2011 census

[Wilf]

I'm not sure if this is right or not but there was an article in my local paper yesterday annnouncing that the 2011 census can be completed online.

There will also be a rehearsal for it next year. This will take place in three areas of England and Wales.

I think its quite sad. No paper copies?

Allie

[Little Nell]

I guess it will be quicker and perhaps cheaper than mailing everyone. Online they can also give everyone drop-down box menus for relationships and birthplaces etc which should make completion easier (and prevent all those mistakes and misspellings that plague previous censuses.

Not sure how future folk will be able to access it though.

[Little Nell]

Ok the rehearsal will be 11 Oct 2009 in Lancaster, London Borough of Newham and Ynys Mon (Isle of Anglesey) and will test "processes and operational systems". These 3 areas have been chosen as representative of the various different scenarios in England and Wales.

The actual census date is planned for 27 March 2011
The census in England and Wales

but I can't see anything about it being online.

[Wilf]

Thats a good point about access Nell.

I suppose that there won't be missing pages either.

[Elaine ..Spain]

I suppose that there won't be missing pages either.

No, just lost data discs!

[JBee]

Well if its anything like the postal voting fiasco - it should be very interesting-
Even with all the problems surrounding post voting they're still continuing to allow it and even going to go for online voting too - so much temptation!!!!

wonder how many times I can get on the 2011 census!!! now what can I call myself - occupation - religion and don't they want even more details which I could really mess around with.

[Little Nell]

Lol !

[Olde Crone Holden]

What about people who have no access to a computer - there are still MILLIONS of people who don't.

Surely they must mean there will be an OPTION to complete it online?

OC

[Wilf]

Yes OC,

The article states that it will be an option to complete online.

Paper forms will be sent through the post this time instead of being hand delivered too.

Why do I get the feeling that it will all go wrong :D

[Little Nell]

Well none of the umpteen illegal immigrants will fill it in, and no doubt people will put "Druid" or "Jedi knight" for their religion too I guess.

Much simpler to just get someone to call round and count everyone I would have thought.

We shall see.

I just wish I'd kept a copy of the ones I did 1981, 91 and 2001.

81 I was living in flat with OH
91 we were married and expecting 1st baby (that won't show up!)
2001 we had two children and was just before we moved into our present home

[Paul Barton, Special Agent]

I wonder how many Agricultural Labourers and Domestic Servants there will be.

[Little Nell]

Tee hee. More likely there will be software enhancement managers and quality assurance officers and advisors and so forth. And lots of families where every person has a different surname!

[Wilf]

lol Nell,

The drop down box for relationship to the head of house will be long

[Little Nell]

Yeah! Perhaps they will have a co-head in an equality-based non-hierachical domestic setting! Or Lesbian partner, co-raising two children (one IVF, one from disastrous drunken one-night stand) together with step-child of previous partner's husband (now in Malaga) and partner's gay half-brother's ex-partner (temporarily till he gets himself together).

[Roger in Sussex]

Or possibly half a dozen or so of other people's daughters having a sleepover

[gloryer]

sounds like Nell knows my neighbours!!!

[Little Nell]

Oh Roger I like that. If my son's sleepover pals are anything to go by, they have no idea where they were born. But of course we can all check details on Ancestry or use the phone to ask their parents, so theoretically it should be easy to fill in the census.

I wonder if the Passport Office will then check the census to correlate it with passport holders/ditto Driving License Authority? Big brother is counting us!

[Christine in Herts]

I wonder if the Passport Office will then check the census to correlate it with passport holders/ditto Driving License Authority? Big brother is counting us!

...and then leaving the data around (or just plain losing it!) for all and sundry to read/use/abuse!

Christine

[tinkerbe]

i was 8and half months pregnant too in 1991

i remember asking the census couple what i should do this was the 1st we had filled in oursself .

when you think of your life and how it changes in the ten years the census only catch a little bit of what when on way back then.

[Little Nell]

Which is useful to remember when you look at families on the historical census. In those 10 years they could have, like my gt grandfather
-had a baby
- lost both his parents
- had a sister die
- had a brother-in-law die leaving widow and 6 young children
- moved house

But as a constant he had the same job all his life.

Those ancestors in the countryside living in the same village all their lives, they too might have children born and died between censuses, or even - shock horror - gone mad, killed someone, been tried, found innocent on the grounds of insanity and sent to Broadmoor.

Other changes involve
bereavement, possible remarriage; emigration etc. Its quite possible with remarriages to find women on 3 separate censuses with three different surnames.