Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the 2020 Population and Housing Census in Indonesia

Abstract

This paper describes the 2020 Indonesian Population and Housing Census conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on government documents, media reports, and interviews with staff of Statistics Indonesia (Badan Pusat Statistik). The 2020 Indonesian Population and Housing Census faced various challenges due to the spread of COVID-19. The most severe impact was the cancellation of face-to-face surveys across nearly the entire area of Java Island and urban regions of the outer islands. As a result, data related to those regions were limited to basic information such as name, gender, and relationship. This was largely due to the fact that the government budget for 2020 was restructured during the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing Statistics Indonesia to drastically cut the budget for the 2020 Indonesian Population and Housing Census. Consequently, adequate measures could not be taken for the 2020 census. Given that the 2020 Indonesian Population and Housing Census could no longer maintain consistency with previous data, the policy on census survey methods in the future is expected to undergo significant changes.