Hong Kong, China

Title: Hong Kong 2001 Population Census

GENERAL INFORMATION AND BASIC DEFINITIONS

1. Background

Further information is available from Census and Statistics Department,HKSAR of 21/F, Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai Hong Kong., phone: 852 2716 8002, fax: 852 2716 0231, e-mail: 2001census@censtatd.gov.hk.
Data have been collected by household survey since 1966. ¹

2. Purpose and coverage

The following purposes are considered to be very important or of some importance:

• to study the general structure of household incomes/expenditures
• to study income/expenditure patterns of disadvantaged groups, including pensioner households, single parent households, etc
• to study income/expenditure disparities among socio-economic groups
• for general poverty and/or income distribution studies
• for market research purposes

Lesser importance is attached to:

• to study effects on income and expenditure of policy changes, especially tax changes

Geographic coverage: Main cities only, namely the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region without any specific geographic areas excluded.

Population coverage:
The following types of household are included in the data collection:

• one person private households
• private households with more than one person
• those in collective housing (such as long term hospitals, prisons, monasteries, military quarters)
• diplomatic households in the country
• households of other foreigners in the country

The following types of household are excluded in the data collection:

• non-resident households of nationals (households of nationals located abroad)
• armed forces residing in private housing within military base
• armed forces residing in private housing outside military base

Units:
Dwelling units are used in the sample selection and are characterised by:

• single structure - detached housing unit
• single unit in a structure containing more than one housing unit
• multiple structures within a compound (e.g. huts)
• street address

Data are recorded for the household unit which is characterised by:

• one person units
• two or more people living together:
  • sharing a single dwelling or compound
  • sharing meals
  • sharing a common budget for (at least) food and housing expenditures
  • pooling their income to some extent

Data are recorded for the income unit which is characterised by:

• two or more people:
  • living in the same household

Unit members: Visitors (not usual residents) temporarily living in the dwelling are not included as unit members. Domestic staff living in same dwelling/compound are included in the unit. Renters living in same dwelling/compound are not included in the unit. Boarders living in same dwelling/compound are not included in the unit.

Head of unit:
The concept of head of household/other unit is used in this survey and is characterised by:

• acknowledged as such by other household/unit members

3. Reference periods

SURVEY METHODOLOGY

4. Sample design

The Primary, Secondary and Ultimate Sampling Units are none, none and address respectively.³

Stratification:
Areas/districts were stratified using the following criteria:

• geographical regions
• administrative districts

The sampling frames for the Primary Sampling Unit (PSU) and Ultimate Sampling Unit (USU) were a register of addresses and a master sample of blocks. respectively. The sample size was 361000 households or other units. The overall response rate for the survey was 100 percent. Errors/biases were minimized by using an updated sampling frame.

Enumeration procedure: Enumeration uses a single round survey design in which each reporting unit is enumerated only once. The sample is not divided into representative sub-samples. A smaller set of reporting units is selected from which information on specific issues is gathered or more detailed questions are asked.

DATA COLLECTION, CONCEPTS, DEFINITIONS AND CLASSIFICATIONS

5. Income data

Income data are collected. Receipts have to be regular and recurring to be considered as income. Income includes receipts resulting from the sale or reduction of assets and/or from incurring liabilities are included in income. Income excludes receipts that are not currently available to the unit.

The following receipts are collected but not separately:

• wages and salaries
• cash bonuses and gratuities
• commissions and tips
• remuneration for time not worked, e.g. leave pay
• employee social security contributions
• profit/loss from unincorporated enterprises (mixed income)
• drawing for own use from unincorporated enterprises⁵
• interest received
• dividends
• rentals (payment received for produced assets e.g. house)
• rents (payment received for un-produced assets e.g. land)
• royalties
• regular pensions/annuities from schemes to which employee does not contribute
• retirement pensions from compulsory social security schemes
• old age benefits
• other pensions
• unemployment benefits
• family-related allowances
• sickness benefits
• invalidity benefits
• education-related allowances
• housing allowances
• survivors benefits
• other social assistance benefits
• regular support received from non-profit institutions serving households: cash, e.g. scholarships
• regular inter-household transfers received from: family, e.g. alimony, child/parental support
• regular inter-household transfers received from: regular inheritances or trusts
• regular inter-household transfers received from: regular cash gifts

The following receipts are not collected:

• termination and redundancy payments , excluded due to measurement problems
• employer social security contributions , excluded due to measurement problems
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: housing , excluded due to measurement problems
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: meals , excluded due to measurement problems
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: car/transportation , excluded due to measurement problems
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: goods or services produced by employer , excluded due to measurement problems
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: other goods or services , excluded due to measurement problems
• goods produced for own consumption , excluded due to measurement problems
• services produced for own consumption , excluded due to measurement problems
• goods produced for barter , excluded due to measurement problems
• services produced for barter , excluded due to measurement problems
• stock consumed from unincorporated enterprise , excluded due to measurement problems
• services from owner-occupied dwellings , excluded due to measurement problems
• services from other consumer durables (net) , excluded due to measurement problems
• free government dwelling , excluded due to measurement problems
• subsidized government dwelling , excluded due to measurement problems
• food subsidies , excluded due to measurement problems
• medical reimbursements , excluded due to measurement problems
• regular support received from non-profit institutions serving households: goods and services , excluded due to measurement problems
• regular support received from non-profit institutions serving households: free dwelling , excluded due to measurement problems
• regular support received from non-profit institutions serving households: subsidized dwelling , excluded due to measurement problems
• regular inter-household transfers received from: regular in-kind gifts , excluded due to measurement problems
• regular inter-household transfers received from: free dwelling , excluded due to measurement problems
• regular inter-household transfers received from: subsidized dwelling , excluded due to measurement problems
• regular inter-household transfers received from: regular free services , excluded due to measurement problems
• social transfers in kind: medical services , excluded due to measurement problems
• social transfers in kind: public education , excluded due to measurement problems
• social transfers in kind: transport subsidies , excluded due to measurement problems
• social transfers in kind: cultural and recreational services , excluded due to measurement problems
• social transfers in kind: others , excluded due to measurement problems

The following receipts are classified as income from paid employment:

• wages and salaries
• cash bonuses and gratuities
• commissions and tips
• remuneration for time not worked, e.g. leave pay
• employee social security contributions
• profit/loss from unincorporated enterprises (mixed income)
• drawing for own use from unincorporated enterprises⁵
• royalties
• sickness benefits
• education-related allowances
• housing allowances

The following receipts are classified as other income but not employment-related:

• interest received
• dividends
• rentals (payment received for produced assets e.g. house)
• rents (payment received for un-produced assets e.g. land)
• regular pensions/annuities from schemes to which employee does not contribute
• retirement pensions from compulsory social security schemes
• old age benefits
• other pensions
• unemployment benefits
• family-related allowances
• invalidity benefits
• survivors benefits
• other social assistance benefits
• regular support received from non-profit institutions serving households: cash, e.g. scholarships
• regular inter-household transfers received from: family, e.g. alimony, child/parental support
• regular inter-household transfers received from: regular inheritances or trusts
• regular inter-household transfers received from: regular cash gifts

The following receipts are excluded due to measurement problems:

• termination and redundancy payments
• employer social security contributions
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: housing
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: meals
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: car/transportation
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: goods or services produced by employer
• employee income in-kind provided free or subsidized: other goods or services
• goods produced for own consumption
• services produced for own consumption
• goods produced for barter
• services produced for barter
• stock consumed from unincorporated enterprise
• services from owner-occupied dwellings
• services from other consumer durables (net)
• free government dwelling
• subsidized government dwelling
• food subsidies
• medical reimbursements
• regular support received from non-profit institutions serving households: goods and services
• regular support received from non-profit institutions serving households: free dwelling
• regular support received from non-profit institutions serving households: subsidized dwelling
• regular inter-household transfers received from: regular in-kind gifts
• regular inter-household transfers received from: free dwelling
• regular inter-household transfers received from: subsidized dwelling
• regular inter-household transfers received from: regular free services
• social transfers in kind: medical services
• social transfers in kind: public education
• social transfers in kind: transport subsidies
• social transfers in kind: cultural and recreational services
• social transfers in kind: others

The following receipts are collected using the last month as the reference period:

• wages and salaries
• cash bonuses and gratuities
• commissions and tips
• remuneration for time not worked, e.g. leave pay
• employee social security contributions
• profit/loss from unincorporated enterprises (mixed income)
• drawing for own use from unincorporated enterprises⁵
• interest received
• dividends
• rentals (payment received for produced assets e.g. house)
• rents (payment received for un-produced assets e.g. land)
• regular pensions/annuities from schemes to which employee does not contribute
• retirement pensions from compulsory social security schemes
• old age benefits
• other pensions
• unemployment benefits
• family-related allowances
• sickness benefits
• invalidity benefits
• education-related allowances
• housing allowances
• survivors benefits
• other social assistance benefits
• regular support received from non-profit institutions serving households: cash, e.g. scholarships
• regular inter-household transfers received from: family, e.g. alimony, child/parental support
• regular inter-household transfers received from: regular inheritances or trusts
• regular inter-household transfers received from: regular cash gifts

Income data were collected separately for each person receiving income. Components of income for an individual were collected directly from the individual. Negative values (business losses) were excluded when computing self-employment income.

6. Expenditure data

Expenditure data are not collected from this source.

7. Other Data Collection Issues

The following other topics are covered:

• demographic characteristics
• education attainment of members
• employment status of members
• occupation of members
• housing characteristics

Non-response: There is no substitution for non-response, whether by non-contact or by refusal.

Non-response is reduced using the following measures:⁴

• more than one repeat visits

Reporting errors are reduced using the following measures:

• careful instrument design
• adequate cues or props for prompting
• quality control

DATA PROCESSING, ANALYSIS AND DISSEMINATION

Answers are pre-coded on data collection forms to the extent possible.

The responses are edited by the following:

• interviewers, data collectors
• field supervisors
• office staff
• field editors

Extreme values are retained without change. Neither in-kind receipts nor consumption of own production is included in the estimates.

Treatment of owner-occupied housing: Values of owner-occupied housing are not included in the total income/expenditure estimates.

Treatment of selected groups/values in analysis: No households/units are excluded from analysis because of incomplete response. Missing values are imputed always . Supplementary sources are not used to adjust estimates for under- or over-reporting. No groups are excluded from data analysis.

Weighting:
Weighting factors are used to adjust for:

• sampling
• non-response

Sampling errors: Sampling errors are computed for major aggregates and these sampling errors are published.

Tabulation and Analysis: The reference period for aggregation and reporting is February 2001 and statistics are analysed and tabulated for households and for individuals separately.

The following classifications are used for tabulation and analysis of income statistics:

• age of reference person or head of household
• sex of reference person or head of household
• occupation of reference person or head of household
• other characteristic of reference person or head of household, educational attainment, industry
• income percentiles
• absolute income groups
• household size
• structure of household
• other characteristic of household, number of working members

Documentation and Dissemination:
Published survey reports: Hong Kong 2001 Population Census Main Report - Volume 2 (July 2002)
Published methodological information: Hong Kong 2001 Population Census Main Report - Volume 2 (July 2002)

Additional statistics (or special tables on request) are available for public use, free of charge (readily available tabulations) and with charges (tailor-made tabulations). Separate tables are published for youths, Older persons, Single Parents, Ethnic Minorities etc.... Files of unidentifiable unit data are available (or available on request) for public use, with charges.