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Today the UK Statistics Authority has recommended that the Government commission a census of England and Wales in 2031, to be delivered by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The power to call a mandatory questionnaire-based census of the whole population rests with ministers and has historically been carried out every ten years.
The most recent census, delivered by the ONS in 2021, was the first to be completed primarily online and was supported by a greater use of administrative data.
In its formal recommendation to the Government, the Authority outlined a vision for the ONS to deliver another census of England and Wales, and also to continue developing population estimates that are based largely on other data sources – such as tax records, NHS data and driving licences – which have the potential to deliver more frequent and higher quality estimates. These can help the government and society to understand the population across a broader range of topics, and answer more complex questions.
Sir Robert Chote, Chair of the UK Statistics Authority, said:
“The census has long been a vital tool for understanding our society and informing decisions by policymakers, public service providers, businesses and citizens.
“We believe that delivering a high-quality census for England and Wales in 2031 while further developing population estimates based on administrative data is the best way to serve the public good. Each will complement the other, strengthening our statistical system so that it is ready to adapt to the technological and social changes of the next decade.”
Acting National Statistician Emma Rourke said:
“The ONS ran a highly successful census in 2021, at a pivotal time for the country. The high response rate and richness of the census data ensured it provided a high-quality snapshot of the whole population and its characteristics, which continues to provide benefits to statistical users.
“It has been clear from consultation and engagement that the decennial census, asked of the whole population, remains of enormous value for informing the most important decisions facing our country.”
She added: “In addition to a census data collection, we also know that there is strong interest in – and enthusiasm for – the improvements to quality, frequency and range of outputs we can see by making greater use of alternative data sources, especially administrative data. The progress we have made means we are well placed to use administrative data to contribute to our census activity and provide improved outputs between censuses.”
Notes:
- Read the formal recommendation from the UK Statistics Authority on the future of population and migration statistics.
- Today the ONS has also published a range of products including the Consultation Outcomes report, Equality Impact Assessment and the Census General Report.
The power to call a mandatory questionnaire-based census of England and Wales rests with ministers, under the Census Act 1920 as amended by the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and secondary legislation.
In 2014, the UK Government set out its ambition that “censuses after 2021 will be conducted using other sources of data and providing more timely statistical information”. In 2018, then-National Statistician John Pullinger committed to responding with a formal recommendation, after fully considering the progress made in supporting a survey-based census with data from alternative sources.
The ONS is responsible for carrying out the census operation in England and Wales. The ONS is working closely with National Records of Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research (NISRA) which each advise ministers of the devolved governments on their population statistics.
Media enquiries:
Please contact press@statistics.gov.uk or +44 3000 671 571. For enquiries about population statistics, the running of the census, or the ONS, please contact media.relations@ons.gov.uk