Scotland’s Census 2011 - Shaping the future of the Highlands
Scotland’s biggest population survey, the 2011 Census, will take place this month, on Sunday 27th March. From March 7th questionnaires will be delivered to all of the country’s 2.5 million households and work is underway in Highland to ensure that everyone is counted.
This week, with the appointment of the Census Enumerators, sees the completion of the full team of 249 census staff who will be working throughout the Highland region to ensure the full completion of the 2011 census.
Census Regional Manager, Vanessa Halhead, said: “This is an exciting moment when our work steps up a gear, in preparation for census day. The national census is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to record Scotland’s population. This provides invaluable information to shape the policies of central and local government and plan how billions of pounds worth of public services, such as health and housing, are delivered.”
The Highland Council Convener, Sandy Park, supports the vital importance of the census. He said: “The census makes sure we have real detail about our households and lives. As our communities become more diverse and we all live longer, this detail is crucial to getting the planning right for everyone in the area. It is very important that everyone is counted in the census because the results help us to assess the demand for services across the Highlands. In these times when every penny counts, it’s more important than ever that spending decisions are based on good information.”
The census asks the same questions of us all, about our circumstances such as: age, health, accommodation, education, occupation, nationality, language. From these questions decisions can be made about the support needs of, for instance, the elderly, disabled, unemployed or ethnic minorities.
There are five new questions in the 2011 census. These are: long-term health conditions, national identity, month/year of arrival in the UK and two new questions on language.
Given its vital importance, participation in the census is compulsory and all questions must be answered – apart from the question about religion, which is voluntary.
While personal details from the census are safeguarded by law and kept confidential for 100 years, the anonymous (personal details removed) statistical results will play a vital role in helping shape the future of the Highlands.
The Census team are keen to let people know that assistance is available for anyone who needs it. This can be accessed directly from the census staff on the doorstep, from the Census Helpline on 0300 123 1702 (from March 7th), or online at www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk
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