Honesty plea as Polish census starts

Poland's population is facing major changes

The people of Poland are being counted in the first census since the collapse of communism - with a plea from their president for honesty.

The population of 39 million will be questioned by 172,000 interviewers about their living standards, jobs, families and education.

Last time a census was held was in 1988, a year before the communist regime was toppled.

Kwasniewski says an accurate picture of the nation is important

Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski urged citizens to be honest in their answers.

He said he wanted it to provide a "faithful picture of Poland's society and its transformations".

"I appeal for participation in the census in a responsible way, giving the interviewers full, frank information," said Mr Kwasniewski, himself an interviewer in a census held under communist rule in the 1970s.

One in every 50 women will be asked additional questions about marital status and how many children they plan to have, which correspondents say is highly sensitive in the largely Catholic country, where abortion is banned.

The census began on Tuesday and will continue until 8 June.

Farm research

A separate study is being conducted on Poland's huge agricultural sector, which has more than two million farms.

Farmers have suffered badly from reductions in state subsidies, and the issue has been a key factor in negotiations for Poland to join the European Union.

Warsaw hopes to be admitted as early as 2004, but that could mean further tough economic decisions have to be taken, which could hit farmers still harder.