MEDC Data Collection - UK

Question 1

The reliability of Data pt 1

Answer 1

• Pilot study for 2011 data collection in 2007. In 2009 pilot study for the census form.
• 95% return vote
• Long history -> since 1801
• 10yr cycle unreliable/migrants increasing

Question 2

The reliability of Data pt 2

Answer 2

• All birth (including still births) must be registered within 42 days of birth. Deaths registered before burial takes place
• Legally binding in 2009 -> more people take part
• Beyond 2011 programme -> review of the 2011 census
• Found areas of concern. E.g. not universal, 10yr collection inefficient

Question 3

How Data is collected

Answer 3

• First census conducted by door-to-door interviews but now sent to households
• England + Wales carried out by ONS NI=NISRA
• In 2001=first census taken online. 15% done online
• cost £980 million

Question 4

The Use made of the Data

Answer 4

• Enables central + local governments + health/education authorities to target their resources more effectively. And to plan health, education, housing + transport services for years to come
• Infographic on birth stats e.g. Live births, age of mothers and total fertility
• Snapshot of social, economic + demographic condition of all people at a specific time

Question 5

When was the first census?

Answer 5

Parliament passed the Census Act 1800. The first census was conducted in 1801 in Britain and 1841 in Ireland. Census were taken by door-to-door collectors and it was not until 1841 that an official registrar nominated a specific date when each head of household would complete a form

Question 6

Since the introduction in ____, a census has taken place in the UK every ___ ______ with the exception of ____ during the second world war.

Answer 6

1801, ten years, 1941

Question 7

Plans for the next census

Answer 7

The last census taken in the UK was in 2011 and already plans are well underway for a revised census format for 2021

Question 8

In England and Wales the census is carried out and processed by who?

Answer 8

the Office for National Statistics (ONS)

Question 9

In Northern Ireland the census is carried out and processed by who?

Answer 9

the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research (NISRA)

Question 10

For a census to be worthwhile it has to be reliable and fully inclusive

Answer 10

The UK, like most MEDCs, has succeeded in gathering accurate and comprehensive information

Question 11

Detailed planning is a key factor in the success of the UK census

Answer 11

Plans for the 2011 census included a pilot test of the data collection process 2007 and a pilot test of the census form in 2009

Question 12

The 2007 pilot test introduced a number of additional questions to those used in the 2001 census. For first time there were questions on:

Answer 12

• National Identity - to allow respondents to record their English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish and Irish or other identity
• Income - to collect level and source of income
• Language - to collect information on proficiency in English, Welsh and other languages. In Wales, people were asked about frequency of their use of the Welsh language
• Second address - to identify the number of people with a regular second address and the purpose and frequency of its use.
• Month and year of entry into the UK - to collect extra information about international migration
• Illness and disability - to collect information on the nature of illness and disability
• Marital or civil partnership status - to include civil partnership equivalent for each marital status

Question 13

What Census was the first to be completed online and how was it done?

Answer 13

The 2011 Census. Households wishing to avail of this option were given a unique code which enabled their form to be accessed online. Approximately 15% of responses across the UK were online

Question 14

What was the overall return rate of 2011?

Answer 14

95% which is an excellent return rate

Question 15

What was the overall cost of the 2011 census?

Answer 15

£480 million

Question 16

The UK Statistics Authority set up the Beyond 2011 Programme to examine two areas of concern regarding the census process:

Answer 16

1) Although, the UK census has an excellent return rate, 95% in 2011, it is not Universal.
2) In a rapidly changing world with large numbers of migrants, some critics suggest that a ten year cycle of data collection is inefficient. Government Agencies such as the NHS, the tax office and social services have vast amounts of information about the population which could be accessed and processed. It was suggested that the possibility of accessing and coordinating this information might make the need for a census redundant

Question 17

Vital Registration

Answer 17

Has been compulsory in England and Wales since 1837 and in Northern Ireland since 1864. Births, still births, age and cause of death, marriage and civil partnerships are some of the data collected

Question 18

Births and Deaths

Answer 18

All births must be registered within 42 days of birth. Deaths must be registered before burial takes place. The legal documentation takes the form of birth certificates, death certificates and marriage certificates. In the UK an individual must produce a birth certificate to register with a doctor, to obtain a passport, to apply for a visa to live in a foreign country or to get married

Question 19

Data Management from Vital Registration

Answer 19

The management of information collected is the responsibility of the General Records Office (GRO) in England and Wales. There are equivalent offices in Northern Ireland and Scotland. In this way vital registration provides a continuous of population change