In
the absence of a comprehensive population survey, and given the urgent
need for making available demographic and social data for designing
social, housing and development policies, the Ministry of Social
Affairs, with financial and technical support by the United Nations
Population Fund, undertook the Population and Housing Survey.
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The execution of the
survey lasted from mid-March 1994 until the end of September 1996. A
total of 61,580 household questionnaires were completed which covered
289,257 individuals or around 10 percent of the resident population The
Palestinian camps and expatriates not forming part of a household
(foreign workers who sleep at construction sites or use common
accommodations) were excluded. The size of this sample allows the
drawing of conclusions with a high level of precision up to the kada
level.
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The survey focused
primarily on the gathering of demographic data. However, the
questionnaire, which was not designed for the purpose of studying
poverty, deprivation or living conditions, included detailed information
on housing conditions and ownership; basic services; educational
attainment of household members, their gender and age; relation to the
labor force; occupations and fields of economic activity; and deaths. In
other words, the questionnaire covered several aspects that reflect
living conditions of households, including the level of deprivation or
well-being in the broad sense of the term.
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