Probably very silly census question

[Whatwouldscullydo]

Ok so im trying to fill out the blasted thing. I'm on the section about work.

Now I checked the box that stated " temporarily laid off" as instructed as currently on furlough

However it still asks about your main job. No mention of furlough so I filled out according to what I usually do.

Now it's asking for travel. This time saying if pandemic has affected your travel ticket box that best describes currently circumstances.

Now usually I walk but as I'm on furlough I take it I just put "other " as I don't currently travel to work ?

Or do I just tick " no organisation or work fir a private individual " at the start and avoid any further questions?

Working at or from home doesn't really apply as I can't do my job from home

It's supposed to be what you CURRENTLY do, not what you would be doing if not furloughed.

The Qs about the location in which you work and how you travel to work will massively misrepresent road/rail/bus/tube usage because we answer for now - where so many workers are WFH or furloughed. What use is that?!

But if you tick the " temporarily laid off" box it still takes hours to the " what is your employment status " question.

So u have to pick employee , SE or freelance without employees, or SE with employees there's no "none" option

It says to tick the temporarily laid off box . The whole thing says " in the last 7 days were u doing any of the following. If you have a job but have been off on furlough in quarantine or SI select the temporarily away from work I'll ot temporarily laid off"

Ok so if u tick "none of these apply" it then asks if you are actively looking for work ( so now I just look lazy? )

But then a couple of questions later it asks if you have ever done any paid work akd says furlough counts as paid work, so that kinda solves the problem but then it isn't exactly what the directions said to do so I still look unemployed

@Whatwouldscullydo

Ok so im trying to fill out the blasted thing. I'm on the section about work.

Now I checked the box that stated " temporarily laid off" as instructed as currently on furlough

However it still asks about your main job. No mention of furlough so I filled out according to what I usually do.

Now it's asking for travel. This time saying if pandemic has affected your travel ticket box that best describes currently circumstances.

Now usually I walk but as I'm on furlough I take it I just put "other " as I don't currently travel to work ?

It is confusing isn't it? But you have filled it out correctly. For travel you should put 'walking' as that is what you would do if not furloughed.

The Census guidance says:
"If you're away from work on furlough, in quarantine or self-isolating, answer about how you used to travel to work before your circumstances changed".

The Census guidance says:
"If you're away from work on furlough, in quarantine or self-isolating, answer about how you used to travel to work before your circumstances changed"

And yet the text above all the questions tells you to answer according to your current circumstances..whilst simultaneously not giving the options to answer accurately

The job question is not great because it asks what are your current circumstances. My husband is currently working from home but under non COVID restrictions he commutes by train every day, I’m sure this will be the case for many people atm. They should have included a question about what people usually did before COVID instead of how things are now, because the answers are not going to be accurate to plan for the future.