The Belgian HISSTAT project Documenting and reconstructing the 1961 census sample Wouter Ronsijn Free University of Brussels (VUB) Session Data Management and Data Analysis in Quantitative Historical Social Research (Dr Ronald Gebauer, Dr Axel Salheiser) Fifth Conference of the European Survey Research Association, Ljubljana, Slovenia, July 15-19, 2013
The Belgian HISSTAT-project (2009-2014) Recent years: development of large-scale historical databases Belgium: HISSTAT-project: to protect and exploit Belgium s rich statistical heritage Data since 1800: beginning of uniform administrative structure (French reforms) beginning of uniform data-collection for whole territory After 1830: Belgian statistical administration Led by people such as Adolphe Quetelet 1846: First large-scale population, agricultural and industrial census
The Belgian HISSTAT-project (2009-2014) Historical census results: communicated in bulky publication, often several volumes 1866 population census
The Belgian HISSTAT-project (2009-2014) Goal of HISSTAT: to digitise these data: 1/ Cross-sectional aggregated data Basis: municipality Since: 1800 Content: official censuses (population, agriculture, industry); other data: taxation, elections, cadastral data, 2/ Cross-sectional microdata Basis: individual Since: 1961 Content: population censuses, linked to other records 3/ Aggregated longitudinal data Basis: municipality Since: 1880 Content: population, births, deaths, migration
The Belgian HISSTAT-project (2009-2014) GIS-application: possible to display data on historical maps at the level of the municipality Population density in Belgium, 1846
The Belgian HISSTAT-project (2009-2014) HISSTAT-website and online applications: www.hisstat.be: general project website www.lokstat.ugent.be: municipal-level population, agricultural and industrial census data ± 1900 www.vub.ac.be/soco/belcens: municipal-level demographic and socioeconomic data from five successive population censuses, 1961-2001
The 1961 census Census carried out on December 31 st, 1961 ± 9.000.000 census forms collected Census results processed by means of punched cards 1 card for 1 individual, 2 nd card for individuals with diploma(s) Individual punched card for 1961 census
The 1961 census sample file Basis of sample file: punched cards Donated to BASS (Belgian Archives for the Social Sciences, at the University Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve) around 1970 Selection of 10 % read to magnetic tape around 1970; copied to hard drive around 2000 21087 450461219K0200000001 2020110118412 209P 00 &01912 1 21087 45135121110586206701 2180412113531 3504 01 01 &01028 1 21087 451391318}5645607801 2480106938612 078}2601 01 &18404 1 21087 45144121030200000001 2380100233512 3107 02 02 &3512601321 2 21087 453191218Q0179111401 2280100298031 4314 01 0101 &36610 1 21087 453471218M7100000001 2480112112022 209P 00 &4540801002 2 21087 453531318J0200000001 2480106118612 067R5801 &1820501099 2 21087 45366131172286500001 2580410118412 46235702 020202 &2054201036 2 21087 453721317R0252209701 2580100298412 178R5103 02 &36204 1 21087 454381119Q3183100501 19203 &01917 1 21087 45454121093161100301 19201-0138312 4014 02 010202 &01028 1 21087 454981219N0023601101 1620129998412 189L 00 &01011 1 21087 45500121132300000001 1820429998032 919234008 01 0101 &01431 1 21087 455051218N3300000001 2280106118612 4402 00 &3800701302 2 21087 45515141003100000001 2680412119992 2606 00 &99926 1 21087 45520111155165202101 1920429816412 &8624101035 2 21087 455331319M5400000001 1920129998412 198}4600 &01013 1 21087 45543111440200000001 01806 21015 &01961 1 21087 45548121140344402001 2140400293512 4014 02 020202 &80338 1 21087 45572121019100000001 2240110117112 3804 00 &82723 1 21087 45591131150200000001 18308 41215101 010101 &68539 1 21087 456091218J0800000001 2580103218811 2100 00 &99906 1 21087 456101419M39000000393561620109129111 199O 00 &99918 1
The 1961 census sample file Reconstruction of codebook Some codes still unexplained (presumably typing or reading errors) Recoded to numeric characters only (original codes also had alphabetic characters) Problem with years: distinction between 19th and 20th century, e.g.: 55 = 1955 5N = 1855 What with e.g. 77 (= 1977)?
The 1961 census sample file Problem with data on diploma s: Cases with data at the correct position:...columns 1-43......columns 44-65....columns 66-80...columns 81-102... 12025 33108221300000000001 19607 &05049 1 12025 331522318L0000000001 1820130216321 148M5400 &01901 1 42028 084402119O0000000001 183382999233 14202891 42028 08449121194434300501 196350692861 14202881 069224826 0414040404 &05038 1 Cases with data at the wrong position:...columns 1-43......columns 44-65....columns 66-80...columns 81-102... 12025 33142221280000000001 207310693861 &0604801046 2 12025 33154211420000000001 182382111352 &01460 1 42028 08445121134434403601 234180011945 &73936 1 142028 069286 431
The 1961 census sample file Representativity of the sample: 10 % of the population? No information at household level: sample of individuals, not of households Unkown how the sample was made Final version of the file: 914.218 cases
The 1961 census sample file Representativity of the sample: 10 % of the population? Antwerp Ghent Brussels Liège Charleroi Namur Sample fractions per arrondissement Total population 8.5 to 9.5 % Total population 9.5 to 9.9 % Total population 9.9 to 10.1 % Female population < 9.8 % Male population < 9.8 %
The 1961 census sample file Representativity of the sample: 10 % of the population? Antwerp Ghent Brussels Liège Charleroi Namur Gender balance deviation: difference from published results in number of men per 100 women Deviation from gender balance in the sample, by arrondissement [-10 to ]-3 [-3 to ]-1 [-1 to ]1 [1 to ]3 [3 to ]4
The 1961 census sample file Representativity of the sample: 10 % of the population? Three problematic arrondissements: result of data loss: 1/ Loss of data when data were copied from tape to hard drive (arrondissement of Huy) 2/ Loss of punched cards arrondissement of Sint-Niklaas: 3 municipalities have almost no men arrondissement of Kortrijk: town Menen: half of the women are missing Except for these problematic arrondissements: sample more or less representative at the level of arrondissements
Conclusions 1961 census sample: oldest microdata available for the whole Belgian population File has some shortcomings: not at household-level, loss of data Still: shortcomings should not stand in the way of using it for scientific research HISSTAT team hopes these and other data it has gathered will open new perspectives for scientific research Contact HISSTAT: patrick.deboosere@vub.ac.be (Free University of Brussels) eric.vanhaute@ugent.be (Ghent University) wouter.ronsijn@ugent.be