Mandating Census

From the MT:

"Rosstat Proposes Compulsary Russian Census Participation"

Russia’s state statistics service Rosstat has proposed making participation in the National Population Census compulsory, the Kommersant newspaper reported Monday. Rosstat has proposed a fine of 100 to 300 rubles ($1.5 to $4.5) for those who refuse to answer census questions.  Rosstat has worked since April 2015 to secure the support of ministers and relevant authorities, and last week a government commission approved the amendments related to the 2002 population census law. The government will soon discuss the proposal, Kommersant reported. The census in Russia is carried out at least once every decade. The idea of compulsory census participation arose after 1 million people refused to take part in the 2010 census, Kommersant reported. According to the newspaper, 3.5 million people declined to answer questions on their education, 4 million declined to give information on their sources of income and 4.6 million declined to provide employment information. Approval for the census amendments took over a year because of the “idea's divisiveness,” Kommersant reported, citing Olga Vorobyeva, head of the Research Center for Socioeconomic Issues in Population. The amendments had won approval on ground that an accurate census “forms the basis of socioeconomic policy.” According to Vorobyeva, 2010 census data had to be compiled using landlords’ registers because census takers were not granted entry into homes. Consequently, the census was “not particularly reliable,” she said. She hopes an online census can be implemented in time for the 2020 census, Kommersant reported. Alexander Brovsky, a member of the Presidential Council on Human Rights remains skeptical: “Carrying out a comprehensive survey of citizens without an accompanying legal mechanism is impossible.” Completely reliable information remains “unobtainable,” he said. “If someone wants to hide something, they will simply risk the 300-ruble fine.”

^ I know many countries (like the US) have made it compulsory to fill-out their census. I don't see why Russia shouldn't be any different. While I know that it is illegal not to fill-out the census in the US I don't know what you get (jail, a fine or both) if you don't do it. ^

https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russia-to-introduce-fines-for-non-particpation-in-censuses-55212