Postponement Notice: Delayed release of statistical publications

For immediate release                                                                                                 02 August 2021

Methodology changes due to COVID-19 result in delayed release of statistical publications Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) wishes to advise its stakeholders and members of the public about the delay in the release of the General Household Survey (GHS) 2020, the Domestic Tourism Survey (DTS) 2020 and the Governance, Public Safety and Justice Survey (GPSJS) 2020 publications. The discontinuation of fieldwork in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated an adjustment in how we collect data for household surveys, to ensure the continuation and provision of crucial data for planning, policy decisions and interventions, especially during these unprecedented times. Change in data collection methodology (i.e. from face-to-face to Computer Assisted Telephonic Interview (CATI)) can have a far-reaching impact on data quality and estimates. Additional data assessment and analysis is required to ensure that data collected in 2020 are aligned to the previous publications.

In May 2021, Stats SA announced a delay in the release of the GHS 2020 results, previously scheduled for release on 27 May 2021. The estimated date for the release of the GHS results has been further deferred to 28 October 2021.

Release dates for the affected publications have been rescheduled as follows:

*Data assessment in progress. Users will be advised of the new date of publication soon.

We are aware of, and apologise for, the inconvenience that these delays have caused. Our first priority has to be ensuring that the data we disseminate is of high quality, complies with international standards, and is fit-for-use. We thank our users for their understanding as we navigate these challenges.

Ends

For media enquiries contact:  Felicia Sithole Cell: 076 430 0693: Email: felicias@statssa.gov.za

Issued by Statistics South Africa