Census

[Trifle]

I know someone posted yesterday but I cant find the thread but I;ve just received mine in the post today.

For those who havent got theirs it is pages and pages long.

How the frig can knowing about my qualifications, ethnic origin, how many O levels I got have any bearing on what public transport to provide.

Why the fuck do they need to know what I do for a living and why should I 'briefly describe what I do'. How is that going to help them decide what health care to provide.

I mean, why do they need to know how many rooms I have, what heating system it has.

Such a gross invasion of privacy.

Where does it say that by law I have signed up for this shit.

H'mm. 'An alarming number' of people living in sheds, eh? All pooing away into the sewers of Slough!

This census is a waste of time and money. It's intrusive and aimed at flushing out (excuse the pun) immigrants and it's not going to give any reliable data because the shed-dwellers won't fill it in. Also the company running it is a disreputable US arms dealer (not absolutely sure of my facts here - read it on another thread but have mush for brains this time of night). They'll be very happy to sell all your data to whoever offers the most money.

But it's hardly secret anyway, since the new privatised NHS will be sending all your confidential health files in a hundred different directions to a hundred different companies - one to do your stitches, another to set your broken leg , etc.

On a rant? Moi?

And will we actually have access to the 1911 census? It was really difficult to get hold of the 1901 one, because you seem to have to pay all these companies - Ancestor or something - who have bought the rights to the data.

You should be more worried about what Facebook / Google / Mumsnet / YouTube / Dunnhumbie / Boots Clubcard know about you than this census...

re: Slough

"It's not their fault that they are mad,
They've tasted Hell."

yes, I should think so. Odd you haven't got one. I wonder if they are going to start doing some advertising soon - that might tell you what to do if you don't have one.

Ivykaty: 'The 2001 was 1 million people short and they made up 1 million people and added them to the census'.

Did they really?? What fun. There's your answer. Let's make up a million people - save them the trouble - and give them all weird names.

Mellow = is thre any evidence they sold the 2001 Census information???

Personally I worry more about Capita's ability to get it to the American company within the UK..........

Just wonder what use it is to anyone eg how many rooms. Our house is ridiculously open plan, so it makes no sense. Square footage would have been more appropriate.

Whilst I really want to agree with FilthyRich, I am relcutanctly agreeing with Mellowfruit - not about arms dealers and the NHS, but about shed-dwellers. Too many people will be either too thick/lazy/bloody-minded/dishonest or just forrin to fill it out properly.

But if it's a snapshot of bog-standard, middle of the road, middle-class life you are after it will be 100% accurate.

I live in an area with a very high number of immigrants and after the last census we had lots of problems with insufficient funding due to so many not returning the census forms.

I know it sounds anti immigration but the issues raised in the following years were pretty conclusive. Can't remember the finer points but the numbers of immigrants recorded on the census as living in our main town differed hugely from local records and benefit claims.

I do remember at the time the local council putting in some sort of appeal about this, don't know if it was successful.

It does make a difference, and it only took 15 minutes for my family of six. An it's really not an invasion of privacy, the information is all out there already.

So everyone add another name to their census form and see if new schools and hospitals suddenly spring up!

I don't know about the 2001 census, Baroque. I tried for ages to get hold of the 1901 one so I could find out something about my great greats, but had to keep registering with a company who wanted payment. Maybe I'm just not good at finding my way round the Internet.

Mines not arrived yet. I'm quite looking forward to filling it in. Sad I know!!

So was I the only one to get a bit misty eyed at the though of my future decendants reading through the form that DH and I have filled in?
I even insisted he completed his questions, "so they can see what your handwriting was like"

Would they actually keep the paper copies?

RustyBear that is so cool about your father. :)

They can't just sell your data.

Where I am the stats work out at something like for every person who doesn;t fill in the form the city will lose around £500 per year. That's £500,000 a year if a 1000 people don't fill it in. Over ten year £5m. That's a lot of money.

Haven't had one yet. Does everyone get one? (stoopid question probably!)

Been filling it out online for our family, inc. DS (5 months).

"Are you married or in a civil patnership?"

"Where were you living one year ago?" Well, that's rather a philosophical question, isn't it? Since there was no box for 'That would be an ecumenical matter', I had to tick 'The same as person 1'

Every household in the UK will get a form over the next week or so.

The reason we have to pay to view the old Census' online is because the research sites will have spent a lot of money scanning the information and digitising it. Ancestry are due to have access to the 1911 census shortly and you pay an annual subscription to them rather than a pay-per-view as the sites that currently have access ate doing.

I think I'm right in saying that once the 1921 census is released there will be a big gap of information as the 1931 census was lost during the Blitz and there was no census in 1941 due to the War. There was some talk that they might be able to release some wartime ration book and ID papers info but I don't know if they've got any further with that idea.

It seems a bit silly binning it, it will be chased up.
This is the penalty here
Lots of people have got jobs through it here
I shall just fill it in. I have found all the ones up to 1911 really useful for family history and the lies have been fascinating to follow up too.

stanausauruswrecks - I got misty eyed too! My descendants will be able to see where I was living, what job I was doing, who my partner was... My Mum's researching her family tree right now, and having great joy tracking 18th and 19th C family members through censuses.

I think it's fantastic that people will be able to trace me and my family through the years (after 100 years, that is).

You don't need to answer every question for every person. For example if you are answering for a child under 15 then you skip forward about 20 questions to a new section, or if you own your home you skip all the landlord type questions.

If you don't want to share your personal information with other people in the house, then you can request your own individual copy of the form to complete.

Go on, try reading the instructions.

I think that people should think of their descendents! If only they had had all those questions on the early ones it would make it so much easier! It is a fantastic resource for those doing family history.

my ds is 16 but is still in school and has so far only one gcse.
what should i do there?

and his paperround

who can i ask, if not mumsnet