Census to be moved online to save money
DOOR-TO-DOOR surveys of all British households to compile a census are being consigned to history, after statisticians recommended switching to an internet only poll to save cash.
The UK Statistics Authority said yesterday that from 2021, the population should be counted online, with help for those unable or unwilling to use the internet.
In 2011, around 16.5 per cent of people chose to complete the census questions over the internet, and the Office for National Statistics found after three years of research that “the general public is ready to move to a fully online census”.
The research found that public bodies wanted more frequent statistics, as well as a census done every ten years, to inform policy decisions.
A census has taken place by law in England and Wales every decade for more than two centuries, with only the Second World War disrupting the collection of data on the population.
The findings are released in full after 100 years, providing a wealth of information on social trends and family histories.
However, politicians have raised concerns about the high cost of sending researchers to collect the data from every house in the country. The 2011 poll posed 56 questions and cost a total of £480m.
The census managed to survey 87.3 per cent of households and 0.2 per cent refused, leading to more than 200 convictions.
A Cabinet Office spokesperson said yesterday: “We recognise the value of the census but Francis Maude has long said that it is outdated in its current form and could be more effectively and more cheaply delivered.
“The government welcomes the recommendations by the Office for National Statistics to modernise its approach. We will consider these in detail and respond more thoroughly in due course.”