An overview of how geographic information is relevant to the 2021 population census
Most countries need to have basic information on their populations’ numbers in order to effectively manage and predict demand for local public services and (inevitably) for taxation purposes. The primary source of basic demographic statistics is a population census which involves “the total process of collecting, compiling, evaluating, analysing and publishing or otherwise disseminating demographic, economic and social data pertaining, at a specified time, to all persons in a country or in a well-delimited part of the country” (United Nations Statistics Division, 1997, p.3). These data support needs assessment, policy formulation and strategic planning, and also underpin a wide range of research studies that are often used in combination with data from other sources or as a benchmark against which data from elsewhere may be compared. In short, the census is a valuable instrument of public policy.
In 2021 censuses will be taken by each of the national statistical offices in the United Kingdom (UK) – the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in England and Wales, National Record of Scotland (NRS) and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) ̶ continuing a tradition that began in 1801 in England, Wales and Scotland and in 1821 in Northern Ireland.
One of the most crucial, but perhaps overlooked, aspects of the census is the heavy reliance on local government-collated residential address data. Each local authority in the UK have designated address custodians who have a big responsibility to accurately record every single address. Without these data managers, and the work done by GeoPlace and the Scottish Improvement Service, to systematically collate all this data, the census would be far more problematic.
Whilst the decennial Census of Population takes place simultaneously – the next one is due on 21st March 2021 – the three census agencies vary subtly in how they approach and conduct the census for their respective territories. Nevertheless, all three UK census offices are planning for ‘modified traditional’ censuses in 2021. The census topics to be covered will be broadly comparable to previous decades, but with important changes to how the data will be collected. In terms of outputs from these population surveys, it is anticipated that the usual full range products to become available including aggregate data for areas (census counts) , data about migration and travel flows between areas (origin-destination flows) , samples of anonymised microdata (detailed but anonymised individual records), digital area boundaries and postcode directories (the core geography outputs) , and ongoing linkages to the three UK census longitudinal studies (long run survey cohorts).
The 2021 census design places primary emphasis on online (internet) completion and the aim is for over 70% of questionnaires to be returned via the online method. In preparation for 2021, census agencies have held a number of Census Rehearsals across the UK in 2019 to make sure all the necessary operational processes worked properly. Parallel work by the census offices is focused on using data from administrative sources to potentially provide ongoing estimates for some traditional census variables, and it is likely that some administratively-sourced data (e.g. on income and number of rooms) could be directly included in the census outputs. In all countries, administrative data will be used in quality assessment.
Of course, a vital pre-requisite to all this is having a definitive and complete register of addresses to underpin the full cycle of census planning and delivery. Addresses are a fundamental and oddly sometimes overlooked piece of critical national geographic infrastructure that are not only inherently geographic in nature but also applicable across multiple policy and social domains. Read more here.
The census matters – it matters to you as a geospatial professional, as a taxpaying citizen and as a consumer of local services. Everything you do is pretty much directly or indirectly influenced by local and central government policies that are founded on the socio-economic snapshot captured by the census.
So remember – ask not what the census can do for you but what you can do for the census – while it still is a thing as, so with the last census, rumours abound that 2021 may be the last official census as we’ve known it since 1801!
More information on preparedness and processes can be found at:
England and Wales: Census Transformation Programme (Office for National Statistics)
Scotland: Scotland’s Census 2021 (National Records of Scotland)
Northern Ireland: 2021 Census (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency)
Users with a UK perspective may also be interested in the Office for Statistics Regulation 2021 Censuses in the UK–Preliminary findings.
Consultations
As 2020 progresses, each of the census agencies will be conducting their own consultation with users to ensure that 2021 data collection proceeds smoothly. The Official census consultation pages can be found at:
England and Wales: Census consultations overview
Scotland: Census consultations overview
Northern Ireland – Census consultations overview
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