Now that it is closer to the end, the 2022 Population Census faces another major challenge before its conclusion: reaching persons who live in condos. Either horizontal or vertical, condominiums are a reality in big cities, for they offer residents the option of living in a safer and more comfortable place though in a busy and insecure life. In the Metropolitan Area of Fortaleza, for example, there are more than 241 thousand housing units, which represents 18.2% of the total, according to data of 2019 of the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (Continuous PNAD) on the topic General Characteristics of the Housing Units and Residents.

On the other hand, voluntary isolation represents a bigger challenge to reach these residents, causing difficulty in many actions, as it is the case of an enumeration. Up to Monday (6), the capital Fortaleza had a rate of 4.36% residents who refused to answer the Census, besides 5.66% of housing units where absences were registered, even after five compulsory visits by the enumerator. Both indexes are approximately twice as those recorded by the state of Ceará, which had 2.29% of refusals and 2.62% of absences, showing that, in fact, there is more difficulty to conduct household surveys in big urban centers for a number of reasons.

There are several reasons why people refuse to be visited by the enumerator: fear of losing some governmental benefit; fear of being deceived in some way or being victim of a crime; lack of time to answer the survey; not knowing what the Census is and how important it if for the country; mistaking the Census for a type of action sponsored by a specific politician or political party, among others. In condos, the challenge is much bigger due to other drawbacks. To start with, difficulties in dealing with the condo manager, doorkeepers or electronic admission system may prevent the enumerator from speaking directly with residents.

Main difficulties and strategies to face them

“I was once called by an enumerator who was crying and said she couldn’t take it anymore after being humiliated by a resident. And that is very hard to face. It’s one of the reasons for the high number of professional giving up.” That’s what says Lucas Otávio Braga, Census Supervisor (ACS) who Works in two neighborhoods in the capital with a predominance of condos: Meireles and Varjota. He managed to help the enumerator in the report above, and, eventually, she did not resign. But in many other cases it gets too hard to go on. Because of this scarcity of workforce, Lucas had to work as an enumerator in his area and go in the field to reverse refusals.

Lucas states that the main barrier is found even before they have to face residents’ hostility: it takes place when the team first tries to contact the condo. “The electronic admission system is our main challenge. Because it takes long, one employee calls the other and we waste our time. Some doorkeepers are receptive, but others do not want to let us in, or even call the manager. And a lot of times the manager themselves do not allow us to work,” , says the supervisor, who believes this and other difficulties found in the field end up having a direct impact on data collection pace.

Supervisor Lucas Braga ened up assuming responsibility for the enumeration in order to reverse refusals.

“Reducing the number of refusals does not depend only on us, unfortunately,” says the enumerator, who has been working since the beginning of the Census. In this six months of data collection, he managed to enumerate about 80 condos in the neighborhoods of Aldeota, Cocó and Papicu. “In the neighborhoods where I worked, almost all residents received me. But there’s always one or two refusals. But I ger really happy when I get most answers,” the enumerator says.

In order to reach high productivity among so many difficulties, Jonnathan needed to develop strategies that have made his work easier. “In a first contact, it is a good idea to speak with the building manager or administrator. The doorkeeper can help you a lot, but he will not open the door for you. Once admission is allowed, I usually stay in the entrance hall or party hall. Depending on the number of apartments in the condo, I choose a period of the day, or sometimes stay there all day long, until evening. And I do that to find all residents, when they pass by that place,” says the enumerator, who is responsible for more than two thousand questionnaires so far.

Enumerator Jonnathan Veras creates strategies to avoid refusals in condo areas.

Open arms and doors for the Census

On January 13, the image of an enumerator stood out in Twitter. On one hand, she held the Mobile Data Collection Device (DMC) and with the other she caressed a puppy with a loving look on its face. The legend chosen for the scene was “Give the IBGE enumerators a warm welcome”.

Puppy Isadora giving the IBGE enumerator a war welcome.

This picture, which received lots of likes, was posted by professor Luiza Lima. She lives in Fortaleza-CE, in the neighborhood of Papicu, an area full of condos. Differently from other persons in her neighborhood, who refuse to talk to the IBGE enumerating team, Luiza reports she saw no difficulty or danger in receiving the enumerator. “The doorkeeper called my apartment and asked if she was allowed to come her or if I would come downstairs and talk to her near the entrance. I asked her to come up here. The interview was fast and easy.”

Luiza was not the only one to give the enumerator a warm welcome. Isadora, her puppy, on the picture, did the same. “She is very receptive, too much I would say. She gets excited, she leaps and licks visitors. She even lay on the enumerator’s lap. Fortunately, she was fond of dogs!”, said the resident, who has taken care of the puppy for a year.

Puppy Isadora, which has been with Luiza Lima for a year, is usually receptive to visitors.

“Luiza was very receptive. And Isadora, even more”, says the thankful enumerator Isabella Vieira, on the photo. She has completed more than 800 questionnaires in this neighborhood. “I would like to encourage people to answer the census. Ask them to receive the enumerator in their condos, or to call the service using the phone number made available for that,” said Isabella, as she mentioned that warnings are left by enumerators in the mailbox of absent residents.

“The Census is an important activity, and it is our duty to welcome the enumerators, so that they will also feel comfortable in our homes. The answers generate essential information for public planning. And it is only a brief moment, and it doesn’t hurt to speak to the IBGE enumerators,” said Luiza Lima, making a claim for more opening to the census operation.