Scotland's Census 2031: Topic Consultation Report

Scotland's Census 2031: topic consultation report

National Records of Scotland (NRS) has published its findings from the topic consultation for Scotland's Census 2031, which ran from June to November 2025.

The consultation asked users and organisations to share how they currently use census data and what information they would like the 2031 census to collect.

Responses were received from a wide range of individuals and organisations, including local authorities, NHS boards, charities, academic institutions and members of the public.

The report recommends five new topics for further investigation - care experience status, household adaptations, social isolation, history of recent moves, and second addresses for children in separated families.

NRS will carry out further research and testing to understand whether these topics could be included in the 2031 census.

NRS also received feedback on existing questions, including on language topics such as Shaetlan and Gaelic. These will be investigated further as part of the next stage of census planning.

The questions for the census will be developed and tested over the coming years, and will ultimately require approval by the Scottish Parliament.

NRS would like to thank everyone who responded to the consultation.  The responses will help ensure that Scotland's Census 2031 reflects the needs of people across Scotland."

The full consultation topic report can be read here.