2009 Census Rehearsal
2009 Census Rehearsal for England & Wales
The 2011 Census will be a vast undertaking that requires millions of people to get involved and share in helping tomorrow take shape. It’s vital that everything goes to plan and we can be confident of capturing a true picture of the nation as it stands on 27 March 2011.
What’s new for 2011?
The 2011 Census for England and Wales features a number of innovative systems and processes and an expanded set of questions which will include national identity, citizenship and migration.
For the first time, the majority of questionnaires will be posted. Households will be asked to fill in and return their completed questionnaires by post, or complete them online. A dedicated contact centre and an online help service will be available to answer any questions people have about the information they need to provide and how to complete and return their questionnaires.
Questionnaires will be automatically tracked throughout the process and census staff will visit households that do not respond and need help completing the questionnaire.
New systems are in place to monitor progress and direct the follow-up operation.
What’s happening in October 2009?
To make sure we’ve got everything right, rehearsals with around 135,000 selected households will be run in Lancaster, the London Borough of Newham and Ynys Môn (Isle of Anglesey) on 11 October 2009. These areas include a cross-section of the population and the different types of housing that people live in. A smaller scale test will also be taking place in Birmingham at the same time.
Questionnaires for the rehearsal are now available to download. We do not expect that there will be any major changes to the questionnaire content after the rehearsal and the questions to be included in the full census in 2011 will be put before Parliament in 2010.
Why are we doing it?
The purpose of the 2009 Census Rehearsal is to carry out a full evaluation and review of the census design for 2011. This includes testing:
1. the new online response service
For the first time, people will have the option to fill in their census questionnaires online. Each form bears a unique code which the user will enter when they log into the online service. If they are unable to complete the form in one go, they can save what they’ve done and return to it later – and then simply click to submit their completed form.
We need to make sure that the form is easy to complete and that we have provided all the online guidance possible to make the process quick and simple. We will be testing that the online response and self-help systems work well and monitoring our performance in handling high data volumes and online activity.
2. the integrity of address information and delivery systems
We need to reach every household within a given area. So we need to test that our address database is accurate, complete and up to date - and track the progress of every questionnaire throughout the process.
3. the processes and performance of our fie ld operations
More than 35,000 co-ordinators, enumerators and other field personnel will be recruited for the 2011 Census. We need to test our success in engaging and recruiting enumerators who are able to contact, persuade and help householders to respond.
4. our community understanding
Each of the three local authorities taking part has appointed a Census Liaison Manager to work with us. Their grassroots knowledge and expertise will help us to understand the needs of people living in the area and encourage them to take part.
We need to test that we have included everyone, paying particular attention to community groups representing older people, people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, faith communities, and people with language or learning difficulties.
5. that we’re in touch
The 2011 Census is an opportunity for everyone in the UK to help shape their communities. We need to build a rapport with local authorities, businesses and individuals to explain how their information will be used to help plan and deliver services in the future.
We need to test that we are doing this well.
