Foreword from the Acting National Statistician
As acting National Statistician I present this recommendation on behalf of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), proposing that preparations begin for a census in 2031 in England and Wales. Should the Government accept this recommendation, the ONS will once again invite the whole population to participate in this exercise that makes all our communities visible and is so important for informing decisions about all of our lives.
The ONS ran a highly successful census during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, at a pivotal time for the country. Early data from the census were used by policymakers, including informing key issues such as vaccine uptake by occupation.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 countless 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.
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. Through the ONS’s research with administrative data over the past decade, which I have overseen in recent years as Deputy National Statistician for Health, Population and Methods, we have demonstrated its enormous potential for meeting users’ needs.
While the administrative data is not yet sufficiently mature to replace the need for data collection through a census, 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. Taking the best from our Census experience and our ever increasing digital and data capabilities enables us to deliver a population and migration statistics system which supports decision making and enriches our understanding of the economy and society.
I look forward to continuing to work with our users to develop population and migration statistics that inspire confidence and enrich decision-making for us all.