The Evolution of Census Procedures
It all began when Bonaparte organized the first census of the modern era in 1801. 21 years later, the census was conducted every 5 years, thus adopting a quinquennial periodicity. In 1946, the periods between censuses lengthened.
Starting in January 2004, the new procedure established a distinction between municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants and those with more than 10,000 inhabitants.
The census allows for determining the population residing in France. It provides statistics on the number of inhabitants and their characteristics. The results help improve public decisions regarding collective facilities. They also assist businesses in better understanding their clientele and associations in better responding to the population’s needs.
The 2010 Census Process in Nice
Each household in Nice affected by this survey will receive two questionnaires: The first – the housing form – pertains to the characteristics and comfort of the dwelling. The second – the individual bulletin – focuses on the age, place of birth, nationality, education level, residence 5 years earlier, and the professional activity of the people living in the household.
A few days later, a census agent with an official card will visit the surveyed families. The surveyed households must complete the documents given by this agent and return them to him before February 20.
Safety is a key word in this campaign. The CNIL (Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés) will ensure that data confidentiality is respected. The census agent is bound by professional secrecy. The responses remain strictly confidential, and the collected information will only be used for statistical purposes under anonymity.
Legal Population: An Essential Measure for Cities
The legal population includes, for each municipality, its municipal population and its population counted separately. The separately counted population includes people who have a secondary residence in Nice.
Until 1999, legal populations were determined during each general census. Since 2008, a new annual census method enables the calculation of updated legal populations every year.
In 2007, the legal populations were 352,388 people for the commune of Nice. The department of Alpes-Maritimes has 1,097,046 people.
