The United Kingdom has taken a census of its population every ten years since 1801, with the exception of 1941 (during the Second World War). In addition to providing a wealth of interesting information about aspects of the make-up of the country, the results of the census plays an important part in the calculation of resource allocation to regional and local service providers, by governments in the United Kingdom and European Union levels. 1870 US Census for New York City A census is the process of obtaining information about every member of a population (not necessarily a human population). ... The Union Jack, flag of the newly formed United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... This article is becoming very long. ...

History

In the 7th century, Dál Riata (part of what is now Scotland) was the first territory in what is now the UK to conduct a census, with what was called the "Tradition of the Men of Alba" (Senchus fer n-Alban). England took its first Census when the Domesday Book was compiled in 1086 for tax purposes. The 7th century is the period from 601 - 700 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... Dál Riata (also Dalriada or Dalriata) was a Goidelic kingdom on the western seaboard of Scotland and the northern coasts of Ireland, situated in the traditional Scottish and Northern Irish counties of Argyll, Bute and County Antrim. ... Motto: (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots2 Government  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - UK Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I 843  Area    - Total 78,772 km... Alba is the ancient and modern Gaelic name (IPA: ) for the country of Scotland (also Alba in Irish, and in Old Gaelic Albu). ... The Senchus Fer n-Alban was an ancient text created at some time during the 10th century and attributed to the 7th century. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... A line drawing entitled Domesday Book from Andrew Williamss Historic Byways and Highways of Old England. ... Events Domesday Book is completed in England Emperor Shirakawa of Japan starts his cloistered rule Imam Ali Mosque is rebuilt by the Seljuk Malik Shah I after being destroyed by fire. ...

The UK census as we know it today started in 1801 (championed by John Rickman who managed the first four up to 1831), partly to ascertain the number of men able to fight in the Napoleonic wars, partly over concerns stemming from An Essay on the Principle of Population by Reverend Thomas Robert Malthus (1798). Rickman's 12 reasons - set out in 1798 and repeated in Parliamentary debates - for conducting a UK census included the following justifications: The Union Jack, flag of the newly formed United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ... John Rickman (1771-1840) was an English statistician and government official of the early 19th century. ... Leopold I 1831 (MDCCCXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Combatants Allies: Austrian Empire[1] Kingdom of Portugal Kingdom of Prussia[1] Russian Empire[2] Kingdom of Spain[3] Kingdom of Sweden United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland[4] French Empire - Kingdom of Holland - Kingdom of Italy - Kingdom of Naples - Duchy of Warsaw - Kingdom of Bavaria[5] - Kingdom of... An Essay on the Principle of Population was first published anonymously in 1798. ... The Rev. ... 1798 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

• 'the intimate knowledge of any country must form the rational basis of legislation and diplomacy'
• 'an industrious population is the basic power and resource of any nation, and therefore its size needs to be known'
• 'the number of men who were required for conscription to the militia in different areas should reflect the area's population'
• 'there were defence reasons for wanting to know the number of seamen'
• 'the need to plan the production of corn and thus to know the number of people who had to be fed'
• 'a census would indicate the Government's intention to promote the public good' and
• 'the life insurance industry would be stimulated by the results.'

The census has been conducted every ten years since 1801 and most recently in 2001 (see United Kingdom Census 2001). The first four censuses (1801-1831) were mainly statistical (that is, they were mainly headcounts and contained virtually no personal information). The 1841 Census was the first to record names of all individuals in a household or institution. 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... UK Census 2001 logo A nationwide census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 29 April 2001. ...

Because of World War II, there was no census in 1941. However, following the passage into law (on 5 September 1939) of the National Registration Act a population count was carried out on 29 September 1939, which was, in effect, a census. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Although the 1931 census was taken on 26th April 1931 the returns were destroyed by fire (in an accident and not after bombing) during the Second World War.[1]

Availability

The census is undertaken by the government for policy and planning purposes, and the results are also published in printed reports and on the ONS (GROS and NISRA in Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively) website. Public access to the census returns is restricted under the terms of the 100-year rule (Lord Chancellor's Instrument no.12, issued in 1966 under S.5 (1) of the Public Records Act 1958) and the most recent returns made available to researchers are those of the United Kingdom Census 1901. This article or section needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... The Public Records Act 1958 is the main legislation governing public records in the United Kingdom. ... A nationwide census was conducted in England and Wales on March 31, 1901 and was put on line in 2003 containing records for 32 million people and 6 million houses. ...

However the 1901 and 1911 censuses for Northern Ireland have been available for inspection since 1960 and the 19th century Scottish censuses were all released after 50-80 years of closure. In exceptional circumstances the Registrar General for England & Wales does release specific information from 70-, 80-, or 90-, year old closed censuses (including the 1911 census). The Registrar General is the Government official responsible for the registration of births, deaths and marriages in England and Wales. ...

It has been argued that in England and Wales no attempts were made by ministers and civil servants strictly to enforce the 100-year census closure policy until 2005, five years after the Freedom of Information Act 2000 was passed, which some have argued abolished the 100-year rule. However personal information provided in confidence is clearly exempted if its disclosure could result in a successful prosecution for breach of confidence. [2]. The 1911 Census can now be accessed at a fee of £45 following a decision by the Information Commissioner [3]. There is an online petition at 10 Downing Street.

In January 2002, the much-anticipated England & Wales census for 1901 went online. Within minutes it was inaccessible because of server and network load, and it had to be taken offline. Later in the year, after upgrades had been made, it came back online. For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

Accuracy

The census is usually very accurate, and with a fine of up to £1,000 for those who do not complete it, filled in by a high percentage of the population. There may be exceptions in the case of the following censuses:

The Women's Freedom League, a suffragette organisation campaigning for female suffrage in the United Kingdom, organised a boycott of the 1911 census, and women were encouraged to go to all-night parties or to stay at friends' houses in order to avoid completing the census.

Some people avoided the census conducted during the years of the poll tax (1991), in case it was used for enforcing the tax.

The Womens Freedom League was an organisation in the United Kingdom which campaigned for womens suffrage and sexual equality. ... Suffragette with banner, Washington DC, 1918 The title of suffragette (also occasionally spelled suffraget) was given to members of the womens suffrage movement in the United Kingdom. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... A poll tax, head tax, or capitation is a tax of a uniform, fixed amount per individual (as opposed to a percentage of income). ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

2001

Main article: United Kingdom Census 2001

Although the 1851 census had included a question about religion on a separate response sheet, whose completion was not compulsory, the 2001 census was the first in which the government asked about religion on the main census form. Perhaps encouraged by a chain letter that started in New Zealand, 390,000 people entered their religion as Jedi Knight (more than either Sikhs, Buddhists or Jews), with some areas registering up to 2.6% of people as Jedi. (See: Jedi census phenomenon) UK Census 2001 logo A nationwide census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 29 April 2001. ... UK Census 2001 logo A nationwide census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 29 April 2001. ... Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (right) with his padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi (left) from The Phantom Menace. ... The Jedi census phenomenon was a grassroots movement in 2001 for citizens in a few English-speaking countries to record their religion as Jedi or Jedi Knight (after the fictitious religious order of Force-attuned knights in the Star Wars films) on the national census. ...

Controversially the Northern Ireland census included a supplementary question on what religion a person was brought up in for those stating no religion in response to the main question

See also: Demographics of England from the 2001 United Kingdom census This article discusses the Demographics of England as presented by the United Kingdom Census in 2001. ...

See also

• List of United Kingdom censuses
• Demographics of the United Kingdom
• Demographics of England from the 2001 United Kingdom census
• Jedi census phenomenon
• Citizen Information Project
• Population of England historical population estimates
• Census Enumerators' Books (historical)
• Census of Ireland, 1911

Census in the United Kingdom is decennial, that is, held every 10 years. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with English population statistics. ... This article discusses the Demographics of England as presented by the United Kingdom Census in 2001. ... The Jedi census phenomenon was a grassroots movement in 2001 for citizens in a few English-speaking countries to record their religion as Jedi or Jedi Knight (after the fictitious religious order of Force-attuned knights in the Star Wars films) on the national census. ... In the United Kingdom, the Citizen Information Project (CIP) is a plan by the Office for National Statistics to build a national population register. ... Categories: Stub | History of England | Demographics of the United Kingdom ... During the decennial England and Wales Censuses of 1841 to 1901, the individual schedules returned from each household were transcribed and collated by the census enumerators into Census Enumerators’ Books (CEBs). ... The Census of Ireland, 1911, was a census covering the whole of the island of Ireland, and was conducted on Sunday 2 April 1911 as part of a broader Census of the United Kingdom. ...

External links

• The Office for National Statistics, which is responsible for the Census in England and Wales
  • Census 2001 website (England & Wales)
  • Bicentenary of the Census in the UK
• The National Archives
• The Census Office for Northern Ireland
  • Northern Ireland Census of Population
• The General Register Office for Scotland which has been responsible for the taking of the census in Scotland since 1861.
• Scotland's Census Results OnLine
• Online petition
• Campaign to disclose the 1911 Census
• 1911Census.Info Unofficial census news site
• The Census Order 2000 (England & Wales)
• House of Commons The Fourth Report of the Select Committee on Home Affairs of the UK Parliament noting the 1939 Registration Act and the historical background associated with proposals for the (re)introduction of identity cards in the UK.
• Statewatch for information about the National Registration Act of 1939, the information that was required to be collected, and the issuing of identity cards.
• Online Historical Population Reports Project (OHPR)
• United Kingdom Census Records Historical UK census records online.
• UK Census for Family Historians
• England & Wales Jedi Map