1991 Population and Housing Census - IPUMS Subset
Malaysia, 1991
Get Microdata
Reference ID
MYS_1991_PHC_v01_M_v7.5_A_IPUMS
Producer(s)
Department of Statistics Malaysia, IPUMS
Metadata
Created on
Sep 29, 2011
Last modified
Sep 03, 2025
Page views
29855
Downloads
15249
- Data files
- MYS1991_PHC-H-H.dat
- MYS1991_PHC-P-H.dat
Ethnic group (MY1991A_ETHNIC)
Data file: MYS1991_PHC-P-H.dat
Overview
Type:
Discrete
Decimal:
0
Start:
206
End:
206
Width:
1
Range:
-
Format:
Numeric
Questions and instructions
Literal question
[Questions C1-27 were asked of persons who live in their households on Census Days.]</p>
<p><svar a="all" v="MY91A409">C9. To what ethnic group, community or dialect group do you belong? _ _ ____<br /> (Refer to code card)<br /></svar>
<p><svar a="all" v="MY91A409">C9. To what ethnic group, community or dialect group do you belong? _ _ ____<br /> (Refer to code card)<br /></svar>
Categories
| Value | Category |
|---|---|
| 1 | Malays |
| 2 | Other Bumiputera |
| 3 | Chinese |
| 4 | Indians |
| 5 | Others |
| 6 | Non-Malaysian citizen |
Warning: these figures indicate the number of cases found in the data file. They cannot be interpreted as summary statistics of the population of interest.
Interviewer instructions
<svar a="all" v="MY91A409"><span class="h3">Question C9</span><br />[Question C9 of the enumeration form is not presented here.]<br /><br /><span class="em">Purpose</span><br />The purpose of this question is to obtain information about the ethnic group of each person.<br /><br /><span class="em">Definition</span><br />The term "ethnic or dialectic group" refers to a group of persons bonded by common language, religion, customs or other such factors.<br /><br />How to ask the question<br />You are to ask the question as follows:<br /><span class="ital">"What is the ethnic or dialectic group of ____ (member's name)?"</span><br /><br />In general, accept whatever answer is given by the respondent.<br />Do not make guesses by referring to the name, appearance, etc. of the person.<br />Example: If the respondent replies that he is a "Malay", answer should be entered as follows:<br />01 Malay<br /><br /><span class="pg">[p.120]</span><br /><br />If the reply given by the respondent is too general, for example "Chinese" or "Indian", you should obtain more detailed information.<br />Example (a):<br />Wrong<br />_ _ Chinese<br />Right<br />51 Hokkien<br /><br />Example (b):<br />Wrong<br />_ _ Indian<br />Right:<br />62 Malayali<br /><br /><span class="pg">[p.121]</span><br /><br />Case-by-case guidelines<br />During the interview, you may encounter some problems in deciding the ethnic group of a person and the correct code to be given. The following are some guidelines provided for cases you may possibly encounter and how to solve these cases.<br /><br /><span class="ital">1. Mixed ethnicity</span><br />Persons of mixed ethnic origin may present some problems to you. There may be cases where the persons may not be certain of their ethnic origin.<br />You should encourage them to make a choice by asking for the ethnic origin of their language, religion, customs, etc., or to which ethnic group their parents consider themselves to have originated from.<br />As a final resort, record the ethnicity of the father.<br /><br /><span class="ital">2. Indonesia</span><br />i. For those who report themselves as Javanese, Boyan, Bugis, etc.<br />Record them as "Indonesian" and write Code 2 in the code box.<br />ii. For those of Indonesian origin (without considering citizenship) especially in Peninsular Malaysia, there are those who regard themselves as "Malay", while some consider themselves as "Indonesian".<br />For those who report themselves as Malay, write "Malay" on the dotted line and give Code 1.<br />For those who report themselves as Indonesian, write "Indonesian" and give Code 2.<br /><br /><span class="ital">3. Ceylonese/Sri Lankan</span><br />If the answer given by a respondent is "Ceylonese" or "Sri Lankan"<br />Confirm if they are Sri Lankan Tamil or Sinhalese. If the answer is "Sri Lankan Tamil", record as such and give Code 66, and if the reply is "Sinhalese", the give Code 67.<br /><br /><span class="pg">[p.122]</span><br /><br /><span class="ital">4. Pakistani</span><br />If a respondent says he is a "Pakistani", write "Pakistani" and give Code 69.<br />Do not record him as "Other Indian".<br /><br /><span class="ital">5. Punjabi</span><br />If a respondent says he is a "Punjabi", ask the respondent if he is a "Sikh" (Code 63) or Other Punjabi (Code 64).<br /><br /><span class="ital">6. Nepalese and Gurkha</span><br />If a person says he is a "Nepalese" or "Gurkha", you should record him as "Nepalese" or "Gurkha" and give Code 75 (Other Asian) and not as "Other Indian" (Code 70).<br /><br /><span class="pg">[p.123]</span><br /><br />Special Note:<br /><span class="ital">Other Asian (Code 75)</span><br />This category is for any Asian ethnic group which is not separately listed in the Code Card (Document 6).<br /><br /><span class="ital">Baba Chinese</span><br />The Baba Chinese are to be classified under whichever dialectic group they consider themselves to belong to. If they are unable to do so, they are then to be classified as "Other Chinese".<br /><br /><span class="ital">European (Code 77)</span><br />The category "Europeans" includes Australians, New Zealander, and Americans".<br /><br /><span class="ital">Chitty</span><br />Those who report themselves as "Chitty" should be classified as "Other Indians". (Code 70)<br /><br /><span class="ital">Others</span><br />This category is for those who cannot be placed in any of the categories which are listed in the Code Card (Document 6).<br /></svar>
Description
Definition
This variable indicates the ethnic group the person belongs to.
Universe
Malaysia 1991: All persons
concept
Concept
| var_concept.title | Vocabulary |
|---|---|
| Ethnicity and Language Variables -- PERSON | IPUMS |