Every person in every household to be counted right across England and Wales
Households across Bolton are being asked to get ready to take part in the Office for National Statistics (ONS) census which takes place on Sunday, 21 March.
Whilst the census provides great benefits to all our communities it is also a legal requirement for people to complete and return the questionnaires, and Bolton Council are supporting the ONS to encourage people to respond to maximise census returns.
The census is a once in every ten years survey when everyone is asked the same questions on the same day to provide a snapshot of the population, and it’s the only time every person and every household are counted right across England and Wales.
The census is used to estimate the number of people and households in each area and it informs decisions on where billions of pounds of public funding is spent on services like transport, education, and health.
It also helps charities and voluntary organisations with funding bids, helps businesses to understand their customers and provides valuable data for research professionals and students.
The census has been carried out every decade since 1801, with the exception of 1941, although some questions have changed over time.
The 2021 census now includes questions about the person’s sex, age, work, health, education, household size, ethnicity and if they served in the armed forces, as well as voluntary questions for those aged 16 and over on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The results of the census are usually available within 12 months and personal records are confidential and securely locked away.
Examples of the information gained from the last census include:
• 276,786 people lived in Bolton
• 6,324 families had three or more dependent children
• India was the top country of birth outside the UK, with 7,773 residents
• Sales and retail assistants were the most common occupation, with 6,860
• There were also 2,499 nurses and 1,187 taxi and cab drivers
The 2021 census will be the first to be run predominantly online, with households receiving a letter with a unique access code, allowing them to complete the questionnaire on computers, phones or tablets. Paper postal questionnaires will be sent to some households and are available on request.
The questionnaires are to be completed based on your circumstances on census day, Sunday March 21 and households across the borough will receive letters with online codes allowing them to take part from early March.
Households that have not responded to the census after census day will be contacted by the ONS field team who, while complying with Covid guidance, will visit homes and encourage people to complete their questionnaires by providing help and advice to those who need it.
For more information, visit census.gov.uk