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2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses
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2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses
The 2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses collectively comprised the 23rd census of the United Kingdom.
The censuses of England and Wales, and Northern Ireland took place on 21 March 2021, and the census of Scotland took place later on 20 March 2022. The censuses were administered by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in England and Wales, by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) in Northern Ireland, and by the National Records of Scotland in Scotland.
These were the first UK censuses for which most of the data was gathered online. Two of the censuses went ahead despite the COVID-19 pandemic, in part because the information obtained would assist government and public understanding of the pandemic's impact. The census in Scotland was postponed, and took place in 2022.
The censuses in 2021 and 2022 follow on from Beyond 2011, a project by the UK Statistics Authority to assess the value, cost, and alternatives to running a census in England and Wales in 2021. The project recommended an England and Wales census be held in 2021, and that it be conducted predominantly by means of online returns.
Initial results for England and Wales were released on 28 June 2022, while initial results for Scotland were released on 14 September 2023.
After the 2011 census, both the UK coalition government and the main opposition party, Labour, expressed concerns about the rising costs of the decadal census. There were also concerns about the value of continuing with the traditional approach adopted for the 2011 census. This included whether collection methods were still fit for purpose in a rapidly changing society and whether census outputs, based on a survey conducted every ten years, would continue to meet the increasingly demanding needs of public and private sector users. Emerging technological developments were seen as providing alternative and improved data gathering opportunities. These concerns and opportunities led the UK Government to question if a supplementary or wholly alternative approach to the traditional 10-yearly census was required; more frequent, possibly annual, small-scale surveys could be employed instead.
In 2011, The Beyond 2011 Programme was established to look at alternatives to the traditional census approach. The UK Statistics Authority coordinated the project which was also undertaken by its counterparts in the devolved administrations of Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In 2014, the UK Statistics Authority announced the recommendation from the Beyond 2011 Programme that there should be a decennial-style 2021 census in England and Wales, which in contrast with earlier censuses, would be conducted predominantly through online completion of census forms, supplemented by the further use of administrative and survey data. Existing census gathering methods would be used only as an alternative, where online methods are not feasible. A parallel announcement for Scotland's 2021 census was made by the National Records for Scotland. The ONS Director, Population and Demography Statistics was reported as saying that an estimated 60–65% of household returns would be completed online.
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2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses
The 2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses collectively comprised the 23rd census of the United Kingdom.
The censuses of England and Wales, and Northern Ireland took place on 21 March 2021, and the census of Scotland took place later on 20 March 2022. The censuses were administered by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in England and Wales, by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) in Northern Ireland, and by the National Records of Scotland in Scotland.
These were the first UK censuses for which most of the data was gathered online. Two of the censuses went ahead despite the COVID-19 pandemic, in part because the information obtained would assist government and public understanding of the pandemic's impact. The census in Scotland was postponed, and took place in 2022.
The censuses in 2021 and 2022 follow on from Beyond 2011, a project by the UK Statistics Authority to assess the value, cost, and alternatives to running a census in England and Wales in 2021. The project recommended an England and Wales census be held in 2021, and that it be conducted predominantly by means of online returns.
Initial results for England and Wales were released on 28 June 2022, while initial results for Scotland were released on 14 September 2023.
After the 2011 census, both the UK coalition government and the main opposition party, Labour, expressed concerns about the rising costs of the decadal census. There were also concerns about the value of continuing with the traditional approach adopted for the 2011 census. This included whether collection methods were still fit for purpose in a rapidly changing society and whether census outputs, based on a survey conducted every ten years, would continue to meet the increasingly demanding needs of public and private sector users. Emerging technological developments were seen as providing alternative and improved data gathering opportunities. These concerns and opportunities led the UK Government to question if a supplementary or wholly alternative approach to the traditional 10-yearly census was required; more frequent, possibly annual, small-scale surveys could be employed instead.
In 2011, The Beyond 2011 Programme was established to look at alternatives to the traditional census approach. The UK Statistics Authority coordinated the project which was also undertaken by its counterparts in the devolved administrations of Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In 2014, the UK Statistics Authority announced the recommendation from the Beyond 2011 Programme that there should be a decennial-style 2021 census in England and Wales, which in contrast with earlier censuses, would be conducted predominantly through online completion of census forms, supplemented by the further use of administrative and survey data. Existing census gathering methods would be used only as an alternative, where online methods are not feasible. A parallel announcement for Scotland's 2021 census was made by the National Records for Scotland. The ONS Director, Population and Demography Statistics was reported as saying that an estimated 60–65% of household returns would be completed online.
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