US embassy cable - 05BOGOTA6928

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BOGOTA 006928 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, ECON, SOCI, KHIV, CO 
SUBJECT: CENSUS TO CAPTURE SNAPSHOT OF COLOMBIAN LIFE 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
1. (U) Colombia's Statistics office began the first national 
census in 12 years in May and hopes to conclude by December 
1.  There are two significant changes in the census this 
year.  Information will be entered and transmitted over a 
hand-held computer directly to the census headquarters in 
Bogota, thus eliminating paper and data entry requirements. 
The census will also be taken over several months rather than 
on one day.  Thus far, the census has had difficulties with 
computer data entry, resulting in the GOC firing their 
technology contractor, and the public has resisted answering 
questions about major health issues, including AIDS.  The GOC 
hopes to have usable information on the Colombian public that 
could affect the 2006 elections, economic assistance 
programs, and healthcare distribution.  End Summary. 
 
Background and Methodology 
-------------------------- 
 
2. (U) Colombia is conducting the first national census in 
over 12 years to gather information on the population 
location and economic status.  The census covers all 
Colombian citizens over age 10 and is done in a door-to-door 
interview process.  The National Administrative Department of 
Statistics (DANE) is tasked with collecting census 
information and ran a pilot program, called "phase 0" from 
May 22 until June 7 in six municipalities.  They tallied 
households in Jerico (Antioquia), Piojo (Atlantico), Viterbo 
(Caldas), Buenos Aires (Cauca), Choconta (Cundinamarca), and 
Oiba (Santander).  The census in major urban areas is 
scheduled for September to November 30, and Bogota's count 
should begin in late October. 
 
3. (U) According to DANE officials, census methodology varies 
from country to country, with Colombia favoring an active 
collection model.  They were persuaded that the Colombian 
public would not respond to a mail-in census process (like 
the U.S. system) and therefore had to be restricted to their 
house while they were counted by the government.  DANE 
requested funding from the Colombian Congress because the 
census is not a budget line item.  Congress declined the 
funding in 2003 and 2004.  Since the early 1900s, DANE has 
only conducted one census on schedule. 
 
4. (U) As a new addition this year, DANE is giving census 
officials a small handheld computer (like a Blackberry) to 
record and transmit data at the interview site.  This will 
eliminate the need for transporting paper census copies and 
data entry.  The average questionnaire includes 29 questions 
and interviews average half an hour per person.  Roughly 10 
percent of the population will be asked the expanded 
questionnaire, which has 62 questions.  The other significant 
change is that the census will be conducted over seven months 
rather than in one day, as has been the practice in the past. 
 DANE argued that the extended question timeline would be 
easier, both on individual neighborhoods and on DANE. 
Furthermore, the extended process allows DANE to employ 
38,000 census takers rather than quadruple that number. 
 
Political Issues 
---------------- 
 
5. (U) The 2005 census focuses primarily on economic, 
education and health information, but also could have 
implications for upcoming elections.  For example, the census 
tabulates the number of eligible voters in each district and 
could be used for redistribution of districts or to alter 
proportional vote totals in time for the March 2006 elections 
or May Presidential elections.  Nevertheless, Congress has to 
"approve" the findings of each census and declined to approve 
four of the last five. 
 
6. (SBU)  DANE officials further reported that, contrary to 
critics' accusations that the census misses illegal armed 
actors, they actually had good participation from the 
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the National 
Liberation Army (ELN), and paramilitaries in the past. 
Census-takers are local high school students and usually can 
conduct the interviews if they guarantee illegal fighters 
that no one will be identified individually.  DANE reports 
that their interviewers have never been kidnapped or attacked 
by terrorist groups. 
 
Census Hurdles to Date 
---------------------- 
 
7. (U) Leading daily El Tiempo reported on July 14 that DANE 
had decided to replace their contractor before beginning 
"phase I" of the census in additional municipalities on 
August 3.  DANE announced that their contractor had failed to 
provide equipment that met the technical requirements, so the 
Development Projects Financial Fund (Fonade) would reopen 
bids. 
 
8. (U) DANE officials noted that some respondents were 
reluctant to answer health questions in the basic 
questionnaire.  Questions include whether the respondent had 
been malnourished, had healthcare coverage for major 
illnesses, and had been treated for burns, AIDS, cancer, or 
other major illnesses within the last five years.  Those 
questions are aimed at gauging whether the GOC is adequately 
meeting the healthcare needs of the Colombian public, but 
several respondents in "phase 0" interviews felt such 
questions, especially about AIDS treatments, went beyond the 
census' prevue. 
WOOD