Czechoslovak Population Census – 1980

The fourth post-war census took place on 1 November 1980. Thanks to the census, data for foundation of the Central Population Register at the Ministry of the Interior were obtained. However, no major innovations occurred in comparison to previous censuses. The following can be considered as new: data on female fertility deepened, basic settlement units were classified by type and size, and data on commute to work were processed as for the direction (in the past only balance processing was made).

Processing of census results was made on a new Cyber 180 mainframe computer; all experience from the previous census was used. Data in the form of numerical codes were transferred by the Videoplex 3 system directly to magnetic tapes in the computer technology company PVT. Then plausibility checks and corrections were made. Almost all the processing on the big computer was made within a very short period (about a year and half).

Census results were published not only in the printed form, but also in the full scope at microfiches. The CZSO issued (as a follow-up of the pre-war tradition of valuable analyses of census results) a free publication 1980 Population and Housing Census – Czech Socialist Republic. The Slovak Statistical Office then issued a similar publication also for the Slovak Socialist Republic. However, full source works were not issued (including adequate documentation of preparation, progress and processing of the 1980 census results).