jordan pulse -

AMMAN
​Director General of the Department of Statistics, Haidar Freihat, revealed that the primary results of the General Census of Population and Housing will be announced during the first quarter of 2027, while data collection operations will continue through next November to complete unfinished counting operations, closing by early December 2026.
​Freihat clarified to "Al-Mamlaka" on Saturday that the scheduled deadline for completing the field count is October 31; however, finalizing operations may require an additional two to three weeks. He emphasized that census teams will not close any enumeration area before ensuring all homes and households within it are included.
​He explained that the Kingdom is divided into approximately 24,000 enumeration areas, with work proceeding in a sequence starting with the area, followed by buildings, apartments, households, and individuals, with no area marked complete prior to finishing the count of all resident households.
​He pointed out that the census operations room monitors data collection and works to correct errors directly during the gathering process, noting that this mechanism is being implemented for the first time in the current census.
​Freihat touched upon the adoption of technology across various stages of the census through smart questionnaires, tablet computers, and databases, alongside deploying artificial intelligence for data quality control and utilizing smart systems to monitor the performance of statistical researchers and verify the accuracy of questions and answers.
​Regarding citizen engagement, he mentioned that the majority of interactions with researchers were characterized by welcoming cooperation, while a limited number expressed apprehension regarding potential links between the census and income, taxes, or salaries, stressing that the questionnaire contains no questions regarding income.
​He noted that questions concerning the availability of certain appliances and services—such as refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, water, and electricity—do not target economic or tax purposes, but rather aim to analyze the development of Jordanian society and compare shifts between censuses.
​Regarding instances of refusal to participate, Freihat indicated that they remain limited, and that the department handles them by conducting re-visits and dispatching more experienced researchers to attempt completing the data, alongside utilizing alternative means to obtain information in cases where individuals definitively refuse to participate.
​He emphasized that the census encompasses all nationalities residing in the Kingdom, explaining that researchers may visit the homes of citizens and non-citizens during November to complete unfinished questionnaires or begin filling out new ones.
​According to Freihat, the closure of data collection in early December will be followed by office operations to review data, ensure quality control, and address gaps in preparation for announcing the primary results during the first quarter of 2027, with the remaining results to be released consecutively throughout the same year.
​Source: Rum News Agency