This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Book now for 2011 Census
03/01/2005
The Registrar General for Scotland is already seeking
views on proposals for the 2011 Census.
Censuses are traditionally held every 10 years - the
next one would therefore be due in 2011, though a final
decision need not be taken until later in the decade. But
initial preparations have already begun and the General
Register Office for Scotland - which is responsible for
running the Census - has issued a consultation document
which:
- Looks at the lessons learnt from the 2001
Census;
- Gives an outline of plans for the 2011 Census,
including the key aims and principles; and
- Describes the proposed Census Test in 2006, which
is an important stepping stone to 2011.
The 2001 Census met its key objectives and gave better
and more accessible statistics about Scotland and its
people. But there are lessons which can help planning for
2011:
- The response rate - at 96 per cent - was
satisfactory, but less than in 1991. Plans for 2011
include ways of encouraging a higher response rate -
such as getting a better address list for the
distribution of Census forms;
- There was insufficient time between the 1997 Census
test and the actual Census in 2001 - so an extra year
is being allowed in this cycle;
- Blind people did not find it easy to complete the
Census form - so the design will be changed.
The outline plan for the 2011 Census takes account of
the fact that people in Scotland are becoming more mobile
and their living patterns more complex. This creates
problems for data collection and for the publication of
meaningful Census results. Special attention has therefore
been given to obtaining information about people with more
than one address. The effort of Census enumerators will be
targeted on people who find it hard to complete the Census
form and on parts of Scotland with the poorest response
rate.
The Census Test is planned for April 2006. It is
proposed to hold the test in three areas - inner Glasgow,
part of Dunbartonshire and a rural area including parts of
Highland, Argyll & Bute, Stirling and Perth &
Kinross Council areas. These areas have been chosen because
of the difficulty of carrying out the Census there - for
instance because of rural second homes. The test will trial
new questions, a new design of form and new ways of
carrying out the fieldwork.
At the same time as planning for the 2011 Census, the
General Register Office for Scotland is working on other
ways of getting accurate and more frequent population
statistics - for instance, by using information from other
surveys and from administrative sources such as school
rolls and vehicle registrations.
Announcing the publication of the consultation document,
Registrar General Duncan Macniven said:
"We take a Census only once every 10 years, so it is
important to get it right. We need help from people who
complete Census forms, and from people who use the Census
data, to make sure that we ask the right questions in a way
that is easy to answer.
"This consultation is the very start of the process -
before any plans have been set. We want opinions on all
aspects of the Census and we are very happy to discuss them
with any group who may be able to help".
The consultation document is available on the GROS
website (
www.gro-scotland.gov.uk)
or by post from: Customer Services, General Register Office
for Scotland, Ladywell House, Ladywell Road, Edinburgh,
EH12 7TF. Telephone: 0131 314 4243; Facsimile: 0131 314
4696 or E-mail: customer@gro-scotland.gov.uk
Responses to the consultation are invited by the end of
February.
Responses will be published on the GROS website in
March. This consultation is the first step in a process
which will continue throughout the period of preparation
for the Census.