Evaluating Multiple Linked Swedish Censuses

Maria Larsson, Centre for Demographic and Ageing Research (CEDAR), Umeå University
Mats Berggren, Swedish National Archives
Elisabeth Engberg, Centre for Demographic and Ageing Research (CEDAR), Umeå University

The scientific potential of Swedish censuses has for a long time been eclipsed by the good access to detailed and comprehensive longitudinal population data. Censuses covering the entire population were taken every ten years from 1860 and forward, and censuses 1880-1910 are digitized and available for research while the 1930 census currently is being digitized. The censuses 1880-1910 are linked together, to create a longitudinal database with national coverage. As part of the SwedPop project, funded by the Swedish Research Council 2018-2022, longitudinal data will be linked to the censuses, to even further improve the possibilities for research. In 2014 the results of the linkage between the 1890 and 1900 Swedish censuses for the parishes Skellefteå and Byske was evaluated by a comparison with linked longitudinal data for these parishes in the POPUM database at Centre for Demographic and Aging Research (CEDAR) at Umeå University (Wisselgren et al 2014). In this paper the comparison is expanded to include the linked results for all four censuses for 12 parishes in the Skellefteå area in northern Sweden, concerning linkage rate, linkage bias and an analysis of possible causes of errors in the links between censuses. It will also be asked how the linkage rate is affected of events such as changed civil status and altered family relations. References: Wisselgren, Maria J., et al. "Testing methods of record linkage on Swedish censuses." Historical Methods: A Journal of Quantitative and Interdisciplinary History 47.3 (2014): 138-151.

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 Presented in Session 182. Matching, Bias and Data Development: Automated Methods for Data Collection and Record Linking Assessed