Processing the information
Current proposals are to adopt a similar processing strategy to that used in the 2001 Census.
The 2011 Census questionnaires will be designed to be fed at high speed through scanners and software that capture all the ticked responses and hold written answers in digital forms. Once information from the questionnaires has been electronically captured in a database, the paper documents will be pulped and recycled. The digital images will be held electronically to be made available as public records after 100 years.
It is anticipated that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) will provide facilities to complete questionnaires via the Internet and that the processing of Internet returns would be built into the system.
Data processing systems will incorporate the functionality necessary for monitoring the quality of the data and for calculating adjustments in case of error or omission. It will also allow for statistical adjustment for any shortfall of people detected by the census follow-up survey.
A faster processing schedule is anticipated for the 2011 Census than was employed for the previous census. This will allow more time for the extensive quality assurance procedures. Elements of the data processing will be carried out by contractors who will be selected from a shortlist in 2008.
