United Kingdom Census 1991
Encyclopedia
A nationwide census
, commonly known as Census 1991, was conducted in the United Kingdom
on Sunday 21 April 1991. This was the 19th UK census.
Census 1991 was organised by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys
in England and Wales
, the General Register Office for Scotland
and the Census Office for Northern Ireland. Detailed results by region, council area, ward and output area
are available from their respective websites. The cost of the census was estimated at £140m, or around £7 per household. 117,500 enumerator
s were employed to assist with collection of census forms in Great Britain.
The 1991 census was the first UK census to have a question on ethnic group
. Other new questions were on limiting long-term illness and term-time address for students. A question about central heating
replaced the previously used question on outside toilets.
The census was also noted for a significant undercount of the population. Despite being compulsory, a total of 572,000 people failed to respond to both the census form and follow-up interviews, 220,000 of them being males aged 20 to 29. It has been suggested that part of the lack of response could be due to people attempting to avoid registration for the poll tax
.
A total of 342 people were prosecuted for not completing their census returns.
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, commonly known as Census 1991, was conducted in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on Sunday 21 April 1991. This was the 19th UK census.
Census 1991 was organised by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys
Office of Population Censuses and Surveys
The Office of Population Censuses and Surveys , was created in May 1970 through the merger of the General Register Office and the Government Social Survey Department....
in England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
, the General Register Office for Scotland
General Register Office for Scotland
The General Register Office for Scotland was a non-ministerial directorate of the Scottish Government that administered the registration of births, deaths, marriages, divorces and adoptions in Scotland. It was also responsible for the statutes relating to the formalities of marriage and conduct...
and the Census Office for Northern Ireland. Detailed results by region, council area, ward and output area
ONS coding system
In the United Kingdom, the Office for National Statistics maintains a series of codes to represent a wide range of geographical areas of the UK, for use in tabulating census and other statistical data...
are available from their respective websites. The cost of the census was estimated at £140m, or around £7 per household. 117,500 enumerator
Enumerator
Enumerator may refer to:*Iterator *a census taker, a person performing door-to-door around census, to count the people and gather demographic data.*Enumerator polynomial...
s were employed to assist with collection of census forms in Great Britain.
The 1991 census was the first UK census to have a question on ethnic group
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
. Other new questions were on limiting long-term illness and term-time address for students. A question about central heating
Central heating
A central heating system provides warmth to the whole interior of a building from one point to multiple rooms. When combined with other systems in order to control the building climate, the whole system may be a HVAC system.Central heating differs from local heating in that the heat generation...
replaced the previously used question on outside toilets.
The census was also noted for a significant undercount of the population. Despite being compulsory, a total of 572,000 people failed to respond to both the census form and follow-up interviews, 220,000 of them being males aged 20 to 29. It has been suggested that part of the lack of response could be due to people attempting to avoid registration for the poll tax
Community Charge
The Community Charge, popularly known as the "poll tax", was a system of taxation introduced in replacement of the rates to part fund local government in Scotland from 1989, and England and Wales from 1990. It provided for a single flat-rate per-capita tax on every adult, at a rate set by the...
.
A total of 342 people were prosecuted for not completing their census returns.
See also
- Census in the United KingdomCensus in the United KingdomCoincident full censuses have taken place in the different jurisdictions of the United Kingdom every ten years since 1801, with the exceptions of 1941 and in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State in 1921; simultaneous censuses were taken in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, with...
- List of United Kingdom censuses
- Demographics of the United KingdomDemographics of the United KingdomThis article is about the demographic features of the population of the United Kingdom, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
External links
- National Statistics Earlier Census, 1801 - 1991 (England & Wales)
- The UK Census of Population 1991 (Concepts and Techniques in Modern Geography)