The Future of the Census

Traditionally this has always been one of the richest sources of population statistics for many statisticians and market and social researchers. However the way in which the data is collected and produced is changing and it is important that we ensure it's future quality when transitioning. Hear the future plans with an international comparison too.

Census 2021 was a great success, with more than 97% of households across England and Wales completing their questionnaire. ONS have been processing the wealth of census data that the public provided and are working closely with local authorities and using a variety of other data sources to quality assure the census data before they publish results in late Spring.

Looking to the future, for many of us, where and how we live, study and work is now quite different compared to the beginning of 2020. The census gives us the richest picture across England and Wales at a point in time and the value is maximised when we use its results alongside other data sources. ONS are transforming the way they produce population statistics to make best use of all available data to ensure that decisions are informed by the most relevant and timely data.

Callum Foster and Vicky Staples from ONS will present an update on their plans to release Census 2021 results in late Spring 2022, and their plans for the future of the census and population statistics.

Population and housing censuses across the world, and especially in Europe, are undergoing a process of transition. The ‘traditional’ approach, in which information is gathered directly from respondents via a questionnaire administered every ten years, is gradually giving way to alternative methodologies, involving the collation of information already existing in data sources that were not primarily designed for the production of population statistics, known as administrative sources.

Fiona Willis-Núñez statistician at United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) will give an overview of how and why this transition is taking place. Some countries made this transition decades ago, while others are in the midst of or contemplating making the change. The presentation will look at the pros and cons of censuses that are partly or entirely based on registers and administrative sources, focusing on the impacts on quality, in its many dimensions. Fiona will explain how the international community such as UNECE supports countries to tackle these challenges. Finally Fiona will look briefly at how the Covid-19 pandemic has played into this pre-existing trend and what effects this will have on censuses in the long run.

The Netherlands are one such country that have already made the transition and the Dutch Census tables are now being produced by combining existing register and sample survey data from the Labour Force Survey for the variable occupation. Since the last census based on a complete enumeration was held in 1971, the willingness of the population to participate has fallen sharply. Statistics Netherlands no longer uses census questionnaires and has found an alternative in the register-based census, using only existing data.

The register-based census is cheaper and more socially acceptable in the Netherlands. Characteristics of the Dutch census are described and conditions to facilitate the use of administrative data are given. The table results of the Netherlands are not only comparable with earlier Dutch censuses, but also with those of other countries, although most other countries do not yet have register-based censuses. Eric Schulte Nordholt from Statistics Netherlands will present about their transition to a register-based census.