The 1996 Population Census
Description of the Design of the 10% Sample

Design of the sample
This sample is a 10% unit level sample of

(a) all households (excluding special institutions and hostels) and

(b) all persons as enumerated in the 1996 Population Census in South Africa.

The household was basically drawn as a 10% systematic sample of households from the census household file, stratified as specified below. The 10% person level sample was obtained by including all persons in these households plus the persons drawn in independent 10% systematic samples of all persons in special institutions and hostels.

Weighting factors
Both the 10% household sample file and the 10% person sample file contain a weight variable. This weight variable is the adjustment factor for undercount (for households or persons as appropriate) multiplied by 10 to inflate the 10% sample to the population

Stratification and ordering of the household records for sampling
The census household records were explicitly stratified according to Province and District Council. Within each District Council the records were further implicitly stratified by local authority (as defined for the purposes of this sample and explained further below) and EA type. Within each implicit stratum the household records were ordered according to the unique seven-digit census Enumerator Area number, of which the first three digits are the (old) magisterial district number.

Defining local councils for the 10% sample

Different terms are used for the local authority boundaries in different parts of the country. There are Transitional Local Councils (TLCs); Transitional Rural Councils (TRCs); Local Authority Councils (LACs); Metropolitan Sub-Structures (MSSs); Metropolitan Local Councils (MLCs); Rural Local Councils (RLCs); District Councils (DCs); Transitional District Councils (TDCs) and Regional Councils (RCs).

To ensure confidentiality within the 10% sample, a local authority had to have a minimum of 2000 households. As many local authorities had fewer than this number, they had to be grouped together to ensure that the minimum number of households was met. For this purpose, hostel dwellers were treated as single person households.

The final classification as used for the 10% sample can be seen in TLC & TRC codelist.

Local authorities with less than 2000 households were pooled with other local authorities based on the following principles:

All provinces except KwaZulu/Natal and North West.

A TLC with less than 2000 households was grouped with the TRC within which the TLC was located. In cases where the TRC was big enough to stand on its own but the TLC’s within its boundaries were too small, the sample was drawn in such a way that the TRC can be analysed either on its own or together with other TLCs within its boundaries. Where a TRC plus all the TLCs within its boundaries were less than the minimum of 2000 households the TRC (including the TLCs within its boundaries) was pooled with the adjacent TRC.

In a few cases the required minimum of 2000 households could not be achieved when all the local authorities within a District Council were pooled together. In such a case no further implicit stratification within the District Council was done.

The equivalent to a District Council in KwaZulu/Natal is known as a Regional Council. There are no rural councils in KwaZulu/Natal. Smaller local authorities could therefore not be pooled with the rural council within which boundaries it falls. Where such TLCs were adjacent to another TLC they were pooled to form one stratum. In two cases three TLCs were pooled to form one stratum. In all cases the TLCs that were pooled are adjacent to each other.

The TRCs in the North West do not encompass TLCs as is the case in other provinces. The area between TLCs/TRCs in the North West is part of the relevant District Council. Small TLCs/TRCs in the North West were either pooled with adjacent local authorities or they were pooled with the relevant District Council.

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