Forum Topic

Census

I gather this is taking place a fortnight today. Has anyone been notified?

Susan Kelly ● 2060d48 Comments

Plenty of TV adverts for it.

Richard Greenhough ● 2060d

Yup... I got "the letter" a few days ago with our code..Am actually filling it out right now online.....

Stuart Kerr ● 2060d

SK > "Has anyone been notified?"We received a letter a few days ago. It includes a 'household access code' to complete the census online, but you can also request a paper form to fill in if you prefer.

John Whitworth ● 2060d

Already completed ours

James Roy ● 2060d

Same here, took about ten minutes online for the three of us.

N V Brooks ● 2060d

Us too!

Vanessa Smith ● 2060d

How can you fill in the census beforehand? It’s ment to be filled in on the 21 March or just after with the people who were at your address on that day.Looking back on old censuses you often found a visiting Sister in law Daughter or Grandson or Granddaughter on that day.Even in the pandemic, those that share parental responsibility for a child can have them stay overnight.

Bernard Allen ● 2060d

I think the procedure is that if you fill it in early, as many people, including me, will have done, you notify them if the circumstances on the 21st are different from those you've filled in. Though if you happen to be staying somewhere else for the night on the 21st, I don't think it makes an atom of difference.

Colin Jordan ● 2060d

Did mine this morning.

Claire Moran ● 2060d

"Though if you happen to be staying somewhere else for the night on the 21st, I don't think it makes an atom of difference."It may not in 2021, but when trying to locate a family based in Cork in 1901 I eventually found the husband staying overnight at Holyhead, presumably either having just arrived across the Irish Sea, or being on the way home.

Richard Greenhough ● 2060d

Aren't there specifics of nationality required to be box-ticked which probes one's allegiance to the contrivance of being 'British' rather than English, Scots or Welsh, etc. as well as admitting in a tick-box to being European?

Bobbie Carnegie ● 2060d

Looks as though  the reason behind the census has been lost on the general public.It is a snap shot of where the population is resident on one day every 10 years, which is 21 March 2021.

Bernard Allen ● 2060d

I haven't had the letter, though, despite regular postal deliveries so no way of filling it in.

Susan Kelly ● 2060d

I don’t think I’ve done one online before but I could be wrong. Anyway I did wonder if everybody left it to the stated day, 21st March, then would the website be able to cope or would it crash.

Michael David Rowe ● 2060d

I don't think the intent has been lost at all. The data that I entered yesterday will be identical to the data that I will enter or would have entered on the 21st. Therefore, the objective of having a snapshot is maintained.

N V Brooks ● 2060d

Yes Bernard - a snapshot that also sneakily seeks within it's [✔]boxes the uncertainties or prejudice folk will subscribe to as to what nationality we think we are or want to be.

Bobbie Carnegie ● 2060d

All done in about ten minutes. Very straightforward.

Stewart Jones ● 2060d

BobbieWe can only be who we are, why bring prejudice into the frame.While helping searching family trees, some researchers used to say you must have Irish ancestors. So far I haven’t found any link to Ireland but if I do what’s the problem?I help with research for a Scottish family,, only to find  their ancestors came over from Ireland during the Potatoes famine,No mater who you think you are, there’s a paper trail you follow back which will give a good percentage of who you really were

Bernard Allen ● 2060d

I'm puzzled too. I've just completed ours and I was expecting to have to save the census form ahead of a final submission on the 21st. As far as I could tell though there's no requirement to confirm that the occupant details haven't changed between now and Census day. You can however log back in to make changes of your own volition, so I guess we're being trusted to do it right!

Bruce Hammal ● 2060d

SK > "I haven't had the letter, though, despite regular postal deliveries so no way of filling it in."You can find help here: https://census.gov.uk/

John Whitworth ● 2060d

I have received no information to date. However, is there not a chance that the population may be overstated on 21st March due to the inability of anyone who has submitted details early to amend them if they are unfortunate enough to die in the meantime?

John Connelly ● 2060d

One of my fist bosses refused to complete the paperwork saying it was no business but his own etc etc.I seem to remember there quite a few like minded folk at the time.So many in fact that a cartoon appeared in one of the newspapers depicting a tank outside a thatched cottage with the tank commander shouting something like" you have five minutes to complete the paperwork or we shoot"It was quite appropriate as he lived in a thatched cottage and was a retired Captain, British Army.Sadly I can't remember the outcome but he certainly wouldn't have 'surrendered' that's for sure.

Adrian Irving ● 2060d

re blind alleys...The guidelines are clearly delivered for filling out the form online anytime before the 21st.  If circumstances unexpectedly change on census night,  you are clearly instructed to log back in and  edit who you thought would be spending the night with you on 21st March - to who actually did.If you decide to do it manually then clearly, wait until the night of the 21st before filling the form out...  presuming you survive that long..If you do happen to snuff it in the meantime, they'll have that well covered from the GRO files..

Stuart Kerr ● 2060d

Completed mine last night, it said if you expect things to remain the sameby 21st you can complete,tee it now.

Janice Evans ● 2060d

Not sure what tee it was, but will remind you to have qualifications to hand if you cannot remember them all.

Janice Evans ● 2060d

Took 10 minutes for four people here, all done!

Chris Blackwell ● 2059d

If I had something now can't find it - who do I have to phone to ask for it to be sent to me?  Thanks

Jennifer selig ● 2059d

0800 141 2021

Janice Evans ● 2059d

Thnks Janice. off to try now.

Jennifer selig ● 2059d

Given we're all in lock down, why is there such a fuss about doing it early. Unlikely you'll be staying with 40 friends at Limewood that night.....

Rob Reynolds ● 2058d

Em, good point how many will admit who was staying where.

Janice Evans ● 2058d

Still no sign of letter/code.

Susan Kelly ● 2058d

Bernard: I hoped - tried not to include or imply use of 'prejudice' pejoratively. My point precisely was as you remind re family trees having kinda all sorts of ethnic graftings among the branches. Was just pointing out a possible hidden exploration in the census that seeks to probe an identifying sense of nationality or of no nationality, and therefore no special sense of place, within each household where we are asked to [✔] whether we are e.g. British v English, etc. or British v European. And yes - family history has revelations to reveal that can turn us topsy-turvy in and from prejudiced sense of, hitherto, ignorant selves.

Bobbie Carnegie ● 2058d

Susan you could phone the number I gave Jennifer, request a paper one you could still complete it online.  My post yesterday.

Janice Evans ● 2058d

What I found so silly was that they wanted details of my last paid employment.  I dutifully filled in all the boxes even though it was in 1979.  I put a note in the feedback box.

Viv Griffiths ● 2058d

It will be interesting to see if there really has been a mass departure from London to foreign nations and indeed  to the country (out of London) post pandemic.  Apparently a lot of tenancies have been given up.

David McLoughlin ● 2058d

Slightly worried about how much info they want-

Helen Bamberger ● 2058d

It's a census ...

Carl Wynne ● 2058d

Sure Carl but they are asking many more questions than in the past - let’s just hope that this is seriously private !!

Helen Bamberger ● 2058d

"let’s just hope that this is seriously private !!"..No!!  That sort of talk/gossip only spreads fear and causes confusion.  Hope simply doesn't come into this..It's a crime not to fill out a census form..  And all the info you/we supply is protected by law under the 100 year rule..

Stuart Kerr ● 2058d

Ok stuart

Helen Bamberger ● 2058d

I'm still waiting for the hard copy form to arrive in the post - how long should I wait before ringing them again?  Perhaps it's all changed as I think I read they omitted to ask about assorted sexualities/hues and were redesigning the form - it that correct please?

Jennifer selig ● 2054d

Mine arrived yesterday with no phone calls needed.

Rima Jones ● 2054d

'Slightly worried about how much info they want- 'Really. It seemed next to nothing to me.

Susan Kelly ● 2054d

Got mine

Simon Temple ● 2054d

Maybe mine will arrive on Monday.

Jennifer selig ● 2054d

There are quite a few "voluntary" questions such as sexuality and whether you identify with the sex you were born with, etc.

John Sutton ● 2053d

This is going to be the last one, apparently. Given that we're all tracked from the cradle to the grave these days, it does seem redundant.

Susan Kelly ● 2053d