People like you: Students « Scotland's Census: Shaping Our Future

Students/young people

Why do you need to be included

Young people are vital to Scotland's future. Understanding how many young people there are, and the skills they have or are training for, helps to plan future services and it helps employers to identify where they should recruit.

Census results inform public services and business from schools to pools, hospitals to housing and transport to technology.

Census results are used to work out how much money should be given to each council from central to local government. It is very important that young people are counted as the statistics will inform future public service and business planning including where firms should locate to find suitable employees, what sort of maternity care we might need and where new housing should be built.

If the census misses anyone, you or someone you know could lose out.

Find out how census statistics about students and young people are used.

South Ayrshire Council - Helping the 'invisible'

North Ayrshire Council - Supporting educational resource planning

What do you need to do?

You need to make sure you are included, either by filling out a questionnaire yourself or by making sure you are recorded on one. The questionnaire should be filled in on or around 27 March 2011.

Did you know?

The census supports:
- education and training
- leisure and sports facilities
- jobs
- broadband and mobile phone reception

Students in private accommodation - such as a shared flat or living with their parents - will receive a Household Questionnaire that everyone at the household should have their details recorded on. The householder/joint householder needs to make sure that the questionnaire is filled in for their whole household.

Students in halls or other university-owned accommodation need to fill in Individual Questionnaires that will be distributed and collected by the designated person in charge. He or she will advise where and when it should be returned.

Either way it is vital that all students are counted at their term-time address, even if they stay somewhere else on the night of 27 March 2011. This is to make sure that the area where they spend most of their time can provide the right public services in the future.

Did you know?

Students and/or schoolchildren should be recorded at their term time address

We expect it to take about 10 minutes to fill in. Most of the questions are multiple choice and can be answered by simply ticking a box. You just fill it in, pop in the envelope provided and return it. Or you can fill it in online if there's an internet access code printed on the front page of your census questionnaire.

Want to know more?

Why do you need to know my term time address when I'm not there on census day?
We ask students to fill in their questionnaire at their term-time address because knowing where you spend most of your time helps determine how much money should be given to each council from central to local government.

Did you know?

People who try to avoid taking part may be fined up to £1,000

I'm a student from overseas - do I have to take part in the census?
Yes. People from outside the UK whose total length of stay will be six months or more must be included on the questionnaire at their usual UK address. If you stay in student halls that means you should receive an Individual Questionnaire. If you stay in private accommodation, or with family, you should be included on a Household Questionnaire in questions H1 to H3 and H13, and individual questions 1 to 38.

If your total length of stay here is less than six months and you are in private accommodation - such as a shared flat - you should be included in household questions H4 and H5, and the continuation of H5 at the end of the questionnaire.

Support for the census

President of National Union of Students, Scotland, Liam Burns

“Students should make sure they are counted by taking part in the 2011 Census.

“Funding for tertiary education and campus infrastructure depends on getting an accurate count of students. To ensure Scotland continues to offer world-class facilities that can meet the needs of university and college students, we need to ensure that the census gets the numbers right.

“By helping paint an accurate picture of Scotland students are helping shape decisions which will impact on us and future generations, and they should work with colleges and universities to make sure we don’t miss out on funding. Let’s make sure every student in Scotland is counted.”

Census District Manager and studying at University of Edinburgh on her first year of the Master of Social Work (MSW) course, Alison Vikis

"Even though it's sometimes a struggle to balance my studies with my work commitments, I'm delighted to be involved in helping to organise the 2011 Census in Edinburgh as I know how important it is to the future of all our communities. As the information coming from the census will help shape the face of Scottish education for the next decade, it's crucial that today's students participate - not just for themselves but for future generations".

Census District Manager and studying for her PhD at Queen Margaret University, Elaine Ritch

"As an academic 'in training' it is always interesting to understand how data is collected and what that tells us about the lifestyles of Scotland's population. However I am also a mother and a student and I realise the importance of ensuring that the right services are made available to those who need them, be it schools, public transport or parks for playing in!"

Scottish Youth Parliament Chair, Derek Couper

“The Census 2011 is a hugely important snapshot of people living in Scotland. We’d encourage all young people to contribute to their household census on the 27th March to ensure a better understanding of Scottish people to plan for our future.”

Communications Director, Young Scot, Gregor Urquhart

“Gathering information about people across Scotland is vital to ensure Government and service providers can provide our communities with the services we require.

"Young Scot are delighted to support what will be the first Scotland census that can be completed online, making it truly the first of the digital age. It has never been easier or more important that young people get involved with an issue that will affect the future of us all.”