Census asks students to tick boxes

The 21st United Kingdom census, which is taking place on 27 March this year, will have to be completed by every student before the end of this term.

The census, which has taken place every ten years since 1801, is a survey that the Government requires everyone in the UK to complete.

The census is important because it collects vital information to create a “picture of Britain” about “what the diversity and make-up of a county actually is, effectively to plan resources and allocate funding,” according to Mark Miller, Census Area Manager for Coventry. “If you think the count is 20,000 students, if you’ve undercounted that, and in fact there are 25,000 students, then there aren’t going to be enough resources,” added Mr Miller. These resources, which are provided by the local authority, range from buses to hospitals.

Resident tutors will be responsible for completing the household census form and for delivering the census to students who live in University accommodation. As Warwick University is part of a group called “the Early Eight” consisting of those universities whose terms finish prior to the census date, (alongside Buckingham, Cambridge, Durham, Oxford, Sussex, Teesside and York,) this form will have to be finished and returned to the Resident Tutor before students leave for the Easter holiday to ensure completion before the census date.

This year, for the first time, there will be the option to complete the census online. This, though not environmentally friendly because each student will still receive a form, will presumably reduce the effort on the students’ part in terms of filling out the information. This process will also be beneficial to Warwick and the other ‘Early Eight’ students in particular as the online form is available from the 4 March, enabling it to be completed far in advance of the deadline.

The census is described as a “simple” process which will “take a maximum of ten minutes” to complete. This form comprises of mostly “tick box” questions based on basic facts about people, such as age, gender and ethnic background. Mr Miller explained that “the only voluntary question is religion, the rest are compulsory, but this will all be explained when [the students] get the form.”

Despite a general lack of awareness of what the census encompasses and its forthcoming occurrence, most students to whom the Boar spoke were principally concerned with forgetting to do it, saying “it has to be done I guess, and if it doesn’t take long I won’t mind. I’ve not really heard anything about [the census] yet, and if it’s not advertised well I think it might get put to the bottom of my to-do list.” A first year physics student said that they thought participating in the census was “worth it, as it will provide an important snapshot of our society for future generations.”

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has “started rolling out a plan of interaction” with students, from jobs collecting completed censuses or promoting awareness of the census on campuses to creating census-inspired pieces. In previous years students have organised census-themed parties, and participated in competitions including trying to fit as many students into a small space as possible, such as telephone boxes. Students can then submit photos which will appear on the census website. Mr Miller added that any students who wanted to find out more about the upcoming census should visit the official website at 2011.census.gov.uk.