2021 United Kingdom census

After the 2011 census both the UK coalition government and previous Labour Government expressed concerns about the rising costs of the decennial census. There were also concerns about the value of continuing with the traditional approach adopted for the 2011 census. This included whether collection methods were still fit for purpose in a rapidly changing society and whether census outputs, based on a survey conducted every ten years, would continue to meet the increasingly demanding needs of public and private sector users. Emerging technological developments were seen as providing alternative and improved data gathering opportunities. These concerns and opportunities led the UK Government to question if a supplementary or wholly alternative approach to the traditional 10-yearly census was required; more frequent, possibly annual, small-scale surveys could be employed instead.[6]

In 2011, The Beyond 2011 Programme was established to look at alternatives to the traditional census approach. The UK Statistics Authority coordinated the project which was also undertaken by its counterparts in the devolved administrations of Scotland and Northern Ireland.[7]

In 2014, the UK Statistics Authority announced the recommendation from the Beyond 2011 Programme that there should be a decennial-style 2021 census in England and Wales, which in contrast with earlier censuses, would be conducted predominantly through online completion of census forms, supplemented by the further use of administrative and survey data. Existing census gathering methods would be used only as an alternative, where online methods are not feasible.[8] A parallel announcement for Scotland's 2021 census was made by the National Records for Scotland.[9] The ONS Director, Population and Demography Statistics was reported as saying that an estimated 60–65% of household returns would be completed online.[10]

In April 2014, the British House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) concluded in its report Too soon to scrap the Census, that the 2021 census should go ahead. It has reservations over the lack of investigation into the options for using administrative data and encouraged the UK Government to reassure the public about privacy concerns.[11]

The Minister for the Cabinet Office welcomed the recommendations for a predominantly online 2021 census for England and Wales supplemented by the use of governmental and other administrative data in a letter to the National Statistician in July 2014. He made clear that the Government saw the dual-running decennial national census with administrative data gathering option as a transitional approach and asked the National Statistician to ensure sufficient research is undertaken both prior to and after the 2021 census to find and validate alternative methods to replace the traditional national census and intermediate surveying approach.[12]

Census 2021

Area	Northern Ireland
Registrar	Siobhán Carey[23]
Census day(s)	21 March 2021
Issuing organisation	NISRA
Data supplier	Leidos Innovations
Rehearsal	13 October 2019[24]
Rehearsal Areas	Ravenhill and Queens (Belfast); Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon (Craigavon); Fermanagh and Omagh (West Fermanagh) [24]
Census forms	Household,[23] Individual, and others
Website

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), undertakes the census in Northern Ireland.[7]

The NIRSA has published a report reviewing the 2011 census and other online-orientated censuses abroad and identified the importance of such things as pre-census publicity, the use of a unique internet code or ePin, and a coordinated promotion and follow up process during the census completion period.[17]

Census 2022

Area	Scotland
Registrar	Tim Ellis (as Registrar General, Scotland)
Census day(s)	March 2022 (exact Date TBC)
Issuing organisation	NRS
Data supplier	TBC
Rehearsal Areas	Dumfries and Galloway, Glasgow City, Whole of Na h-Eileanan Siar
Census forms	Household,[25] and others
Website

The National Records of Scotland (NRS) is responsible for the census in Scotland[26] A rehearsal was conducted on the 7 October 2019 and closed for returns on 7 November 2019 in three local authority areas, namely parts of Glasgow City, Dumfries and Galloway and Na h-Eileanan Siar.[27]

The census was scheduled to take place on the 21 March 2021 but was delayed in July 2020 by the Scottish Government because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[28]

Although it is a Crown Dependency, and not part of the United Kingdom, Jersey will carry out a census on the same day as the 2021 UK census.[29]

Guernsey no longer carries out a decennial census, instead using the Rolling Electronic Census Project to produce regular census reports.[30]

The Isle of Man will also undertake a full census in 2021 (having held an interim census in 2016).[31]

• Census 2021 – Office of National Statistics website for the 2021 census