Released last Thursday (17), the results of the National Test of the Population Census excited the population of the district of Ema, in Pindoretama-CE. The data about the locality were collected by the IBGE between November and December 2021 and they were now presented to the society in an event held in the auditorium of the Secretariat of Education, Culture and Sports of the municipality.

Pindoretama-CE managers and IBGE Ceará servants gathered in the event that released the results of the National Test of the Population Census

The first reason for the excitement is because the district of Ema was the locality in Ceará selected for the test, which also happened in other 26 places in Brazil. “It was a wonderful surprise for us to represent Ceará in this preparatory phase,” celebrated Gorete Cavalcante, city councilor and president of the Municipal Chamber. “I hope that we contributed to the success of the Census in Brazil,” completed her. The same feeling was also present among the other representatives of the municipality gathered there, which included city councilors, secretaries, community leaders and other managers of Pindoretama.

Secondly, the success of the test also produced a great expectation in the population of Pindoretama for the results of the largest national survey, to be held from August 1st onwards: the 2022 Population Census. “It will be very important to know the results of this Census,” stated the head of the office of the City Hall, Cristiano Alves, “the municipality will have a guidance to invest in several areas, like education, culture and infrastructure.”

^{Standing on the right side, city councilor Gorete Cavalcante and the head of the office Cristiano Alves thank the IBGE for the test in the district of Ema, in Pindoretama-CE}

“I thank the support we received in the municipality and in the district. We could carry out the test within the schedule due to this support,” highlighted Francisco Lopes, head of the IBGE State Unit in Ceará, recognizing the partnership. “The test was a success. It was very important for the works of the 2022 Census. Ceará is ready to begin the data collection work,” assessed Lopes.

Presenting the test results

^{Francisco Lopes, head of the IBGE State Unit in Ceará, presented the data of the Census Test carried out in the district of Ema}

The IBGE carried out tests at national level for a Population Census for the first time ever. The release of the results was of experimental nature, since the goal of the operation was not enumerating the localities, but rather preparing the teams and checking the equipment, adjusting everything required for the definitive data collection. These were among the aspects assessed: the devices, data collection systems, questionnaires, training process, capture of GPS coordinates and population approach. A secondary objective of the tests was to raise awareness in the society for the 2022 Census.

In the event held in Ceará, the head of the UE-CE began his presentation describing the scenario of the tests, in order to explain to the residents the dimension and purpose of the operation. Right after that, he showed the major results at local and national levels, comparing Ema and other tested localities whenever possible. The data presented in this event were the following: total enumerated population, average number of residents per household, amount and percentage of elderly persons (more than 60 years), men and women, of occupied households without interview, as well as the adhesion rate to each type of interview (face-to-face, through telephone and through the Internet).

The presentation also displayed the map with every household visited in Ema (Pindoretama-CE). Geo-referencing of households, mixed type of data collection and protocols of health security are novelties in the 2022 Census, imposed by either the technological evolution of the society or by the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the end of the event, Francisco Lopes also clarified doubts that arose about the subjects discussed, like the methods of interview available, boundaries of the municipality of Pindoretama and households that remained without an interview.

Knowing the district of Ema

^{The map with the households visited was fixed by the IBGE team on the facade of the Church of Our Lady of Conception Aparecida in the district of Ema}

The district of Ema in Pindoretama-CE stood out in the national scenario as it counted more men than women in its population. Only eight out of 26 localities mapped in the tests produced the same result. 2,933 persons were enumerated in Ema, of which 1.478 were men (50.4%) and 1,455, women (49.6%). The senior population, aged 60 years and over, amounted to 381 persons (13.0%).

The ten enumerators who worked in the operation visited 1,552 addresses, of which 990 were permanently occupied private households. Of the 944 interviews carried out, 99.7% were face-to-face and 0.3%, through telephone. The operation was considered a success by the IBGE, since that only in 4.6% of the households of the locality it was not possible to carry out the interview with residents, either due to difficulties to find them or to denials.

Located 50 kilometers far from the capital of the state, along CE-040 highway and relatively near the shoreline, the district of Ema benefits from tourism, as it happens with the sales in the local handicraft center. “The inhabitants of Ema can get these figures [of the Census] to develop their tourism activities,” highlights Cristiano Alves.

For the president of the Association of Residents of Ema, Janael Silva Costa, the Census can also contribute in other areas, like basic sanitation, traffic planning and street paving. “[The Census] takes everything in consideration to improve the community. It transmits the information for each one, so everyone is well informed about what is really necessary. It is also a way to ask managers what is missing in the district of Ema.” Costa also stated that it was “very rewarding” that the locality received the Census test: “I assess it as a well-done work, well executed.”

Waiting for the Census

 ^{After the test, the IBGE Ceará team is ready for the definitive data collection of the Census}

Having completed the tests and having released the results, the community of Ema now expects the Census itself. Although Ema and other 26 localities in Brazil were enumerated, they were not definitively enumerated. The representatives of Pindoretama, in turn, eagerly wait for the Census to officially enumerate the entire territory of the municipality. Today, the city estimates the population in 20 thousand inhabitants. According to the managers, the amount of voters registered would imply a higher number of persons assisted by the structure of the municipality.

According to the leader of the chamber, Gorete Cavalcante, “the up-to-date Census will help a lot, because resources can be higher and the allocation of these resources will be where the Census shows a higher concentration of the population, where a health service is more required, education, social, etc. Nothing is bad with the IBGE. Our municipality, state and country always win.”

 “This information is key and the municipalities need them to be prepared,” stated the head of the UE-CE, who closed the event in Pindoretama very motivated to work from August onwards: “Partnership is the way to work. And we will maintain this partnership for the Census. The IBGE wants Ceará to grow.”