Russian state pursues undeclared goals in census - Moscow enumerator

 
[Presenter] Today is the last day of the national census in Russia. Enumerators do not have much time to visit all those who still have not answered census questions. But these people make up 30 per cent of the population. Therefore, the all-Russia census campaign can hardly be called a success.

Meanwhile, some census-takers say that they do not understand what it is all about, if they are made to invent answers for refuseniks.

[Correspondent] This is census station No 5 in Khamovniki [Moscow district]. The time is 10 in the morning. Several enumerators are visiting homes, some have not turned up yet. Several people are ill. In other words, the census is coming to an end.

[Lyubov Kvitko, head of census station No 5] We are in a very good mood. Practically everybody has been covered. In very few cases people refused to take part. In general, everything's fine at our station.

[Correspondent] An enumerator sitting at the next table has absolutely different data on the number of census participants.

[Yuriy Zhdanov, elderly enumerator] I have never seen this kind of inertia before. Today's the last day and we still have not managed to cover everybody. Either flats are locked, or people refuse to open the door.

[Correspondent] Off the camera, whispering and looking behind their back, enumerators tell us how they are made to work under the threat of being expelled from their universities, how they write, or to be more exact, invent reports, and how they fill in census forms for refuseniks. They admit that they feel themselves involuntary participants in somebody's dirty game without knowing the rules.

[Aleksey Romanov, enumerator in his 20s] I think that in reality the state has different aims from the ones it has declared. The census is an anonymous  procedure. However, the state demands that we write down the name, telephone number, living area. I do not understand what it is needed for.

[Correspondent] How do people react?

[Romanov] Quite often people reacted very aggressively. By the way, I did not expect such a reaction.

[Maya Baydakhova, instructor enumerator, speaking on the phone] If you do not want, you don't have to answer these questions. Census is a voluntary deed.

Will you answer the rest of the questions, regarding you personally? [Speaking to camera] My personal impression is that nobody needs this. It is done just for form's sake. That's it.

[Correspondent] After the census is over, the best enumerators will be presented with memorial badges and gifts. However, it is not clear whom to consider the best enumerator: the most honest one or the one who has written the best report.

Asya Goyzman, Vyacheslav Kharitonov, Oleg Yeliseyev, Ren TV, Moscow.