Why we ask the census questions
Why run a census?
The answers people give to the census are used to produce statistics that help the government and other organisations decide where billions of pounds of taxes will be spent every year, for example on services everyone needs, such as education, transport and healthcare.
How we decided what questions to ask
In deciding what subjects to cover and what questions to ask, we consulted many people and organisations over several years and took full account of Scottish circumstances. We also considered:
- how acceptable the questions would be to the public
- whether the questions could be asked in a way that produces reliable answers, and
- whether other ways of collecting the information already exist.
The Scottish Parliament then made the final decision on which questions to include in the Census in Scotland.
See the Help with questions section to find out more about the census questions.
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