The collection strategy for the 15th general Population Census is based on the use of municipal registers for the identification of survey units. The shift from a traditional census to a register-assisted census will be supported by new collection techniques; questionnaire mail-out and a variety of possible data return methods (post, web compilation, and delivery to the municipal collection centres). Municipal address archives, geocoded to the census tract, will also be used.

Another fundamental feature of the new strategy is its modularity, that is the adoption of different methods and techniques in relation to the demographic size of the municipalities (such as using a short form / long form strategy only in municipalities with more than 20 000 inhabitants).

Paper presented at the joint UNECE/Eurostat meeting on Population and Housing Censuses, Geneva, 28-30 October 2009.