Interviewer instructions
Question 304: Age
The characteristic of age is very important in the population data because it is the basic data to calculate the birth, death, population projections and others that are related to population.
Even if only estimated, please fill in the age.
Ask the age of the respondent and put the answer in the box. Age is counted in years rounded downwards or the age based on the last birthday. The age is calculated using the Roman calendar. Experience shows that the respondent's answer on age is generally rounded upwards. It is best to ask whether the respondent has reached the age of the given answer.
If the respondent is not sure of his/her age, try to obtain the age by using several ways as follows:
1. Ask for birth certificate or birth documents. For children younger than five ask for a patient card, immunization card and Road to Health Card or another document recorded by their parents. Examine the issued date of those documents (example: residency card or family card) if the age/birth date is not written there.
2. Convert the Arabic months or others to the Roman calendar if the respondent only knows the Arabic calendar or others. In several areas with the majority of Muslims, they only remember several important religious events such as fasting, Eid, Hajj or the prophet's birthday. Use the conversion of age guide (Book 4),
3. Associate the birth of the respondent with a date, month and year when an event happened or an important matter occurred in Indonesia or in other areas, which is known nationally or regionally.
Example: mountain eruption, flood, fire, election of head of the village/kelurahan, the landing of Japanese in Indonesia (1942), Indonesia's Independence Day (1945), First Election (1955) or the 30th September Movement/Indonesian Communist Party (1965)
4. If the respondents are children, compare the age of household members with other siblings. Start with predicting the age of the youngest child, compare with the second youngest by asking approximately the age or what their capabilities are. The elder sibling was starting to crawl, sit, stand up, or walk when the younger sibling was born or still in the mother's womb. Do this procedure to find information on the elder child.
5. Compare with the neighbor's children or relatives whose ages are known. Calculate how many months are those neighbor children or relative, whether older or younger from the respondent's age.
The boxes for age are two boxes: For those who are younger than 10, the first box should add a zero ("0") and write "95" for those who are age 95 or older.
6.5 Block V. General characteristics of household members
This block is used to record personal characteristics such as sex, age, mobility of living, attained education, school participation and the daily language used by each household members, starting from the first serial number of the household member until the last one.