The use of administrative sources for censuses: Merits and challenges

The paper discusses the prospects for increased use of administrative sources as the basis for population and housing censuses. The background for this discussion is the case story of how Danish statistics production was reformed during the period c. 1966–1981, especially with regard to social statistics and population and housing censuses. The new paradigm combined increased reliance on administrative sources with a philosophy of a statistical system that was more flexible towards meeting new and unforeseen statistical needs.