China counts 4 times as many people at 1/12 the cost…
Here’s an article about China’s 2010 Census, which will cost $1.18 billion.
Tags: Asia, billion, China, comparative, foreign, Yuan
Formerly the non-partisan watchdog of the 2010 US Census, and currently an opinion blog that covers all things political, media, foreign policy, globalization, and culture…but sometimes returning to its census/demographics roots.
August 18th, 2010 at 12:33 am
Human rights are a factor, don’t ya think?
August 18th, 2010 at 1:07 am
Yeah, this is about as misleading as it gets. I’m sure no one slams the door 6 times in a row on a government worker in China like they do here. I had a respondent earlier this week rant on about how sick he was over the government intruding on his privacy. How about a satellite from space snapping photos and counting you and your family that way, instead of a concerned neighbor going door to door?
August 18th, 2010 at 1:57 am
Yes, and China’s cost of labor is much less than that in the USA. If American workers were willing to work for 1/12 as much as we now pay them, our economy would look rather different….
August 18th, 2010 at 8:30 am
DontB….
Good idea. In fact it would be helpful for somebody to post the name of a site that recommendations for how the next census might be conducted could be sent to.
Jake
August 18th, 2010 at 11:18 am
once again, the readers of this site have proven too smart for its creator. you all have hit the nail on teh head…the cost of labor in China is MUCH lower and the response to governemtn workers in China will undoubtedly be much more civil. These were two very large expenses for the census in the U.S. I am just waiting for the creator of this site to just GET A CLUE!!!
August 18th, 2010 at 12:51 pm
The low wages paid in China are likely the reason for the low Census operation cost. China is also notorious for lying to the world about anything that makes China look more efficient and progressive. The Census workers will consist of police, teachers and “shadow workers.” As I am sure you know, shadow workers are workers that are paid but the cost or records of the pay are never made public. The police and the teachers will recieve no pay for their efforts. Rural areas will be estimated by satellite “crowd mapping”. How acurate is this? Attendance at Barack Obama’s inauguration was “estimated” at 2 million by Park Rangers. Later satellite analysts estimated it at 800,000. Who is right? And China will be counting toothbrushes and beds. Do you know how many people sleep in one bed in China? And lastly, many of the Census workers will be armed and will enter the residence on the 1st visit or the resident will likely be sent off to a labor camp. Here in the US, there is a fine for refussal, but the Director of the Census announced that it would not be enforced several times. That was helpful.
August 19th, 2010 at 8:17 pm
To be fair, China also doesn’t have the Census in the Constitution like we do. Or open and fair elections that depend on proper apportionment and representation in Congress, which is the primary reason for the Census.
September 8th, 2010 at 2:12 pm
You really buy any government story that comes out of China? Seriously?
September 14th, 2010 at 10:04 pm
Like others have already pointed out, I really doubt that many Chinese citizens curse at or threaten Chinese census takers. I suspect that the penalty for doing so would be a bit more unpleasant than an imaginary fine.