General Chat

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Ministers will invade peoples' privacy by asking "intrusive" questions in the census, the Conservatives are claiming.
When the 2011 survey is conducted everyone in the UK will have to answer the questions or face fines.
Details will be sought about the number of bedrooms in peoples' homes and information about "overnight visitors".
The Tories said this would amount to "bedroom snooping" but ministers said all questions would be justified in the public interest.
The census, which is conducted every 10 years, is designed to give an accurate snapshot of demographic and social changes in the UK.
The 2011 survey is set to be carried out on 27 March 2011.
Officials are planning to introduce new methodology and ask a wider range of questions after the 2001 survey was sharply criticised.
'Invading privacy'
For the first time, people will be asked to provide details of the number of bedrooms they have as well as the names, sex and birth dates of any overnight guests in their homes.
Other new questions include how well people can speak English, the date overseas nationals entered the UK, how people define their national identity and whether they are in civil partnerships.
Those who do not complete the census risk being prosecuted while those giving false answers face being fined.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8324746.stm

what questions would you want to ask if you were designing the 2011 census?

The census used to ask so many very private questions.
how many windows in the house... ?

We have to tell who is staying in the house on the night of the census... always did.
Also, if anyone is living together but not married will be seen by the names and the married or single column anyway.
They used to ask if each person could read and write.... it is only a survey.
I can't imagine that any REALLY private questions will be asked.

They would have to ask something like..... what weight are you.... for me to get angry about it!! ;-0)
Deanna X

Wouldn't it be good if in previous censuses people had put their height and eye colour?

shame they dont ask mothers madien name
save us lots of snooping

Nothing new really,don't the local authorities already know how many bedrooms from calculating your council tax??.

Lots of people complain that immigrants disappear once they are in the country,so asking about ethnic origins would help them keep track.

night of the census i wont be home problem solved wont have to fill it in.

The Republic of Ireland are now changing the question "can you read and/or write " to "what level of Education Obtained".
I really wish that Marraige certs here in Ireland would ask where Groom/Bride born (address of birth place) instead of where living at time of Marraige which they do now.Very few of my rellies were living at home when they married , and Death certs would give womans birth surname if married..
Grip over.
Lily

msc

aren't you on a genealogy site, and am asuming researching your family history, who mainly relies on census information to further your family tree? bit contradictory if you ask me

Kim

hi kim i am the only one interested in research son dont want to no also giving it up as to many brickwalls on irish side lack of info.so gone as far as i can

msc.... there may be no interest NOW... but future generations may be interested in their heritage.

Actually I thought that the census was filled in ....WHEREVER YOU ARE ON THE NIGHT.
Am I wrong?

ANN.... that would be a great help in letting us know a little of where we came from, I agree.
We have photographs now, but a bit more on the census may be very helpful.

Deanna X

Dear All

Hello

What about employers and GP's collecting info and then passing it onto people who should not have it?

What happened to confidentiality?

I don't see what use asking about rooms in the home etc is except to spy on people.

Our ancestors were wary of taking part in the census.
Nothing has changed then!

Best wishes to all
xx

The number of rooms in the house is on the 1911 census. What's snooping about that? What's with all the paranoia?
Previous censuses have asked about what languages you speak, whether you can read or write, how many children have been born to the marriage and how many have died, whether there are any idiots, imbeciles or lunatics in the house!
All the info gives a good social overview of the nation on census night.

From a personal point of view, if I were designing the next Census form, I would make sure it had a section where everyone had to fill in the names and yr of birth of their parents and grandparents.
Should save a lot of work for us genealogists, and make sure we're on the right trail. LOL

K

I think I must be very naive because I wish there was a lot more on the census - I agree about parent's names and births - and what about place or birth of parents too!
I have had to organise the inscription for my aunt and uncle's headstone and it occurs to me how much information I want put on MY headstone so that future researches will be saved hours of time! At the very least birth and death dates and possbibly place of birth. How about having a basic family tree drawn? On the census too come to that.
There is always the enumerator so there would be no problem in writing it down!
Jill

How will it bother anyone,,,,,,,100 years time 99.9% on 2011 will be long gone .so what you fill in in 2011 will hardly be a big deal to future generations ,,,,,

All past census have asked how many room occupied,,,,just look at that where 3 room and 9 in a family,plus lodgers or boarders......where they all sleep in drawers>:}

I wonder How you go about filling it in if you are in hospital on the night of the census.

Linda, if you are an in-patient or care worker on the night of the census the hospital will fill in your details from your hospital record.My husband was working on the night of the census most times that it was taken.
Lily.

If you are in hospital, the hospital record you as a patient with your age and place of birth.
If you live alone, your house would be uninhabited on census night.