The census is a count of all the people and households in England and Wales which happens every 10 years. Every household will have received a questionnaire from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) which must be filled in for 27th March 2011.
What is the census used for?
The census is vitally important for communities. All sorts of decisions are taken based on census statistics, for example, where new housing needs to be built, or where to locate leisure centres, schools, hospitals and fire engines. Numbers of school places, development of traffic systems and funding for local authorities are all heavily influenced by the census.
It’s straightforward
Completing the census is straightforward. Most questions can be answered by simply clicking, or ticking, in a box. The form comes with a pre-paid envelope to return in the post, or it can be completed online http://www.census.gov.uk.
Your census answers are confidential
Personal census information is never shared with any other government department, nationally, regionally, or locally. The information collected is kept confidential by ONS and protected by law for 100 years.
Help and support is available
Support is available online at http://www.census.gov.uk.
Local completion events have also been planned at libraries, community centres, schools near you. Look out for posters advertising these events.
Information about the census has been translated into to many languages including Arabic, Urdu, Somali, Kurdish and Slovak. Call the helpline on 0300 0201 101.
Census collectors
If you do not complete your questionnaire on time, census collectors will visit your house to remind you to fill in your questionnaire. If you are having difficulties or you have questions about the form, the census collector can help you. They will have a photo identity card to confirm they are a census collector.
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