over the next two months will be asking questions relating to people's circumstances on this day.

Those carrying out the survey will begin their door knocking tomorrow as the process of gathering data on the social and economic condition of Bermuda's people gets underway.

The collected information will help Government planners, businesses, unions and researchers.

All census workers will carry identification badges and all the information they collect will be kept confidential with no names being entered into the census computer file.

If census workers visit at an inconvenient time they will arrange a suitable time to return and some households will be visited by census supervisors who will check that questioners are doing their work properly.

Census superintendent Janet Smith-Bradshaw said she thought there were enough questioners to get the work done.

She said: "Two hundred will go into the field on Sunday while we have 60 more in training.'' She noted that the census was very important.

"It is essential we have sound data with which to determine what services are needed, where they are needed and to what degree -- services like housing, education, child care, health care and transportation.

"Census 2000 will provide a count of the Bermuda population that will be used to estimate the potential for growth in the population over the next couple of decades.

"In addition, Census 2000 will measure the level of unemployment as well as reveal trends in occupations and industries that will be significant in monitoring and planning for changes in Bermuda's labour force requirements.'' Questions will be asked on demographics, marital status, migration, education, journey to work, fertility, Bermudian status, health, income and housing.

New topics for this census include: home computer use, questions on rent, mortgages and house prices, child care during work hours, educational preference, health insurance and pensions.

Preliminary results of the $1.8 million census will be available by the end of October with the summary report being published next August and the final report due in the summer of 2002.

Householders are asked to keep their dogs tied up until their entire building has been visited and they are reminded to remember whether they were working during the week preceding today and how many people were staying in their home during that week.