Your questions answered

What is a census? A census provides an estimate of the population of Northern Ireland and is held every 10 years. The last Census was held on 29 April 2001. 2011 Census Day (Sunday 27 March) has now passed. If you haven't already completed and returned your form, do it now.

A snapshot of the population

Everyone is asked the same questions on the same day to get a snapshot of the population. This information is used to estimate the number of people and households in each area, and their characteristics.

Who runs the Census?

The census is organised by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). NISRA works with the census offices for England, Wales and Scotland to conduct the census on the same day and to provide comparable census results.

The census in Northern Ireland is run by the

Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)

Why have a census?

To help tomorrow take shape. Government needs to know how many people live in Northern Ireland so that it can work out what types of services are needed now and in the future. With statistics from the census, central and local government can allocate funds, decide future policy and plan important services such as:

population – knowing how many people live in an area helps central government allocate funding. Local government also use this data to plan who needs what in their local areas
health and disability – health services and policies are planned around the census data so that the necessary services are provided to those who need it
housing – housing needs can be much better planned if Government know what the demand is now and likely to be in the future
employment – by establishing how many people work in different occupations and industries, census information can be used to help plan jobs and training policies
ethnic groups – census information can be used to help allocate resources and monitor policies to ensure that all groups are treated equally
transport – identifying how and where people travel to work and study will help us understand the pressures on our transport systems and improve planning for roads and public transport.

Is it safe, secure and confidential?

Yes. It is a top priority to keep your census data secure and confidential.

Everyone working with personal census details is security checked and must sign an undertaking that they will protect the privacy of information. After collection, the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) will own the data. The data will be protected by law and will not leave the UK. It is a criminal offence to disclose personal census data and is punishable by a fine and/or up to two years in prison.

Will individuals or households be identifiable from published statistics?

Data security and confidentiality carries the highest priority for the Census. Names and addresses are retained purely for Census purposes and are removed from the data we use for our day to day tabulation work - they are not accessible to anyone requesting Census data.

Is the Census compulsory?

The Census itself is compulsory - if you don’t take part, the results won’t show complete information about your local area and it might not get its fair share of funding for the next 10 years.

How were the questions decided?

In deciding which topics to cover there has been extensive consultation. The cases made for specific topics by census users were balanced against the public acceptability of the questions, and whether or not they can be asked in a way that gives reliable information, and alternative methods of collecting information.

The questions to be asked in 2011 were approved by the Northern Ireland Assembly. There are questions about the household as a whole and about each person usually resident in the household. Additionally there is also space for basic information about visitors present on census night.

How many questions are there on the questionnaire?

There are 59 questions in total. 14 are about the household and its accommodation and 45 questions are for each individual member of the household to complete.

Most questions included in the 2011 Census questionnaire can be answered by a simple tick.