Census 2001 On Sunday 29 th April 2001 the United Kingdom carried out a CENSUS The Census is a count of all the people in the United Kingdom on one particular day and is normally taken every ten years. It provides information of what life was like on the day that the information was collected.

When and why did it start? In the late eighteenth century, there was general worry about the rise in population and a fear that the country would not be able to feed itself. This was partly brought about when the Rev. Thomas Malthus published his essay on the ‘Principle of Population' in He believed that food production could not be easily increased and that famine and disease would become widespread. The first modern Census was taken in 1801 and there has been one every ten years since, apart from 1941 when British involvement in the Second World War stopped it taking place. Since no one had any accurate information on the number of people living in the country, the government ordered that a Census take place.

What is in the Census? Accommodation Age/sex Ethnic group Health Qualifications Employment Workplace Journey to work Migration Welsh Language (for people in Wales) The 2001 Census contained around 40 questions. The questions were about: It is designed to take about 30 minutes to complete and is compulsory by law (a fine of up to £1000 is the penalty for not filling it in!).

What does it all cost? The total cost is £220 million – this covers the period from 1993 when planning started through to 2006 when the last of the data will be published. 70,000 people are needed to carry out a census. Most of them are involved in delivering/collecting the forms and advising people. They are called enumerators. The forms for 2001 have all been electronically scanned and then destroyed. It would cost £3 million just to store the paper records. All the previous census forms are stored (at great cost) in a secret location. Publicity is a major cost as people have to be educated about the Census. A large team of people spend up to 5 years processing the data and producing reports.

Who uses the Census? The census is used by the national government and all the local authorities. It is used by businesses, education and private individuals. They use it for studying: Population Housing Employment Health Social Care Their ancestors (family tree) All census data is confidential and remains so for 100 years. You are only now able to see the 1901 census forms in full detail. All the information is collected together and the published reports never identify individual people or households.

Does everyone get counted? The UK Census aims to count everyone. It is not, however, that easy to do! [Note: There is a separate census for England & Wales, for Scotland and for Northern Ireland] The problems are caused by: Students living away from home People who have gone away on holiday People who are living rough on the streets People working abroad as soldiers or in embassies, etc People who are living in the UK illegally People who are in prison People who work on ships Gypsies and new-age travellers In 1991 the Census counted 98% of the people but missed some old people, some babies in hospitals, some students, some people who have language difficulties. They know this because of checks carried out after the Census. No-one is exempt – see if you can recognise the famous people on the next slide……….

Where can I find Census data? Most census data is now published online so log on to: You can search the website for information on a particular topic e.g. births, housing, health or transport You can search for information on a certain area e.g. England, a county, a city or literally the ward where you live. Note: the ward is the smallest area that data is available for.

Using the Census One excellent way of using the Census is to download copies of the ready-made population pyramids. Can you spot the main differences between MILTON KEYNES (a large New Town north of London) and EASTBOURNE ( a large seaside town on the south coast) ??

Census statistics You can download the actual Census statistics, put them into a package such as an Excel spreadsheet and then produce your own analysis and graphs. Go to the Neighbourhood Statistics section of the 2001 Census website. You can start by simply typing in your postcode or the name of the area that you are interested in. You can then choose the type of data you require and download the file on to your computer. The Census website will also provide you with simple maps showing the outline of each area.

Useful websites If you are working online, these are live links that will take you straight to the actual websites: ENGLAND AND WALES SCOTLAND NORTHERN IRELAND UNITED STATES (An excellent source of data on the US and many other countries) BRAZIL (Their latest census data from 2000) KENYA (A fascinating copy of a Kenyan Census form used in 1989)

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