Census Rehearsal Questionnaires « Scotland's Census: Shaping Our Future

23.04.2009 Census rehearsal questionnaires

Householders who have not already returned their census rehearsal questionnaires will be prompted to do so from next week.

Enumerators (census takers) will contact householders and encourage them to complete their census rehearsal questionnaire. The responses will help to check whether the questions, and questionnaire delivery and processing arrangements, need to be adjusted before the Scotland-wide census in 2011.

Scotland’s census organiser, the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS), has already had an encouraging response from residents in the two rehearsal areas - west Edinburgh and Lewis and Harris. This is the first time that people have been able to fill in the questionnaire online and over 1,000 have already been submitted (around two per cent in Gaelic) and thousands have been completed in the traditional paper format.

Registrar General Duncan Macniven said:

“We are grateful for all the completed questionnaires received since census rehearsal day on 29 March.

“We expect the bulk of completed questionnaires to be returned to us within the next few days by post and online. Unlike the census, the rehearsal is not compulsory, but participation is vitally important to ensure that the census itself works well. We hope as many people as possible will take part in the rehearsal because the more responses we have, the better it tests our arrangements.

“Enumerators will now call on householders who have not yet returned a questionnaire and explain the importance of doing so.

“All our enumerators have been security checked and have signed an undertaking that they will protect the privacy of the information on the questionnaires. They will all carry official photographic identification. Anyone with doubts about their authenticity can contact the census helpline.

“Lewis and Harris householders will help us to check that we have the right plans in place for rural Scotland and for Gaelic speakers.

“Running the census rehearsal in west Edinburgh will test the arrangements for collecting information about people living in student halls, care homes and temporary accommodation as well as every household in this busy urban area, including people from eastern Europe and other minority communities.”