Source
Household questionnaire: Q1.2 Is (the person) male or female? (pre-coded)
Personal questionnaire: Q2 Is this person male or female? (pre-coded)
Special enumeration questionnaire: C3 Gender (pre-coded)

Applicable population
All persons

Final code list
1 Male
2 Female

Notes for users
The household and personal questionnaires asked for date of birth and, if not known, age in years. The special enumeration questionnaire included columns for both age in years and date of birth. Date of birth was requested because it is easier for some people to remember (rather than having to calculate age) and to try to minimise the tendency for people to round off responses to the nearest decade. If both age and date of birth were given, date of birth was accepted if the responses were inconsistent.
The question required the age in completed years. The household questionnaire included the following instruction: ‘For babies under one year, write "0" years, if date of birth is not known.’
Responses of 120 or greater were set to ‘Unspecified’.

Source
Household questionnaire: Q2 What is (the person’s) date of birth? (Give as much information as is known.). Or else, please give this person’s age in years or give an estimate. (write in)
Personal questionnaire: Q3 What is this person’s date of birth? (Give as much information as is known.) Or else, if date of birth is not known, what is the (estimated) age of this person? (write in)
Special enumeration questionnaire: C4 & C5 Age in years; Date of birth (write in)

Applicable population
All persons

Final code list
0 to 119 in single years
999 Unspecified

Notes for users
The questionnaire asked about the relationship of each person in the household to the head or acting head of the household. The list of relationships which could be specified were as follows:

As respondents were only asked about the relationship to the head (or acting head) of the household, some marriage and parent/child relationships in households cannot be identified. For example, if a household consisted of two unrelated couples, the relationships would be:
Person 1: Head, Person 2: Husband/wife, Person 3: Non-related person, Person 4: Non-related person.
Thus the second couple would not be identified as a couple.
It was dependent upon respondents to nominate the head of the household and no guidelines were provided on the questionnaire as to who this should be. The interviewer’s instructions defined head of household as ‘a male or a female who assumes responsibility for the household’.
The category ‘Son/daughter’ includes stepchildren and adopted children as well as natural children. On the questionnaire, ‘in-laws’ was given as an example for ‘Other relative’ although many other relationships would also fall within this category.
Although this question wasn’t included on personal questionnaires, it is not possible to distinguish personal and household questionnaires on the dataset. Thus, persons on personal questionnaires have been included in the ‘Unspecified’ category.

Source
Household questionnaire: Q3 What is (each individual’s) relation to (the person listed in column 1)? (pre-coded)
Personal questionnaire: Not included
Special enumeration questionnaire: Not included

Applicable population
All persons enumerated on household questionnaires

Final code list
1 Head of household
2 Husband/wife/partner
3 Son/daughter
4 Brother/sister
5 Father/mother
6 Grandparent
7 Grandchild
8 Other relative
9 Non-related person
99 Unspecified/Personal qu
98 N/A: Institution

Notes for users
A question was included on each person’s marital status, regardless of their age. The following responses were allowed:

‘Married: Civil/religious’ should include, for example, a person married in a church or in a magistrate’s office. ‘Married: Traditional/customary’ should include a person married according to African traditions or customs. A person married according to Muslim rites, or one married according to both civil and customary rites, could have been listed under either.
Only information on the person’s present marital status was sought. ‘Living together’ was treated as a legitimate option, even though the person may have a different registered marital status (eg. never married or divorced).
All persons aged under 16 were coded as ‘Never married’.
It is possible that a person’s marital status may apparently differ from the relationship stated. This may be as a result of the respondent perceiving the questions as relating to different issues or may be due to genuine errors.

Source
Household questionnaire: Q4 What is (the person’s) PRESENT marital status? (pre-coded)
Personal questionnaire: Q4 What is this person’s PRESENT marital status? (pre-coded)
Special enumeration questionnaire: Not included

Applicable population
All persons on household or personal questionnaires

Final code list
1 Never married
2 Married: Civil/religious
3 Married: Traditional
4 Living together
5 Widowed
6 Divorced/separated
9 Unspecified
8 N/A: Institution

Notes for users
The question asked ‘How would the person describe him/herself?’ Thus population group reflects the respondent’s chosen identification and does not reflect any ‘official’ definition. Interviewers were instructed: ‘Accept the response that is given even if you don’t agree’.
Only four options were provided on the questionnaire (African/Black, Coloured, Indian/Asian and White). Respondents were not given an option of ‘Other’.
During Census ’96 when some people whom identified as Griquas requested to be identified as a separate population group. At short notice, instructions were changed to allow interviewers to write ‘5 Griqua’ on the questionnaire and these responses were coded separately. However, the number of people identifying themselves as Griqua was small and represented an under-identification of the number of people who would have been identified as Griquas if there had been such a category on the questionnaire to indicate that this was a valid response. In the SuperSTAR database, people identifying as ‘Griqua’ have been included with ‘Unspecified’. Data on the Griquas identified in the Census is available separately as a special request but users should be aware of its limitations.

Source
Household questionnaire: Q5 How would (the person) describe him-/herself? (pre-coded)
Personal questionnaire: Q5 How would this person describe him-herself? (pre-coded)
Special enumeration questionnaire: C6 Population Group (pre-coded)

Applicable population
All persons

Final code list
1 African/Black
2 Coloured
3 Indian/Asian
4 White
9 Unspecified

Notes for users
The questionnaires asked what language each person spoke most often at home. Household and personal questionnaires then included questions on whether the person spoke more than one language at home and, if so, what was the next most often spoken language.
A coding list of languages was compiled, including the 11 official languages as well as other languages which are relatively commonly spoken in South Africa.
Interviewers were instructed: ‘For babies, write down the home language of their parents. (If the parents have different home languages, write down the mother’s home language).’

Source
Household questionnaire: Q6.1 Which languages does (the person) speak MOST OFTEN AT HOME? (write in)
Personal questionnaire: Q6.1 Which language does this person speak MOST OFTEN AT HOME? (write in)
Special enumeration questionnaire: C7 Home language (write in)

Applicable population
All persons

Notes for users
See First language.
This question involved two parts – firstly, whether the person spoke more than one language and then, if so, what language was spoken next most often. The responses to both these parts have been incorporated into the single variable ‘Second language’.

Source
Household questionnaire: Q6.2 Does (the person) speak more than one language AT HOME? If ‘Yes’, specify the language he/she speaks NEXT MOST OFTEN. (first part pre-coded, second part write in)
Personal questionnaire: Q6.2 Does this person speak more than one language AT HOME? If ‘Yes’, specify the language he/she speaks NEXT MOST OFTEN (first part pre-coded, second part write in)
Special enumeration questionnaire: Not included

Applicable population
All persons on household and personal questionnaires

Final code list
01-26 See First language
00 Other
99 Unspecified
97 N/A: Speaks one language only
98 N/A: Institution

Notes for users
This was the only question on the census questionnaire that was optional and indicated as such on the questionnaire. In addition, persons with no religion or belief could, if they wished, be identified as such. The questionnaire included the instruction: ‘If no religion, write "none".’ Where no response was provided for babies or children, interviewers and coders were instructed to allocate the religion of the parents or, if different, of the mother.
The list below contains summarised versions of the full coding descriptions. The detailed descriptions are available from Stats SA if required.
As many categories contain very small counts, it is recommended that the standard recode is used wherever possible.

Source
Household questionnaire: Q7 What is (the person’s) religion, denomination or belief? (write in)
Personal questionnaire: Q7 What is this person’s religion, denomination or belief? (write in)
Special enumeration questionnaire: Not included

Applicable population
All persons on household and personal questionnaires

Notes for users
The question involved two parts – firstly, whether the person was born in South Africa and then, if not, in what country was the person born. The responses to both these parts have been incorporated into the single variable ‘Country of birth’.
The first question, relating to whether the person was born in South Africa, included the instruction ‘Include the former Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda, Ciskei – TBVC states)’.
A coding list was established for coding country of birth for those born outside South Africa. Countries are listed according to the name in use at the time of Census ’96. Thus Zaire is listed as such although later the name of the country was changed to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Many countries have very small counts. For most purposes, users may find the recode more appropriate.

Source
Household questionnaire: Q8 Was (the person) born in South Africa? If ‘No’, in what country was the person born? (first part pre-coded, second part write in)
Personal questionnaire: Q8 Was this person born in South Africa? If ‘No, in what country was this person born? (first part pre-coded, second part write in)
Special enumeration questionnaire: Not included

Applicable population
All persons on household and personal questionnaires

Notes for users
The question on citizenship was a two-part question on the household and personal questionnaires. The first part obtained information on whether the person was a citizen of South Africa, another country or both South Africa and another country. The second part of the question asked for the other country of citizenship if there was one. The term ‘citizen’ was not defined on the census questionnaire.
On special enumeration questionnaires, only ‘Nationality or Citizenship’ was asked for and no information was obtained on dual citizenship.
The variable ‘Citizenship’ summarizes the information from all these questions. If a person was recorded as a citizen of both South Africa and another country, they are recorded as a citizen of South Africa in this variable. If information on dual citizenship is required, the variables ‘Citizen of South Africa’ and ‘Citizen of other country’ should be used.

Source
Household questionnaire: Q9 Is (the person) a citizen of… (If dual citizenship or citizenship or another country), what is the name of the country? (first part pre-coded, second part write in)
Personal questionnaire: Q9 Is this person a citizen of… (If dual citizenship or citizenship of another country), what is the name of the country? (first part pre-coded, second part write in)
Special enumeration questionnaire: C8 Nationality or Citizenship (write in)

Applicable population
All persons

Final code list
00 Other
01 South Africa
02-75 Countries as for Country of birth
99 Unspecified

Notes for users
See Citizenship
This variable contains the results of the first question on citizenship/dual citizenship on household and personal questionnaires.

Source
Household questionnaire: Q9.1 Is (the person) a citizen of… (pre-coded)
Personal questionnaire: Q9.1 Is this person a citizen of… (pre-coded)
Special enumeration questionnaire: Not included

Applicable population
All persons on household and personal questionnaires.

Final code list
1 South Africa only
2 South Africa and another country
3 Another country only
9 Unspecified
8 N/A: Institution

Notes for users
See Citizenship.
This variable relates to the second question on citizenship on household and personal questionnaires. It records the country a person is a citizen of, if they are a citizen of another country. When used with Citizenship of South Africa, it is possible to determine whether or not the person is also a citizen of South Africa.

Source
Household questionnaire: Q9.2 If dual citizenship or citizenship of another country, what is the name of the country? (write in)
Personal questionnaire: Q9.2 If dual citizenship or citizenship of another country, what is the name of the country? (write in)
Special enumeration questionnaire: Not included

Applicable population
All persons on household and personal questionnaires.

Final code list
00 Other
02-75 Countries as for Country of birth
99 Unspecified
97 N/A: Citizen of RSA only
98 N/A: Institution

Notes for users
On the census questionnaire, a migrant worker was defined as ‘Someone who is absent from home for more than a month each year to work or to seek work’. The interviewer’s instructions further clarified that the month did not have to be continuous: ‘A person away from home who returns back home every weekend is regarded as a migrant worker providing that the total period away from home is a month or more.’
Although the question was asked in respect of all persons, those under 15 were set to ‘Not applicable’ in line with all other employment-related variables.
It is not possible to determine conclusively whether a migrant worker was enumerated at the place they consider home or the place they have migrated to for work. However, the questions on usual residence and district of employment may be of some use.
The data from this question was also used to derive the household variable indicating whether any migrant workers were present in the household (Migrant workers present in hhold). Complementary information was obtained from the question for each household on whether there were any people who were absent from the household because they were migrant workers (Migrant workers absent from hhold).

Source
Household questionnaire: Q10 Is (the person) a migrant worker? (pre-coded)
Personal questionnaire: Q10 Is this person a migrant worker? (pre-coded)
Special enumeration questionnaire: Not included

Applicable population
All persons aged 15 or older and enumerated on household or personal questionnaires.

Final code list
1 Yes
2 No
9 Unspecified
7 N/A: Aged <15
8 N/A: Institution

Notes for users
For Census ’96, each person should have been enumerated where they stayed on Census Night (the night of 9-10 October 1996). However, for some purposes, users may be more interested in where each person usually lived at the time of the census as some people may have been absent from their usual residence temporarily when enumerated. This information was obtained through the question ‘Is this dwelling the place where the person usually lives, ie. where the person spends at least four nights per week?’
A response of ‘No usual address’ was included. This response was included for people who did not have a permanent place of residence at the time of the census, such as homeless people. However, other people, such as people who moved regularly for work and had no home base, may also have selected this response.
The question on usual residence had two parts. The first determined whether or not the person was enumerated at their usual residence while the second recorded the location of the usual residence. This variable, Place of usual residence, contains the results of the first part of the question.

Source
Household questionnaire: Q11.1 Is this DWELLING (e.g. house, room, shack, flat) the place where (the person) usually lives, i.e. where (the person) spends at least four nights per week? (pre-coded)
Personal questionnaire: Q11.1 Is this DWELLING the place where the person usually lives, i.e. where the person spends at least four nights per week? (pre-coded)
Special enumeration questionnaire: Not included

Applicable population
All persons on household and personal questionnaires

Final code list
1 Usual resident
2 Visitor
3 No usual address
9 Unspecified
8 N/A: Institution

Notes for users
This variable records the location of each person’s usual residence. If they were enumerated at their usual residence, or did not have a usual address, then the information was copied from their location of enumeration. If they were enumerated elsewhere, then the appropriate code was allocated.
During processing, coding was done for Magisterial district and Place name. However, at this time, only the Magisterial district data is available as the Place name codes are still being finalised.

Source
Household questionnaire: Q11 If ‘No’, where does (this person) usually live? (write in if elsewhere, derived if census address)
Personal questionnaire: Q11 If ‘No’, where does this person usually live? (write in if elsewhere, derived if census address)
Special enumeration questionnaire: Not included

Applicable population
All persons on household and personal questionnaires

Final code list
See Magisterial district and Country of birth code lists for details based on the following principles:
pmm Province/Magisterial district codes (if within South Africa)
0cc Country (if elsewhere)
000 Unspecified
098 N/A: Institution

SuperSTAR build has a hierarchy of Province then Magisterial district:
Western Cape
Eastern Cape
Northern Cape
Free State
KwaZulu-Natal
North West
Gauteng
Mpumalanga
Northern Province
Other country
Unspecified
N/A: Institution

Notes for users
If the person had ever moved, the respondent was asked for the year in which the person moved to the dwelling of usual residence and then for the location (Magisterial district and Place name) of the previous residence. This variable, ‘Year moved to usual residence’, records whether each person had moved and, if so, in what year they last moved.
This variable should be used in conjunction with ‘District of usual residence’, and ‘District of previous residence’.

Source
Household questionnaire: Q12.1 In which year did (the person) move to the DWELLING (e.g. house, room, shack, flat) where he/she usually lives? (write in)
Personal questionnaire: Q12.1 In which year did the person move to the DWELLING where he/she usually lives? (write in)
Special enumeration questionnaire: Not included

Applicable population
All persons on household and personal questionnaires

Final code list
1900-1996 Year moved
9997 Never moved
9999 Unspecified
9998 N/A: Institution

Notes for users
During processing, coding was done for Magisterial district and Place name. However, at this time, only the Magisterial district data is available as the Place name codes are still being finalised.
The questionnaire included the reminder ‘Before moving into the dwelling where he/she usually lives’ after the question in order to prompt for most recent previous place of residence.

Source
Household questionnaire: Q12.2 From where did (the person) move? (write in)
Personal questionnaire: Q12.2 From where did this person move? (write in)
Special enumeration questionnaire: Not included

Applicable population
All persons who have ever moved

Final code list
See Magisterial district and Country of birth code lists for details based on the following principles:
pmm Province/Magisterial district codes (if within South Africa)
0cc Country (if elsewhere)
000 Unspecified
097 N/A: Never moved
098 N/A: Institution

SuperSTAR build has a hierarchy of Province then Magisterial district:
Western Cape
Eastern Cape
Northern Cape
Free State
KwaZulu-Natal
North West
Gauteng
Mpumalanga
Northern Province
Other country
Unspecified
N/A: Never moved
N/A: Institution