Every 10 years, major crises notwithstanding, the UK government organises a national census. The last was in 2011 and the next is scheduled for 21st March 2021. But the next census won't be exactly the same as the last, so there are all sorts of things to test before the whole thing goes live with the entire population. Four diverse areas of Britain are being used at testbeds for a Census Rehearsal which is taking place between now and mid-November. One is Carlisle, another is Ceredigion in Wales, and the others are both in east London - Hackney and Tower Hamlets. Which is why I got an invitation in the post to take part, and why I've just completed the new census form eighteen months ahead of you.
The first big thing about Census 2021 is that it'll be digital first. You will be able to complete it on paper but they'd prefer you didn't, mainly because it saves money and speeds up the efficient collection of data. Last time less than 20% of households received a form but chose to complete the census online. The target for 2021 is that 75% of households complete online. That's why all the nudging on my census rehearsal form is towards the website, not the phone number for requesting a paper questionnaire. A private organisation has been contracted to provide Census Online Support Centres in the community for the digitally-excluded who need help completing the form online. Good luck with that.
I entered my 16-character access code, as requested, and completed my form online. The opening screen reassured me that my data would be kept confidential, but I wonder how many people will be put off by fears over digital privacy. It all looks quite smartphone-friendly, which is a measure of the strides our online lives have taken since 2011. The algorithm asked me to confirm where I lived and to enter details of all the people who'd be here on the chosen date, which is Sunday 13th October. I could already see that completing the form online was going to be simpler than filling it in on paper, with all the "Now go to question 9" branching safely hidden within the programming.
Section 1 is People who live here, Section 2 is Household accommodation and Section 3 is Personal information. Section 3 takes by far the longest to fill in. It's also where the new questions are, and these new questions are another reason why the government has been so keen to hold a census rehearsal.
• Veteran status: whether the respondent has ever served in the UK Armed Forces.
• Sexual orientation: whether the respondent identifies as gay, lesbian, bisexual, heterosexual, or some other sexual orientation. This question will be voluntary and only asked of respondents aged 16 and over.
• Gender identity: whether the respondent’s gender is different from the sex they were registered as at birth. This question will also be voluntary and limited to respondents aged 16 and over.
The Armed Forces question is because "there is a need from central government, local authorities and charities for better data to monitor their performance under the Armed ForcesCovenant." The sexual orientation question is to provide robust estimates to inform policy-making and service provision, particularly for small areas, and for monitoring equality duties. As for the gender identity question, that's particularly zeitgeist at the moment. The Government Equalities Office reckons there may be 200000 to 500000 transgender people in the UK, but doesn't know the true population because of lack of data.
First up comes the normal question about sex. The ONS are keen to maintain statistical continuity year on year, so have avoided a single multi-option question that might skew the data. They've also added a caveat that a gender identity question will follow the sex question, because preliminary research confirmed that this made the question more acceptable to non-binary and transgender people. You can read more about that research, and how they came up with the proposed online guidance, here. The gender question appears several screens later, and it's this.
Initially it's just a yes/no question, which'll send most of the population scooting by. Again there's a caveat, ensuring nobody assumes their precise identity is about to be ignored. I ticked Yes, so didn't get to see what the No option leads to, but the current intention is to provide a write-in section rather than a list of options. If you want to describe yourself as intersex, non-binary, transmale or genderqueer, then you can. I hope the LGBTIQ+ community will find that reassuring. Further refinement will be carried out after this census rehearsal to see if any questions or associated guidance need to be amended, and then the wider population will be asked to volunteer their gender in 2021.
I didn't find the online census form too onerous to fill in. It was easier than finding an approved black or blue pen, filling in a paper questionnaire, popping it into a pre-paid envelope and taking it to a postbox. It'll certainly have been cheaper. I'm told that certain Tower Hamlets residents have been sent a paper questionnaire outright, to help compare their data with us digital respondents. If you live in Hackney, Carlisle or Ceredigion you might have been invited too. And the rest of you should get the opportunity to join in and tell the government all about yourself in eighteen months time (whoever that government might be).
