Census 2021 Goes Live in England and Wales

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has announced that the Census 2021 survey has gone live in England and Wales. Letters containing unique access codes have been sent out, and field officers will follow up after Census Day on 21st March if households have not completed their questionnaire.

The survey has been held every decade since 1801, with the exception of 1941 during World War II. In Northern Ireland, it is separately administered but will take place at the same time, while Scotland has deferred its own census until 2022 due to Covid-19. Last year, the UK government began assessing whether this year's census should be the last, with the possibility of it being replaced with more regular updates which will use 'less costly' methods to assess national demographic trends.

According to the ONS, Census 2021 will be fundamental to understanding the impact the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit have had, while shedding light on social and economic changes to citizens' lives. Resulting information will be used to inform decisions on public services, including hospitals, schools, universities, and job centres.

For those who can't get online, paper questionnaires are available, along with language support. People can also complete the census over the phone with help from trained staff via the ONS' free phone contact centre. The census includes questions about gender, age, work, health, education, household size and ethnicity; and, for the first time, there is a question asking people whether they have served in the armed forces, as well as voluntary questions for those aged 16+ on sexual orientation and gender identity. Results will be available within twelve months, although personal records will be locked away for 100 years.

Iain Bell, Deputy National Statistician at the ONS, comments: 'A successful census will help us understand what our society needs now and what it will likely need in the future. We've already had a fantastic response to the census through our engagement work across the country. Now I'd encourage everyone who can, to complete their questionnaire, whether that be on your laptops, phones or computers.'

Web site: www.census.gov.uk .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.