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Society
Photo: DPA

Fake census forms probe drug consumption and penis size

Published: 11 May 11 15:56 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20110511-34951.html

Forms masquerading as Germany's 2011 census but instead asking questions about drug consumption and penis size have been arriving in post boxes around the country.

It is not clear whether the fake forms are an elaborate joke or an attempt at satire, but have been reported in Hesse, Lower Saxony and now Berlin.

The forms the same as the official version, and have been arriving since Monday, when the genuine census was sent out, according to daily Berliner Zeitung.

Initially the only distinguishing factor is that the fake census forms are delivered to mailboxes without an envelope. The questions seem genuine at first, but soon begin probing into some more-than-personal areas which don’t feature in the real thing.

One question asks participants, “which drugs do you take?”, giving them the option to tick boxes marked with options including LSD or cannabis.

Another delved into medical history, asking “have you ever undertaken a breast or penis enlargement procedure?”

“These questions were all entirely fictitious, we wouldn’t ask anything like that,” said Klaus Voy, Census Project Manager at the Brandenburg-Berlin Office of Statistics.

“Those opposing the census might have preferred it if we’d asked such questions, as it would have fuelled their argument.”

With the real census coming under fire from privacy advocacy groups for asking questions about immigration background and religion that are beyond EU requirements, some featuring on the joke census concerning “sexual orientation” may not initially appear fake.

The first results of the real census will be released in the autumn of 2012.

The Local/rm

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

17:28 May 11, 2011 by trash head
bawahaha

Nice one ! Could be from me.
18:49 May 11, 2011 by Englishted
Well mine is 12inches but I don't use it a rule.
19:07 May 11, 2011 by iseedaftpeople
to prove a point, they also should have asked

"On a scale from 1 to 5, how gullible do you consider yourself?"

;-)
01:48 May 12, 2011 by DavidtheNorseman
The real question is how many will be sent in to the Census Bureau and the information dillegently recorded and filed...LOL
08:40 May 12, 2011 by nz101
ha ha. Love it, good to know there are still some people out there with a sense of humour !
09:26 May 12, 2011 by Angry Ami
Well if they really must know

20 x 6 :-P
12:20 May 12, 2011 by Simon_Kellett
@iseedaftpeople> "On a scale from 1 to 5, how gullible do you consider yourself?"

Sorry, my Englisch is not good: what does "gullible" mean? (I can not find it in my diktionary.)
12:31 May 12, 2011 by iseedaftpeople
@Simon Kellett:

nice try ;-)

But in case you do want to know-

according to Random House Webster's College Dictionary:

gullible, adj. - easily deceived or cheated; naive; credulous.
13:08 May 12, 2011 by Dashcroft
angri ami: mine's the same - in inches!
13:31 May 12, 2011 by Englishted
12:31 May 12, 2011 by iseedaftpeople

@Simon Kellett:

nice try ;-)

But in case you do want to know-

according to Random House Webster's College Dictionary:

gullible, adj. - easily deceived or cheated; naive; credulous.

So like F.D.P. voters really.
13:46 May 12, 2011 by maxbrando
I believe that the real problem is that many, many Germans will think the fake form is the real one, and that the already intrusive German is just being itself!
14:16 May 13, 2011 by n230099
OK...that's funny!
23:29 May 13, 2011 by derExDeutsche
it would have found a closely linked correlation between penis size and drug consumption. individuals with larger penis' consume more drugs.
16:18 May 17, 2011 by Yousufzai
Interesting Questionnaire and Form . But can any body tell me that what size of Penis the people (esp. Girls) in Deutschland likes?
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