The rumors, which are being circulated via SMS text messages and e-mails, also allege that some census officials are collating unnecessary information such as the number of laptops, computers and mobile phones in homes, and the exact time when male members will return home.
Some e-mails also say it is suspicious that some census officials are visiting homes more than once. “The supervisors overseeing census workers sometimes make second visits to homes to verify whether enumerators have been doing their job properly. In such instances the supervisors will only ask a few questions,” said Abdullah Basharaheel, deputy senior supervisor for the census in Jeddah.
Basharaheel justified the need for an enumerator to know when the head of a family would be available saying they are only authorized to collect information from family heads and nobody else.
He also said it is normal for enumerators to ask about the number of mobile phones and laptops in a home, and that residents should only speak to enumerators who carry official IDs.
“There is a column about the number of electronic devices in the census form. Therefore, enumerators need to ask this question and find answers. There is no question in the census form that is unnecessary,” he added.
“All questions have been included following detailed studies by experts. These questions have their own special significance,” said Basharaheel. There are also special websites for speedy interaction between census enumerators and higher census officials to ensure the censuses are filled without any hindrance.
