2011 Census

Help tomorrow take shape

Every ten years the Office for National Statistics (ONS) carries out a census to find out more about the people who live in England and Wales, and about the make-up of local neighbourhoods. This census took place on Sunday 27 March 2011, when ONS sent out questionnaires to around 25 million households to complete.

The census asked about work, health, national identity, citizenship, ethnic background, education, second homes, language, religion, marital status and so on. These statistics are then used to build a picture of today’s society.

Why should this matter?

Like all local authorities in England and Wales, Charnwood relies on census population statistics to get the government funding we need for public services. How much we get is directly related to how many and what kind of people the census says live in our area. So even if the census were to end up just a few households short, it could make a very real difference to people’s lives. The census needs to include everyone, everywhere – and that’s why everyone was required to take part.

First results

The current expectation is that the first release of figures from the 2011 Census will be published in July 2012.