Actually you can. Just tick other and then fill in what you want.I could say I'm British, from the Province of Ulster, in the Island of Ireland which makes up the British Isles, but the census wouldn't let me.
Actually you can. Just tick other and then fill in what you want.I could say I'm British, from the Province of Ulster, in the Island of Ireland which makes up the British Isles, but the census wouldn't let me.
That's pretty much spot on.I have always thought that it is a compromise between getting every piece of information that the authorities reasonably want and producing a form that people will be bothered to fill in properly. Make it too long and people either won’t bother at all or will just scribble in any old answer. At least this gives them a certain amount of reasonably accurate information to build on.
The questions "how do you travel to work" and "where is your work location" do inform transport provision - we use the data from these questions a lot in transport planning.
Healthcare is a bit more abstract, but for example if the census shows that Norfolk has significantly fewer GPs per head than Suffolk does, then the NHS may direct more investment to Norfolk to correct this.
Other parts of the public sector will carry out their own more detailed surveys over time, but these can be correlated with the Census which is considered definitive.
I completed my form this afternoon and admitted I am currently working from home. Having the Census home could therefore distort the proportion of people working from home if this reduces again after the pandemic.
Yes, I saw a tweet that someone had put regarding a transport question so I assumed that some were hidden away and dependent on answers you gave before. I'd be interested to know if any transport questions appeared for those people who stated that they were 'retired'. Equally though, there is more to public transport than just commuting to and from work - one big problem always seems to be those in rural areas not having sufficient public transport provision to get anywhere being one example!The questions "how do you travel to work" and "where is your work location" do inform transport provision - we use the data from these questions a lot in transport planning.
Healthcare is a bit more abstract, but for example if the census shows that Norfolk has significantly fewer GPs per head than Suffolk does, then the NHS may direct more investment to Norfolk to correct this.
Other parts of the public sector will carry out their own more detailed surveys over time, but these can be correlated with the Census which is considered definitive.
I get that although the threat of a £1000 fine would ensure I completed it whether it was one question or 1 million questionsI have always thought that it is a compromise between getting every piece of information that the authorities reasonably want and producing a form that people will be bothered to fill in properly. Make it too long and people either won’t bother at all or will just scribble in any old answer. At least this gives them a certain amount of reasonably accurate information to build on.
Well, it clearly states (on lots and lots and lots of occasions) that you should base your answers on now during these covid times. Hopefully that doesn't mean they are plotting covid restrictions until the next censusI completed my form this afternoon and admitted I am currently working from home. Having the Census home could therefore distort the proportion of people working from home if this reduces again after the pandemic.
Agree with that. I started a family tree many moons ago and although I didn't get very far at all (mainly due to cost) a good chunk of info seemed to come from census information. On this subject does anyone know how similar the census is today compared to the early days in terms of the questions we are asked?The censuses of the past centuries have been wonderful resources to historians to understand the country in the past, and the current census will be a wonderful resource to future historians. That's a good enough reason to take part for me.
The Census isn't supposed to be a crystal ball though - just a snapshot of what's happening today. (The last one was in the aftermath of the financial crisis which had its own short term effects.)I completed my form this afternoon and admitted I am currently working from home. Having the Census home could therefore distort the proportion of people working from home if this reduces again after the pandemic.
Doesn't the advert say to have a cup of tea whilst doing it? You've failed sirThat’s mine done. Time for a cup of tea.
Doesn't the advert say to have a cup of tea whilst doing it? You've failed sir
That's strange......we were asked how many cars we have available in the household (Answer: none), although we are retired.I've just done mine, and didn't get asked any transport questions either - and I'm not retired.
Early censuses were very basic and completed by the enumerator (residents may not have been able to write). For instance, I have looked at the 1841 census information for a relative. It lists the address, name of each resident (first and last, no middle name), age and gender, occupation (if one) - sometimes abbreviated (Ag Lab features a lot), whether they were born in the same county (y or n) and whether they were born in 'Scotland, Ireland or Foreign Parts'. That's it. So there are 25 residents on one page.Agree with that. I started a family tree many moons ago and although I didn't get very far at all (mainly due to cost) a good chunk of info seemed to come from census information. On this subject does anyone know how similar the census is today compared to the early days in terms of the questions we are asked?
The Census isn't supposed to be a crystal ball though - just a snapshot of what's happening today. (The last one was in the aftermath of the financial crisis which had its own short term effects.)
Having said that, now is coincidentally a good time to record levels of WFH as we're a year into the pandemic and under fairly restrictive lockdown. This will have shaken out which jobs can or can't be done from home sustainably.
I've just done mine, and didn't get asked any transport questions either - and I'm not retired.
That's strange......we were asked how many cars we have available in the household (Answer: none), although we are retired.
Thanks for that - it's quite interesting to see how the questions have developed over time!Early censuses were very basic and completed by the enumerator (residents may not have been able to write). For instance, I have looked at the 1841 census information for a relative. It lists the address, name of each resident (first and last, no middle name), age and gender, occupation (if one) - sometimes abbreviated (Ag Lab features a lot), whether they were born in the same county (y or n) and whether they were born in 'Scotland, Ireland or Foreign Parts'. That's it. So there are 25 residents on one page.
Incidentally, a lot of family research can be carried out for free using the websites www.freecen.org.uk, www.freereg.org.uk, www.freebmd.org.uk for UK families.
As @XAM2175 has just pointed out, the main transport question is the "How do you usually travel to work?" question, number 48.I've just done mine, and didn't get asked any transport questions either - and I'm not retired.