Successful census contributes to development quality

Jakarta (ANTARA) - GREAT Institute economics researcher Trisha Devita said the success of the 2026 Economic Census can contribute directly to the quality of development, because the more complete the data collected, the better the government can understand economic changes and improve policy.

“Public trust is the main capital of quality statistics. People need to be confident that their data is safe and used for statistical purposes,” Trisha said in Jakarta on Friday.

Trisha assessed that a successful census requires the support of all stakeholders, including regional governments, business associations, academics, the media, community organisations and local figures, through public awareness campaigns that are easy for people to understand.

She invited households, business actors, organisations and companies not only to participate in answering officers’ questions, but also to help spread accurate information about the census and reduce misunderstandings about the purpose of the data collection.

“Accurate data today will become the foundation for better economic decisions in the future,” she said.

She expressed hope that the 2026 Economic Census would become a moment to strengthen awareness that data is an essential part of development infrastructure determining how precisely the government sets priorities, allocates budgets and evaluates the effectiveness of economic policy.

“Welcome official BPS officers, provide correct information, and together build an accurate database for the future of Indonesia’s economy,” she added.

Earlier, the Head of Statistics Indonesia (BPS), Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti, affirmed that the economic census is being conducted not for taxation purposes but for statistical needs.

The affirmation came after a public perception emerged that the economic census was being carried out to identify prospective taxpayers.

“So this census is for statistical purposes, not for taxation interests. That is perhaps what the wider public needs to know,” Amalia said at Jakarta City Hall on Monday (13 July).

Amalia also assured that the confidentiality of people’s data would be maintained, so the public need not worry.

“We have also collaborated with the National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN), Telkom and PT Peruri to safeguard the security of the data that will later be collected on BPS servers,” she asserted.