26.03.2011 2011 Census: District Manager’s 5th census
As census day arrives, tomorrow, Sunday 27 March, a Census District Manager in Fife will be getting involved in her fifth census.
Jane Helen Park Buchanan, 68 years of age, is the Census District Manager for the Howe of Fife area and worked on her first census in 1971 as an enumerator (census taker) for Newburgh. The census is Scotland’s biggest population survey and happens once each decade.
Originally from Perthshire, Jane moved to Fife in 1963 when she married. In 1971 as a young farmer’s wife and mother, with her youngest child off to primary school, she was looking for a new challenge. She saw the advert, applied and got an enumerator job.
She enjoyed it so much that she has been involved with the census ever since, and has been Census District Manager for the Howe of Fife area in 1981, 1991, 2001 and now in 2011.
Jane’s area covers the north of Glenrothes and Leslie over to the Kinross boundary and back through the villages of Gateside, Strathmiglo, Auchtermuchty, Ladybank, Kingskettle and over the hill to Kennoway. It includes nearly 14,750 households with three team leaders and 34 enumerators in place.
According to Jane, in 1971 her enumerator training involved going to the Census District Manager’s home, sitting on the floor and the Census District Manager going over what was involved using a flip chart. Forty years later enumerator training takes place in the census field office, where there are training DVDs, PowerPoint presentations, guidance handbooks and a much greater emphasis on health and safety.
Talking about the changes in the area she has witnessed over the years Jane said:
“The main change has been the growth of Glenrothes and its increasing population, particularly over the last 30 years. In many of the smaller towns and villages, the changes have been less noticeable.
“The role of enumerator has changed completely, especially since 1991. It is much harder to get people at home during the day and enumerators often have to return to households at least another once or twice to find someone at home, so the time resource is much greater. In 1971 many more women were at home during the day.”
Census questions have also changed over the years – in 1971 there were questions about the housing stock to help ascertain requirements for the housing market. Nowadays there are more questions relating to the work pattern and means of transport. There are also new questions on national identity, ability in spoken English, languages other than English used in the home, long term health conditions and month/year of arrival into the UK (for people not born in the UK).
Speaking about her long involvement with the census Jane commented: “I am very interested in statistics and I understand what can be done with these and how the census statistics helps government, the health service, local authorities and other organisations plan for the provision of services, so I very much enjoy being a part of the census team.”
Jane and her family lived in the same home on the family farm since her marriage and moved into the village of Ladybank two years ago when her husband retired. They can still see their old home though as it is just over the field!
Between 1980 and 2000 Jane also ran a successful business, handling a central reservations service for holiday makers touring throughout Scotland. Over the years she has been involved in public life by participating in a number of Boards and is presently a Justice of the Peace.
Census questionnaires continue to be delivered up to and including today (26 March). People should reflect their circumstances on 27 March. Anyone who has not received their questionnaire by census day can request one and return it as soon as possible over the next few days and weeks. If you have not yet received your census questionnaire you can request one from the website or contact the helpline on 0300 123 1702.
Alan Gairns, Royal Mail Process Director in Scotland said: "Royal Mail is pleased to play its part in Scotland's biggest population survey, the 2011 Census. Robust plans are in place to effectively handle and sort up to 2.5 million completed questionnaires through the postal system.
"Special collections are taking place today from postbxes and we will continue to do extra collections during the week. We have recruited extra staff and are pulling out all the stops to sort and return all the census envelopes to Scotland’s Census organiser, the General Register Office for Scotland.”
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