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Modern census data

Introductory materials

The Collection of Historical and Contemporary Census Data and Related Materials ( CHCC )has produced Overview Units which serve as a general introduction to the Census and cover topics under the three main headings "What is the Census", "Using the Census" and "Uses of the Census". There are also data-specific learning and teaching resources covering contemporary Census Area Statistics (CAS) (developed by the University of Leeds) and contemporary Samples of Anonymised Records (SARs) (developed by CCSR at the University of Manchester), though much of the latter are superseded by more recent materials available on the SARs web site. The ESRC Question Bank provides information about the 1991 and 2001 censuses. This includes an overview, census definitions, downloadable census forms and articles on aspects of the census.

Who are responsible for the censuses?

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the principal provider of official statistics about the UK. ONS is responsible for carrying out the census in England and Wales every ten years. The General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) administers the registration of births, deaths, marriages, civil partnerships, divorces and adoptions in Scotland. It is responsible for taking a census of Scotland's population every ten years. The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) is the national statistics agency for Northern Ireland and deals with the census in Northern Ireland.

What general census resources are available?

A range of 2001 Census results are available online and free of charge to all users from the ONS Neighbourhood Statistics web site for England and Wales; from the GROS Scotland’s Census Results Online (SCROL) site and the Northern Ireland Census 2001 Output and Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service sites. Packaged census data and access software can also be obtained from the SASPAC consortium. SASPAC is software specifically written for the analysis and interrogation of datasets derived from the Census of Population.

The Nomis web site provides access to 1981, 1991 and 2001 Census data.

A Vision of Britain Through Time provides detailed historical information on places in Britain between 1801 and 2001, including maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions.

A wide range of census counts for 1971, 1981 and 1991, for aggregations of areas modelled from 1981 wards, are included on a CD published with the book:
Rees P, Martin D. and Williamson P. [eds] (2002) The Census Data System, London: Wiley. Alternatively, see the Census Data System web site.

Historic and international census resources

Brief guides are also available at Census.ac.uk for historical and genealogical and international census information.