Census forms
Two types of form were used at each Census in England and Wales: one for private households and one for communal establishments. The forms for communal establishments do not contain questions about relationships in a household or questions about household amenities.
1971 Census form for private households (293.5 Kb Pdf)
1981 Census form for private households (313.5 Kb Pdf)
1991 Census form for private households (404.5 Kb Pdf)
2001 Census form for private households (572.8 Kb Pdf)
1971 Census form for communal establishments (155.3 Kb Pdf)
1981 Census form for communal establishments (186.8 Kb Pdf)
1991 Census form for communal establishments (1.11 Mb Pdf)
2001 Census form for communal establishments (212.2 Kb Pdf)
2001 Census form for individuals in communal establishments (129.7 Kb Pdf)
Census definitions
Definitions and concepts change at each Census. These documents describe those used at each Census such as 'enumerated population', 'usual residence', 'size of family' or 'economic position'.
1971 Census definitions and concepts (2.37 Mb Pdf)
1981 Census definitions and concepts (1.87 Mb Pdf)
1991 Census definitions and concepts (2.98 Mb Pdf)
Longitudinal Study 1971-1991: History, organisation and quality of data
This publication was the definitive resource for information about the ONS Longitudinal Study (LS) from 1971 to 1991. These webpages update the information in that publication on descriptions of the LS, Census-LS sample quality tables and commentary and include discussion of the 2001 Census-LS linking exercise. Until these pages incorporate updated information about events, that publication provides the best source of information on how events data are linked to the LS and the quality of event information from 1971 to 1991.
Longitudinal Study 1971-1991: History, organisation and quality of data
Census quality reports
At each Census, there is an evaluation of the response rate and the quality of those responses.
1971 Census quality check (2.1 Mb Pdf)
2001 Census webpages contain information on overall response rates by age and sex for the 1991 and 2001 Censuses, information on question non-response rates for England and Wales (and by local authority) and information on item imputation rates and distributions.
