5.1 Concepts and definitions

Concepts and definitions used at Census 2000 are according to those defined in the handbook "Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses – Statistical Papers Series M No. 67/Rev.1" of the United Nations Statistics Division.

Dividing walls, rather than external walls were quite common in densely built-up commercial areas of mainly urban regions. A building could be used or intended for residential, commercial, industrial or agricultural purposes or for the provision of services. It could be a detached housing unit, an apartment building, a shop, a warehouse, a factory, a workshop, a school, a church, etc.

For the purpose of the Housing Census, detached structures such as toilets, bathrooms, kitchens, stores and garages were not counted as separate buildings; they were accounted for as facilities available to the housing units to which they belonged. On the other hand, detached rooms used for living purposes, were counted as separate buildings. Similarly, a garage, storeroom or any temporary or improvised structure being used for living purposes at the time of enumeration, was counted as a building.

The following were enumerated at the Housing Census:

1. buildings used at the time of enumeration for residential, commercial, industrial purposes or for the provision of services, including hotels, institutions and public buildings;

2. buildings intended for purposes mentioned at (i), but which were vacant at the time of enumeration;

3. any shelter which, although not in conformity with the definition of a building, was used for habitation purposes at the time of enumeration;

4. buildings under construction.

The following were not enumerated:

1. buildings used for agricultural purposes, such as stables for livestock, pens for poultry, greenhouses, tea or tobacco weighing offices on estates, stores on agricultural establishments, etc.;

2. garages not used for habitation, commercial or industrial purposes;

3. temporary shelters and improvised housing units that were not occupied at the time of enumeration;

4. buildings being demolished or awaiting demolition;

5. dilapidated buildings which were uninhabited at the time of enumeration;

6. embassy buildings except those where Mauritians were residing.

(2) A housing unit was defined as a separate and independent place of abode intended for habitation by one household, or one not intended for habitation but occupied for living purposes by a household at the time of enumeration. Although intended for one household, a housing unit could however be occupied by more than one household or part of a household. It could also be vacant at the time of the census.

A place of abode was considered separate if surrounded by walls and fences, and covered by a roof, so that a person or a group of persons could isolate himself or themselves from other persons in the community for the purposes of sleeping, preparing and taking their meals, and protecting themselves from the hazards of climate and environment. Such structure was considered independent when it had direct access from the street or from a public or communal staircase, passage, gallery or grounds, i.e. when the occupants were able to come in or go out of their living quarters without passing through anybody else’s premises.

(3) A household was either (i) a one-person household, i.e. a person who made provision for his own food or other essentials for living, or (ii) a multi-person household, i.e. a group of two or more persons, whether related or not, living together and making common provision for food or other essentials for living. Cases of persons with varying degree of common housekeeping were considered as one household, if there was any arrangement to share at least one meal a day.

A distinction was made between the various types of households:

1. private households, which consisted of single and combined households. A single household was defined as a household in which all its members occupied a single housing unit while a combined household was defined as a household in which its members were lodged in rooms located in two or more buildings;

2. households in communal establishments such as hotels, infirmaries, hospitals and other institutions;

3. households in collective quarters; the members of such households were groups of foreign workers sharing accommodation; and

4. homeless households.

(4) A room was defined as a space in a housing unit enclosed by walls reaching from the floor to the ceiling or roof covering, or to a height of at least of two metres, and of a size large enough to hold a bed for an adult, that is, at least four square metres. A room partitioned by curtains or pieces of furniture was counted as a single room.

Rooms for living purposes were distinguished from rooms used for business or professional purposes. Rooms for living purposes include bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, studies, habitable attics and closed verandahs. Kitchens were also considered as rooms for living purposes if they satisfied the room definition; open verandahs, corridors, lobbies, bathrooms, toilets, stores and garages were not counted as rooms used for living purposes.

Rooms were considered as being used for business or profession if they were exclusively used for that purpose; otherwise, they were counted as rooms for living purposes.

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(1) Population base

The census enumerated all persons present on census night in all households, as well as usual residents who were absent on census night.

From the answers to questions on "usual address" and "whereabouts on census night", it was possible to make a distinction between the following with reference to the census night:

1. usual residents of the household who were present on census night,
2. usual residents of the household who were temporarily absent on census night and
3. persons not residing in the household, but who spent the census night in the household.

This enables tabulation on the basis of place of usual residence as well as place where present on census night. Most published tables however, refer to the resident population, i.e population on the basis of place of usual residence, since they give a more accurate picture especially where household characteristics and migration are concerned.

The method used to obtain the resident population count consists of identifying all persons returning "here" to the question on "usual address". The adopted method, however, excludes members of wholly absent households who were elsewhere in Mauritius on Census night from the count of residents; they are nevertheless included in

the count of present population. Wholly absent households who were not in Mauritius on Census night were not enumerated and are hence excluded from both the resident and present population counts.

(2) The enumerated population consisted of all persons who spent the Census night in the household as well as persons who usually lived in the household, but who were absent on census night.

(3) The present population consisted of all persons who spent the Census night in the household. Persons who answered "Here" to the question on "Whereabouts on Census night" constituted the present population.

(5) Private households with usual residents were private households with at least one resident member at the time of the census.

(6) The head of household was any adult member, whether male or female, who was acknowledged as such by the other members of the household. Although the designation of a head for an institution, a hotel or a collective quarter was meaningless, the person-in-charge was considered as the head.

(7) A family nucleus consisted of either a couple with or without children, or a lone parent with unmarried children. The number of family nuclei was identified at the editing stage from answers to question on relationship to head. Only resident members of the household were considered when identifying the number of family nuclei.

(8) A person with a disability was defined as a person who, at the time of the Census, was limited to perform a daily-life activity in a manner considered normal for a person of his/her age because of a long-term physical or mental condition, or health problem. The condition or problem was considered as long-term if it had lasted or was expected to last for six months or more.

(10) Educational attainment referred to the highest level of education completed for persons not attending school or the level being attended for persons still attending school.

Only persons having a post-secondary degree were considered as having attained the tertiary level. Persons currently attending a post-secondary institution and who had not yet acquired any post-secondary degree were not considered as having attained the tertiary level of education.

(12) The currently employed population included all persons aged 12 years and over, who during the reference week of 26 June 2000 to 2 July 2000,

1. worked for pay, profit or family gain for at least one hour, or
2. held a job during the reference week, but did not do any work because of illness, injury, holiday, industrial dispute, off-season inactivity, temporary disorganisation, etc.

1. did not do any work for pay, profit or family gain during the reference week of 26 June 2000 to 2 July 2000, and

2. did not hold a job during the reference week, and

3. took active steps to look for work or set up a business anytime during the four weeks preceding the census night, and

4. were available for work during the week ending 2 July 2000.

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The main classifications used for codification of information collected were:

1. Locality codes
2. Country codes
3. Field of study codes
4. National Standard Industrial Classification of Economic Activities, an adapted version of the International Standard Industrial Classification of all Economic Activities – Revision 3 of 1990
5. National Classification of Occupations, an adapted version of the International Standard Classification of Occupations - 1988

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