Census 2021

[denislawsbackheel]

Why do they actually need to do it these days?

I can understand in the old days when things were paper based and data was much more difficult to collate. But now they could just get most of the answers they need from all the databases they have (Council Tax, DVLA, NHS records, police records etc) without asking.

Would take a while to setup but they could update the information they need a lot more regularly than every ten years.

Only householders pay council tax, not anyone else living there.
Not everyone is known to the DVLA.
Millions of us have no police record.
NHS records possibly but there would be confidentially issues around those of us who denied permission for them to be centralised when it was first mooted years ago.

 

[NPBlue]

Thought you had to wait until Sunday 21st March to complete it. That's what it says on the letter.

No idea why people are completing it early as it's a very simple instruction.

 

[Homar]

 

[ell]

No idea why people are completing it early as it's a very simple instruction.

If your circumstances change before then you can amend it.

 

[Vic]

Stuff like that helps inform education policy and also identifying areas of deprivation etc, with factors such as educational attainment a key indicator

Except it's areas of deprivation with the lowest compliance (largely because of social mobility), so it understates the needs, understates the number of voters (so means deprived areas get fewer MPs per head), and the government gives them less grants and thus Council Tax has to be higher (which affects even the higher band properties, though they're still quids in from abolition of domestic rates).

 

[denislawsbackheel]

No idea why people are completing it early as it's a very simple instruction.

You think the server will be able to handle millions of people signing in on the 21st?
It would be very easy to stop people accessing the on line form before the 21st if the government were arsed about it.

 

[give it to gordon]

Started to fill it in online , but got so pissed off , I gave up. Guess I am not in the right frame of mind to do it just yet :(



Will try again later as I wont know the information for the rest of my family lol. I mean I have no idea what bra size my missus is !

 

[Deleted member 77198]

Has anyone filled this in yet,is it just me or does it seem that there is far far more personal questions than previous census all I seem to remember was your name the number in that household,their ages,date of birth and that was it I think,now it’s employment status who you work for,qualifications etc health issues if any,looking after someone and so on,what the actual fuck biggest load of bollocks,and to cap it off a £1000 pound fine if not filled in fuck off ..

I honestly find the results interesting. Like I do football attendances.

I like to know daft things like population increase or decreases over time. How many people love in Manchester compared to Birmingham, our population increase ratios compared to other countries... Birth rates, deaths rates...

I’m even interested in things like our obesity numbers (27.8% of the UK is obese [ProCon]); our ageing population (12m of our country are over 65, 2.8m are over 80 [statista]); our poor diets and lack of nutrition (3m people in the UK are classed as malnourished [British Dietetic Association]); although ever falling, the numbers of smokers we have (6.9m are estimated to be smokers in this country [Office for National Statistics]); our problem with sedentary lifestyles (20m... yes, TWENTY MILLION!.. adults in the UK are inactive [British Heart Foundation]); and the amount of people classed as vulnerable through ill-health (2.2m are classed as clinically extremely vulnerable alone in the UK [Office for National Statistics]).

I find all of this sort of facts and figures important to understanding why we have the death rate we’ve had with Covid, for example. I think it’s all important with knowing where govt spending needs to be concentrated. Also where citizens need to take greater responsibility for their own lifestyles and stop being an unnecessary drain on the NHS...

 

[denislawsbackheel]

No idea why people are completing it early as it's a very simple instruction.

The tv ad makes it clear fill it on or before Sunday.

 

[NPBlue]

The tv ad makes it clear fill it on or before Sunday.

The letter states fill it in on Sunday or as soon as possible afterwards. I haven't seen the TV ad, so I can't comment on that.

I remember the census in 2001 being widely condemned as useless at the time because the forms were sent out weeks before they were due to be returned, and many diligent people, myself included, filled them in and returned them without realising statisticians love comparing like with like, and the forms being filed early buggered up their analysis.

Maybe they've chilled since then, I don't know, but their concerns registered with me at the time so I will be completing my form on the date requested.