To gather the views of census users in several parts of Scotland, we ask the public about different aspects of the 2001 Census and discuss what could be done to improve it.Find out more >
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To try out potential new questions and ways to make the census easier to fill in, a census test is held in various locations – including parts of Glasgow City, West Dunbartonshire, Highland, Stirling, Perth & Kinross, and Argyll & Bute council areas. About 52,000 households are asked to take part on Sunday 23 April. The test also helps us to improve the processing of information on the questionnaires.Find out more >
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Another public consultation is held to find out what the people who plan and provide our services need from the 2011 Census and ask for their views on the 2006 census test findings. We then ask what they think about the proposed key questions, the way it is likely to be organised and how the census results might be presented. We also arrange four meetings for people in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Inverness and Edinburgh to outline our thoughts about the 2011 Census and explain the consultation process. Find out more >
During this time it’s important that we make sure the systems for printing the questionnaires and processing the census data are developed, so that all the arrangements will run smoothly for 2011.
Government ministers publish proposals for the 2011 Census. The statement sets out how questionnaires will be securely collected, processed and analysed to produce high-quality statistics. It also outlines plans to include several new questions and a wider choice of tick boxes for ethnicity, marital status and qualifications. We also publish an evidence document that includes details of how the census questions were researched and lists the questions we intend to ask in the 2011 Census.Find out more >
With exactly two years to go, a census rehearsal takes place on Sunday 29 March in west Edinburgh and Lewis and Harris, involving 50,000 households. These areas are the first to try out the online questionnaire, in both English and Gaelic. The locations are chosen to fine tune the arrangements for Gaelic speakers and those in communal establishments like hospitals, care homes and student halls. The rehearsal is also a useful way to assess people’s understanding of the census questions. Find out more >
A draft Census Order which outlines the different groups of people the census covers, the date of the census and what the questionnaire asks, is presented to Parliament on 26 November. Find out more >
The main purpose of the census is to provide high quality statistics which tell us facts about Scotland’s population. In this final consultation we talk to a wide range of people - policy makers, academics, service providers, commercial businesses and the general public - to make sure we deliver census statistics that will be of practical use to them.Find out more >
Following the Census Order, Parliament is asked to approve the Census Regulations. These cover the collection of the questionnaires and other aspects of the census arrangements. Find out more >
Census day finally arrives. By filling in the census on Sunday 27 March 2011, people all over the country help shape Scotland’s future. Their information helps plan and provide vital future services like schools, housing and healthcare.
After gathering the census information we then turn it into statistics about Scotland’s population, these help to allocate funding, improve local services, identify social trends and shape Scotland’s future. The first of these results - known as ‘outputs’ - is released in 2012.
The final statistics from the 2011 Census are made public, and the personal information is stored safely for 100 years.