P9) AgeCircle the code of the unit used to tell the age. Record the age in the two spaces provided.
[] 1 Day
[] 2 Month
[] 3 Year
_ _
6.2.3.8 Age (Column P9)
Age must be inquired on regardless of the method used to determine the date of birth for any individual. After asking date of birth and determining the age in completed year, the agent records the age in the two boxes provided. The agent must specify the unit (day, month, year) by circling the appropriate code ("1" = day, "2" = month, "3" = year).
The age in "completed years" refers to the age at last birthday. Age will be determined in completed years for people over a year and in months for children under one year (twelve months).
[Omitted examples]
Instructions: Write in the age column "99" for the people over 99 years.
Age must be obtained in completed years for those over one year of age, in months for those who have not reached a year, and in days for infants less than one month.
Special Case: People who don't know their age - During the enumeration, you may encounter of people who do not know their age. The agent must help these individuals to determine their age by one of the two methods below.
Method 1: Estimated from historical calendarThe historical calendar is a list of important events (national or local) with the dates, influencing national life or the life of local communities. Determining the age of a person from this calendar is to identify the date of the event closest to his birth date. From that date, the officer estimates the year of birth of the individual and his age by subtracting (RGPH Year (2009) - Year of birth estimated).
More specifically, we proceed as follows:
1. The officer estimated by observation the age of the individual (example of an individual whose age is estimated at 30 years). The first estimate is a starting point in the calendar. The agent adds 5 years over and under to this age for a period of estimation. In this case, it is estimated that the individual is between 25 and 35 years old, so that the event period nearest to his birth is: 1974-1984 (2009-25 = 1984 and 2009-35 = 1974).
2. The agent searches the calendar an event occurring in 1974 and asks the individual: "Do you remember this event?"
a. If the answer is "Yes," ask him: "How old were you at that time?"
[pg. 23]Suppose he confidently answers 10 years. Yet this individual was born in 1964 (1974-1910) and his age then 45 years (2009-1964).
Suppose he answers: "This event took place when my mother got married, two years before I was born." The year of birth is 1976 (1974 + 2). (The agent estimates the age of the individual at age 33 (2009 - 1976).
b. If the answer is "No," then the agent proposes another date of an event falling in the period and again raises the question: "Do you remember this event?"
The agent asks these questions to obtain the age. For this information, he can ask other questions such as: "Are you born before or after this event?" Or "How much time elapsed between this event and your birth?"
Method 2: ClassificationSome household members do not know their age, but know how to situate their age according to the age of household members or their families. Thus, if the agent can determine the exact age of one or two of these people, he can deduce an estimate of the age of the individual.