The response to this year¡¯s national census, the first allowing people across the country to answer online, has exceeded the government¡¯s expectations while also raising fresh worries over sloppy handling of personal information.
More than 19 million households responded online during the 11-day window that ended Sunday, nearly double the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry¡¯s target of 10 million.
The ministry has been conducting the census every five years since 1920 to study the nation¡¯s population, and calls it ¡°the most important statistics survey¡± for future policies, including welfare services and disaster prevention. It is supposed to cover every resident and household in the country, regardless of nationality.
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