Vulnerable people and the census

You asked

Please can you provide for me the following information;

1. Is there a topic in the National Census for 'Vulnerable People' or 'People living in the community and identified as vulnerable'?

2. How many people are currently considered vulnerable?

3. Is it feasible to include within a census the number of people considering themselves to be vulnerable?

4. If the answer to the above is 'No' - or 'Not held' can you recommend a route by which this information may be procured?

We said

You made a freedom of information request regarding people identified as vulnerable and the census. The answers to your questions are as follows;

There was not a topic for 'vulnerable people' or 'people living in the community and identified as vulnerable' in the most recent Census for England and Wales in 2011; nor has there been such a topic in previous censuses in England and Wales.

There are no plans to include a topic which covers 'the number of people considering themselves to be vulnerable' in the next census in 2021. We carried out a public consultation (June to August 2015) with the aim of promoting discussion and encouraging the development of strong cases for topics to be included in the 2021 Census. Details of the consultation and subsequent work on possible census topics are available from the ONS webpage:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/census/censustransformationprogramme/consultations/the2021censusinitialviewoncontentforenglandandwales

Local authorities are responsible for vulnerable people within their authorities. The Department of Health and in particular NHS Digital work closely with local authorities on this topic and may be able to help you further with your enquiry.

Please note that we are only responsible for census statistics in England and Wales. Please contact National Records of Scotland for details on the position in Scotland, and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency for details on the position in Northern Ireland.