asked the Taoiseach the estimated number of households in (i) 1973, (ii) 1976, (iii) 1986 and (iv) 1987.
Written Answers. - Number of Households.
39.
Counts of the number of private households are available periodically from censuses of population. The number of private households (permanent and temporary) in censuses since 1971 are as follows: 1971, 730, 543; 1979, 876, 659; 1981, 910, 700; 1986, 976, 304. These are derived from a complete de facto enumeration of the population — persons being counted where they actually are on census night.
Estimates of household numbers can also be derived from the labour force survey (LFS), based on a sample of some 45,000 private households each year. These estimates are on a somewhat different basis as the surveys use the usual residence approach. The estimates would, a priori, be expected to be higher than census counts which would not include as a household any dwelling all of whose residents were temporarily away on census night (even though they may be enumerated elsewhere in the State). The estimates from the LFS for relevant years are: 1975, 846,000; 1977, 880, 600; 1979, 900,000; 1986, 1,007, 300; 1987, 1,028,000.