I'm a census researcher ask me anything

[censusresearch]

I work for a local authority as a census research officer so use the information you put on your census forms.

@Glumgal

What are you supposed to put for language if someone can't speak? In any language? Annoys me that BSL is there as a language - but if you can't speak OR sign at all??? There's just no option for that.

It's impossible to cater for every eventuality and the census data has little to do with such specific specialist provision which would have to be done on a case by case basis by the appropriate services via a GP or school referral to speech and language therapy or whatever was appropriate.

@ShesMadeATwatOfMePam

I don't understand why people are pissed off about the gender question when it asks for your sex as well.

My question is why do they want to know what i got in my gcses 20+ years ago?

Demographics. They build up a ward profile for the area and one of the measures is qualifications as they are linked to income and social class.

@Catabogus

Why does it ask how my 3 year old would describe her national identity? She appeared thoroughly baffled by the question, as one might have expected.

I hope you wrote down what her answer was

I'm struggling to understand what possible use it is for the government to know details of my mum:s last employment , when she is retired and last worked over 45 years ago! I completed her form online for her and assumed it would skip those questions for someone who had already stated their age (mid 80's) and ticked the box saying she is retired and hasn't worked in the last 12 months.

@Glumgal

What are you supposed to put for language if someone can't speak? In any language? Annoys me that BSL is there as a language - but if you can't speak OR sign at all??? There's just no option for that.

Just to add that I was also baffled by this filling in the census 10 years ago. My 30 year old autistic son can't read, write, speak or sign at all so it doesn't seem right to put English, even though that's the language we all speak to him - he doesn't actually understand it or communicate by any means other than leaving out the food that he wants 😁

And for current children, their educational attainment and future earnings are apparently quite accurately predicted.by the highest educational.attainmemt of their mother - so they measure whether this is no GCSEs, GCSEs, A Levels, Degree, Post grad - presumably this helps with allcoation of funding etc to try and approve educational attainment in certain areas.

How did you get into census research work and what are the best and worsts parts of it and the other research work you do?

What are some of the misconceptions do you think the general public giving information and the higher ups that use/quote the data have?

What are some of the weirdest answers you have seen and how do you feel about things like the Jedi in the last census or one I think I saw from a really old census where a teenager girl's occupation was listed as "does as she pleases"? (which, I will admit, kinda feeling for my teenagers at the moment... ).

They should have asked 2 questions re where you work or even 3. Prepandemic, during pandemic and possibly hypothetical post pandemic expectations. Much more relevant than a lot of the other politically correct questions for the purposes of local services.

Why do some people (like me) receive a paper copy of the census - unasked for - but my 90 year old Dad has not received a paper copy, despite requesting one .... still hasn't arrived ?

How did you get into this line of work? I love working with data but have no degree or work experience in this field. Any advice!

@minchinfin

And for current children, their educational attainment and future earnings are apparently quite accurately predicted.by the highest educational.attainmemt of their mother - so they measure whether this is no GCSEs, GCSEs, A Levels, Degree, Post grad - presumably this helps with allcoation of funding etc to try and approve educational attainment in certain areas.

Crikey my children have no hope then

It's a good job DS1 is already proving that wrong!

How long after the deadline will you get the data?

Why will this be the last census?

What’s the wage?

@ShesMadeATwatOfMePam

I don't understand why people are pissed off about the gender question when it asks for your sex as well.

My question is why do they want to know what i got in my gcses 20+ years ago?

The issue is the guidance for the sex question said that you could answer based on a document such as your passport, which can be changed for the asking. So it wasn't asking for sex at all, but self-identified gender. Why some trans people are in favour of this I'm not sure, as it would mask the number of trans people in the population and therefore potentially reduce services. Organisations such as Mermaids are encouraging their followers to answer the sex question as gender identity, even though the guidance has been withdrawn as being unlawful.

Dictionary definition of ethnicity

"the fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition"

On that basis, there are 10 million answers to this question. None of the categories make sense to me really. Why isn't this optional?

@Ribrabrob

Why will this be the last census?

I'm guessing they'll have enough data acquired by other means.

@BiBabbles

How did you get into census research work and what are the best and worsts parts of it and the other research work you do?

What are some of the misconceptions do you think the general public giving information and the higher ups that use/quote the data have?

What are some of the weirdest answers you have seen and how do you feel about things like the Jedi in the last census or one I think I saw from a really old census where a teenager girl's occupation was listed as "does as she pleases"? (which, I will admit, kinda feeling for my teenagers at the moment... ).

I got into it by chance, I worked for another government run organisation doing database administration when I left university and then the census job came up and it looked interesting. I first worked on the 1991 census and then did 2001 but not 2011 and will do this one which will be my last even if there is a 2031 census or alternative.

@Ribrabrob

Why will this be the last census?

It might not be, work is still being done on identifying a viable alternative that is cost effective whilst still giving such detailed data. The government will have the final say in a few years time when they have the proposals.

@maddiemookins16mum

What’s the wage?

Much the same as for any mid ranking civil servant or local government officer. Higher because I've been in the job for sometime though not always at the same local authority.

If you're a Census researcher then you should know that your contract prohibits you from talking about it on social media.

@LunaHeather

Dictionary definition of ethnicity

"the fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition"

On that basis, there are 10 million answers to this question. None of the categories make sense to me really. Why isn't this optional?

Because census data is used to plan for many things including provision of services for ethnic minorities and making sure the right services are in place where they are needed.

@joanna67

If you're a Census researcher then you should know that your contract prohibits you from talking about it on social media.

It would if I was working on the current census being completed but it doesn't apply to people who analyse the data after the event. As I said up thread I have no professional involvement with the implementation of the 2021 census.

OP that's not an answer based on the definition of ethnicity. Social group characteristics - what service provision might be based on that? Sex, race, religion, I get. But ethnicity? Isn't it really repeating the race question?

The only thing I could feasibly write is Londoner. Which is information you have from my address.

There is a question on the census form

Asking if have ever done paid work?
Yes in 3 yrs ago,
I had to give up my job for health reasons since

I am not sure what to say complete in this part if form.