China's once-a-decade census is complicated by a new reluctance
to divulge information or expose violations of the one-child
policy. A booming migrant population also poses problems. Er He
Zhuang, China Six million census takers fanned out across China
on Monday, launching a once-in-a-decade effort to count the
world’s largest population and track its changes. The biggest
challenge of the 10-day campaign, say officials involved in the
census, will be to pin down the real number of migrant workers.
Key players in China’s economic boom over the past three
decades, they number more than 200 million, according to some
estimates. The authorities are also making a special effort to
get a more accurate picture of how many children China has.
Parents who have violated the government’s one-child policy have
been promised reduced fines if they declare their extra children
to census takers. More generally, says Feng Nailin, deputy head
of the census project, census takers will have to deal with
Chinese citizens’ rising