Study Design: Census
Northern Irish Census (NIC)
To produce a comprehensive count of all people and households in Northern Ireland. Taken once every 10 years, so that government, health, education and other services can plan funding and provision. Participation is a legal requirement and the 2021 exercise was delivered as a predominantly online census to maximise response.
School Census (SchC)
Completion of the school census is a statutory requirement under section 537A of the Education Act 1996. Most schools complete the school census three times per year.These collections give an excellent coverage of pupils educated in England. Local authority maintained schools and pupil referral units submit census data to their local authority who authorize the data and then submit it to the department. Academies and other schools not maintained by a local authority are responsible for submitting their own data to the department. The data aims to give a fair representation of the policy area, aiding the work of policy makers and commissioners.
Scottish Census (ScoC)
Scotland’s Census is the official count of every person and household in the country. There has been a census in Scotland every 10 years since 1801, except 1941. The 2021 census in Scotland was moved to 2022 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The answers people give to census questions help build up a picture of the population. Government and other service providers rely on census data to make important decisions. These can include how money will be spent on: schools, roads, hospitals etc.
UK Census (UKCen)
The UK census is undertaken by the Office for National Statistics every 10 years and gives us a picture of all the people and households in England and Wales. The census asks questions about individuals, their household and home. In doing so, it helps to build a detailed snapshot of the society. Information from the census helps the government and local authorities to plan and fund local services, such as transportation, education and healthcare.