Every ten years the Office for National Statistics (ONS) carries out a census to find out more about the people who live in England and Wales, and about the make-up of local neighbourhoods.
The most recent census took place on Sunday 27 March 2011 when ONS sent out questionnaires for around 25 million households to complete.
The census asks about work, health, national identity, citizenship, ethnic background, education, second homes, language, religion, marital status and so on. These statistics are then used to build a picture of today’s society.
Why does the census matter to our area?
Like all local authorities in England and Wales, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council relies on census population statistics to get the government funding we need for public services. How much we get is directly related to how many and what kind of people the census says live in our area. So even if the census were to end up just a few households short, it could make a very real difference to people’s lives.
The census needs to include everyone, everywhere – and that’s why everyone has to take part.
What happens next?
The first output from the 2011 Census is scheduled to be published by ONS in July 2012, with further tranches of data due to follow in later months. A more detailed timetable for release of data is due to be published in March 2012.
In the meantime, 2001 Census data is the latest available.
