023 Poverty rate/percentage.How this data created?Population by age groups, ethnic groups and gender, and the poverty by ethnic groups is attributed to the split tract geography to create this data. Split tract polygon data is created by intersecting 2020 census tract polygons, LA Country City Boundary polygons and Countywide Statistical Areas (CSA) polygon data. The resulting polygon boundary aligned and matched with the legal city boundary whenever possible. Notes:1. Population and poverty data estimated as of July 1, 2023. 2. 2010 Census tract and 2020 census tracts are not the same. Similarly, city and community boundaries are as of July 1, 2023.

Designed to facilitate analysis of the status of Blacks around the turn of the century, this oversample of Black-headed households in the United States was drawn from the 1910 manuscript census schedules. The sample complements the 1/250 Public Use Sample of the 1910 census manuscripts collected by Samuel H. Preston at the University of Pennsylvania: CENSUS OF POPULATION, 1910 [UNITED STATES]: PUBLIC USE SAMPLE (ICPSR 9166). Part 1, Household Records, contains a record for each household selected in the sample and supplies variables describing the location, type, and composition of the households. Part 2, Individual Records, contains a record for each individual residing in the sampled households and includes information on demographic characteristics, occupation, literacy, nativity, ethnicity, and fertility.

Data includes: board and school information, grade 3 and 6 EQAO student achievements for reading, writing and mathematics, and grade 9 mathematics EQAO and OSSLT. Data excludes private schools, Education and Community Partnership Programs (ECPP), summer, night and continuing education schools. How Are We Protecting Privacy? Results for OnSIS and Statistics Canada variables are suppressed based on school population size to better protect student privacy. In order to achieve this additional level of protection, the Ministry has used a methodology that randomly rounds a percentage either up or down depending on school enrolment. In order to protect privacy, the ministry does not publicly report on data when there are fewer than 10 individuals represented. * Percentages depicted as 0 may not always be 0 values as in certain situations the values have been randomly rounded down or there are no reported results at a school for the respective indicator. * Percentages depicted as 100 are not always 100, in certain situations the values have been randomly rounded up. The school enrolment totals have been rounded to the nearest 5 in order to better protect and maintain student privacy. The information in the School Information Finder is the most current available to the Ministry of Education at this time, as reported by schools, school boards, EQAO and Statistics Canada. The information is updated as frequently as possible. This information is also available on the Ministry of Education's School Information Finder website by individual school. Descriptions for some of the data types can be found in our glossary. School/school board and school authority contact information are updated and maintained by school boards and may not be the most current version. For the most recent information please visit: https://data.ontario.ca/dataset/ontario-public-school-contact-information.

This dataset contains information about the demographics of all US cities and census-designated places with a population greater or equal to 65,000.This data comes from the US Census Bureau's 2015 American Community Survey.This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

This website provides demographic information about laboratories, including CLIA number, facility name and address, where the laboratory testing is performed, the type of CLIA certificate, and the date the certificate expires. This list is updated monthly and represents the information in the system at the time of update. For additional information about a particular laboratory, contact the appropriate State Agency or Regional Office CLIA contact (refer to State Agency or Regional Office CLIA link found on the left-hand navigation pane).

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Abstract (en): This collection contains individual-level and 1-percent national sample data from the 1960 Census of Population and Housing conducted by the Census Bureau. It consists of a representative sample of the records from the 1960 sample questionnaires. The data are stored in 30 separate files, containing in total over two million records, organized by state. Some files contain the sampled records of several states while other files contain all or part of the sample for a single state. There are two types of records stored in the data files: one for households and one for persons. Each household record is followed by a variable number of person records, one for each of the household members. Data items in this collection include the individual responses to the basic social, demographic, and economic questions asked of the population in the 1960 Census of Population and Housing. Data are provided on household characteristics and features such as the number of persons in household, number of rooms and bedrooms, and the availability of hot and cold piped water, flush toilet, bathtub or shower, sewage disposal, and plumbing facilities. Additional information is provided on tenure, gross rent, year the housing structure was built, and value and location of the structure, as well as the presence of air conditioners, radio, telephone, and television in the house, and ownership of an automobile. Other demographic variables provide information on age, sex, marital status, race, place of birth, nationality, education, occupation, employment status, income, and veteran status. The data files were obtained by ICPSR from the Center for Social Analysis, Columbia University. About 600,000 households and group quarters segments, and about 1,800,000 persons in the United States. One sample household for every 100 households, and persons in group quarters in the United States. Records have been sampled on a household-by-household basis so that the characteristics of family members may be interrelated and related to the characteristics of the housing unit. 2006-01-18 File CB7756.ALL.PDF was removed from any previous datasets and flagged as a study-level file, so that it will accompany all downloads.

Abstract

The 1998 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) is the latest in a series of national-level population and health surveys conducted in Ghana and it is part of the worldwide MEASURE DHS+ Project, designed to collect data on fertility, family planning, and maternal and child health.

The primary objective of the 1998 GDHS is to provide current and reliable data on fertility and family planning behaviour, child mortality, children’s nutritional status, and the utilisation of maternal and child health services in Ghana. Additional data on knowledge of HIV/AIDS are also provided. This information is essential for informed policy decisions, planning and monitoring and evaluation of programmes at both the national and local government levels.

The long-term objectives of the survey include strengthening the technical capacity of the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) to plan, conduct, process, and analyse the results of complex national sample surveys. Moreover, the 1998 GDHS provides comparable data for long-term trend analyses within Ghana, since it is the third in a series of demographic and health surveys implemented by the same organisation, using similar data collection procedures. The GDHS also contributes to the ever-growing international database on demographic and health-related variables.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

• Household
• Children under five years
• Women age 15-49
• Men age 15-59

Kind of data

Sample survey data

Sampling procedure

The major focus of the 1998 GDHS was to provide updated estimates of important population and health indicators including fertility and mortality rates for the country as a whole and for urban and rural areas separately. In addition, the sample was designed to provide estimates of key variables for the ten regions in the country.

The list of Enumeration Areas (EAs) with population and household information from the 1984 Population Census was used as the sampling frame for the survey. The 1998 GDHS is based on a two-stage stratified nationally representative sample of households. At the first stage of sampling, 400 EAs were selected using systematic sampling with probability proportional to size (PPS-Method). The selected EAs comprised 138 in the urban areas and 262 in the rural areas. A complete household listing operation was then carried out in all the selected EAs to provide a sampling frame for the second stage selection of households. At the second stage of sampling, a systematic sample of 15 households per EA was selected in all regions, except in the Northern, Upper West and Upper East Regions. In order to obtain adequate numbers of households to provide reliable estimates of key demographic and health variables in these three regions, the number of households in each selected EA in the Northern, Upper West and Upper East regions was increased to 20. The sample was weighted to adjust for over sampling in the three northern regions (Northern, Upper East and Upper West), in relation to the other regions. Sample weights were used to compensate for the unequal probability of selection between geographically defined strata.

The survey was designed to obtain completed interviews of 4,500 women age 15-49. In addition, all males age 15-59 in every third selected household were interviewed, to obtain a target of 1,500 men. In order to take cognisance of non-response, a total of 6,375 households nation-wide were selected.

Note: See detailed description of sample design in APPENDIX A of the survey report.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face

Research instrument

Three types of questionnaires were used in the GDHS: the Household Questionnaire, the Women’s Questionnaire, and the Men’s Questionnaire. These questionnaires were based on model survey instruments developed for the international MEASURE DHS+ programme and were designed to provide information needed by health and family planning programme managers and policy makers. The questionnaires were adapted to the situation in Ghana and a number of questions pertaining to on-going health and family planning programmes were added. These questionnaires were developed in English and translated into five major local languages (Akan, Ga, Ewe, Hausa, and Dagbani).

The Household Questionnaire was used to enumerate all usual members and visitors in a selected household and to collect information on the socio-economic status of the household. The first part of the Household Questionnaire collected information on the relationship to the household head, residence, sex, age, marital status, and education of each usual resident or visitor. This information was used to identify women and men who were eligible for the individual interview. For this purpose, all women age 15-49, and all men age 15-59 in every third household, whether usual residents of a selected household or visitors who slept in a selected household the night before the interview, were deemed eligible and interviewed. The Household Questionnaire also provides basic demographic data for Ghanaian households. The second part of the Household Questionnaire contained questions on the dwelling unit, such as the number of rooms, the flooring material, the source of water and the type of toilet facilities, and on the ownership of a variety of consumer goods.

The Women’s Questionnaire was used to collect information on the following topics: respondent’s background characteristics, reproductive history, contraceptive knowledge and use, antenatal, delivery and postnatal care, infant feeding practices, child immunisation and health, marriage, fertility preferences and attitudes about family planning, husband’s background characteristics, women’s work, knowledge of HIV/AIDS and STDs, as well as anthropometric measurements of children and mothers.

The Men’s Questionnaire collected information on respondent’s background characteristics, reproduction, contraceptive knowledge and use, marriage, fertility preferences and attitudes about family planning, as well as knowledge of HIV/AIDS and STDs.

Response rate

A total of 6,375 households were selected for the GDHS sample. Of these, 6,055 were occupied. Interviews were completed for 6,003 households, which represent 99 percent of the occupied households. A total of 4,970 eligible women from these households and 1,596 eligible men from every third household were identified for the individual interviews. Interviews were successfully completed for 4,843 women or 97 percent and 1,546 men or 97 percent. The principal reason for nonresponse among individual women and men was the failure of interviewers to find them at home despite repeated callbacks.

Note: See summarized response rates by place of residence in Table 1.1 of the survey report.

Sampling error estimates

The estimates from a sample survey are affected by two types of errors: (1) nonsampling errors, and (2) sampling errors. Nonsampling errors are the results of shortfalls made in implementing data collection and data processing, such as failure to locate and interview the correct household, misunderstanding of the questions on the part of either the interviewer or the respondent, and data entry errors. Although numerous efforts were made during the implementation of the 1998 GDHS to minimize this type of error, nonsampling errors are impossible to avoid and difficult to evaluate statistically.

Sampling errors, on the other hand, can be evaluated statistically. The sample of respondents selected in the 1998 GDHS is only one of many samples that could have been selected from the same population, using the same design and expected size. Each of these samples would yield results that differ somewhat from the results of the actual sample selected. Sampling errors are a measure of the variability between all possible samples. Although the degree of variability is not known exactly, it can be estimated from the survey results.

A sampling error is usually measured in terms of the standard error for a particular statistic (mean, percentage, etc.), which is the square root of the variance. The standard error can be used to calculate confidence intervals within which the true value for the population can reasonably be assumed to fall. For example, for any given statistic calculated from a sample survey, the value of that statistic will fall within a range of plus or minus two times the standard error of that statistic in 95 percent of all possible samples of identical size and design.

If the sample of respondents had been selected as a simple random sample, it would have been possible to use straightforward formulas for calculating sampling errors. However, the 1998 GDHS sample is the result of a two-stage stratified design, and, consequently, it was necessary to use more complex formulae. The computer software used to calculate sampling errors for the 1998 GDHS is the ISSA Sampling Error Module. This module uses the Taylor linearization method of variance estimation for survey estimates that are means or proportions. The Jackknife repeated replication method is used for variance estimation of more complex statistics such as fertility and mortality rates.

Data appraisal

Data Quality Tables - Household age distribution - Age distribution of eligible and interviewed women - Age distribution of eligible and interviewed men - Completeness of reporting - Births by calendar years - Reporting of age at death in days - Reporting of age at death in months

Note: See detailed tables in APPENDIX C of the survey report.