• HOMES: Mexico’s statistics agency (INEGI) began gathering Monday the 2020 decennial census across the country that will guide public policy decisions for the next decade. During four weeks in March, INEGI will deploy an army of 151,000 census takers trying to reach 45 million homes.
• OPERATION: With results planned to be published in November, the census is INEGI’s most important statistical operation and will occur at a time of high insecurity risks, some privacy concerns, the threat of the coronavirus outbreak and, a nationwide women’s strike planned for March 9.
• MEASURES: “We’ve deployed all kinds of communications with authorities…to be able to arrange access to all areas (of the territory). But we’ll decide on the fly if it’s necessary to make any kind of operational changes according to the risks”, said Julio Santaella, head of INEGI.
• ISSUES: The census will seek to confirm the estimate of 127 million people residing in Mexico. For the first time, the exercise will include questions to identify afro-descendants, people with disabilities, migrants’ country of origin and destination, waste disposal procedures, use of alternative energies, and access to the internet.
