Census of India - History of Indian Census History of Indian Census Introduction The Harappa and Mohan-jo-daro excavations reveal that "as far back as the 3rd or 4th millenium BC and probably much earlier still, India was in possession of a highly developed civilization with large and populous cities, well built houses, temples and public buildings of brick and many other amenities enjoyed as that period by the peoples of Mesopotamia and Egypt". The other source of advanced culture was the Aryans, who came into India from the northwest around 2000 BC They were mostly agricultural and pastoral people who understood the principles of irrigation and manuring and used the animal-drawn plough. After arriving in India they made additional acquisitions, the most important of which was alphabetic writing borrowed from Semitic sources about 800 BC and iron, acquired even earlier. So in India some three to seven thousand years ago there were peoples possessing a technology sufficient advanced to support a dense population; and they encountered in the soil and climate of India favorable conditions for the application of this technology.

The earliest literature, the Rigveda, makes it 'clear that population was scanty and spread over wide areas' in small villages, the Brahmana literature around 800-600 BC reveals that some of the villages had grown into towns and capitals with an urban mode of life. The Buddhist literature indicates that between the 7th & 4th centuries BC the economy of India was comparable to that of the later middle ages in Europe. Crafts and commerce were flourishing and were highly organised. In an ordinary town there used to live 30 to 1000 families and about 20 such cities existed in Northern India. The existence of dense population was confirmed by Alexander's army, which invaded India in 327-26 BC The records of Chandra Gupta (321-297 BC) show that there was a standing army of 700,000 men, the maintenance of which must have required a substantial population. Under Ashoka (274-236 BC) the Indian civilization reached to a very high point, based on efficient administration, the use of written commands, and abundant commerce etc.

From the above it can safely be concluded that before the Christian era India had a substantial population. Attempts were also made to collect the population data from very early times. The celebrated 'Arthashastra', the Principles of Government, evolved by one of the greatest geniuses of political administration, Kautilya during the days of Mauryas in the third BC, prescribed the collection of population statistics as a measure of state policy for the purpose of taxation. It contains a detailed description of methods of conducting population, economic and agricultural censuses. During the Moghul period extensive records were used to be maintained of land, production, population, famines, etc. During the time of Akbar the Great, another bright period in Indian history, the administration report known as the Ain-i-Akbari included comprehensive data pertaining to population, industry, wealth, and many other characteristics. However the population counts, the importance of which was so well recognised in the ancient days of good Government was neglected during the medieval period when the history of the country was also somewhat disturbed. But again with the system of modern government developing, the need for a fairly accurate account of the population was felt.

For obvious reasons, such as defence, collection of revenues and taxes and employment of population in profitable trades and services, the East India Company was anxious, soon after the Restoration in England, to obtain reliable estimates of population in its Indian settlements. Moreland, the famous historian estimated the total number of Indians in 1600. For numerical basis of calculation he based his studies, in the south, on the strength of the armed forces and in the north on the land under cultivation on both of which subjects contemporary figures were available. Indirect estimates had been made, for example, of Fort St. George, Madras, for 1639 and 1648 by comparing revenues in 1639 and 1648, and for 1646 by adding reported famine deaths of 1647 to the estimate of 1648. Captain Thomas Bowrey who arrived in Madras in 1669 made an estimate of the Fort in 1670. A Dr. John Fryer was appointed surgeon for duty at Bombay at the end of 1672 shortly after he had taken the degree of M.B. at Cambridge.

He was evidently expected to make statistical enquiries, for his estimates of Masulipattam, Fort St. George, Madras and Bombay. Inquiries in the 17th century like Sir William Langhorn's, Captain Willshaw's or Elihu Yale's, were in the nature of deductions based on items like revenue or quit-rent. A Census is mentioned having been taken in 1716 of Bombay, probably embracing only the Fort and a portion of the Island. The unsettled condition of the country, following the disintegration of the Moghul empire, did not offer favorable conditions for systematic estimates of population. An estimate made of the company's possessions as late as the 1780's was discounted by H.T. Colebrooke. In 1798 the Collectors of Bengal and Bihar districts furnished grounds for estimating 22 millions, but Sir William Jones, the great Orientalist, in his preface to the translation of Al Sirajiyah, hinted at a higher figure. H.T.

Colebrooke, in Chapter II devoted to 'population' of his Remarks on the Husbandry and Internal Commerce of Bengal (1794) has gone on record as a pioneer in the application of sample surveys when he observed, "First-An actual assessment (the result of an official enquiry in the province of Puriniya) found 80,914 husbandmen holding leases, and 22,324 artificers paying ground rent, in 2,784 villages (mauzas) upon 2,531 square miles. Allowing five to a family this gives more than 203 to a square mile; and for the whole of the Dewani provinces, at that proportion, it gives a population of 30,291,051; or including Benares, 32,987,500; since the area of Bengal and Bihar is 149,217 square miles, and, with Benares, not less than 162,500.

But it must be remembered..." with which he goes on to make meticulous reservations, for and against both lower and higher figures, which set up his methodology as a model for Dr. Francis Buchanan-Hamilton to copy in 1808, when he began his celebrated statistical survey of districts of Bengal and Bihar. Sir James Renell had in the meantime completed his stupendous surveys, which helped to relate population to defined territories. Regretting that 'in India, no bills of mortality, nor registers of births, marriages and burials, afford data for calculation', H.T. Colebrooke built up an ingenious system of self-checking inferences based variously on area, density, sample counts, persons per household leases, ground rent, land under cultivation, area under each tillage, rent-rolls, and the yield and consumption of articles like cereals, pulses and salt. Buchanan-Hamilton applied Colebrooke's method and in several cases improved upon it by resorting to extensive sample counts-his empirical way of discriminating between samples is most instructive-and his accounts of the northern districts of Bengal contain some of the most reliable population estimates for the first two decades of the nineteenth century.

Equally penetrating and valid are his comments "On the population of the district and the causes which operate on its increase or diminution." Meanwhile, England had begun her Census series in 1801 and the parliament was anxious to ascertain the populations of dependencies. It took some time to plan and carry out systematic censuses, but the counts taken between 1820 and 1830, even though they do not satisfy the requirements of a modern census, were some of the best estimates that any country could have under comparable circumstances. Some of the finest are Ward and Conner's Memoir of the Survey of the Travancore and Cochin States (1816-20), Richard Jenkin's Report on the Province of Malwa and Adjoining Districts (1822), Thomas Marshall's Pergunnahs of Southern Mahratta Country (1822), W.H. Syke's returns on the Collectorate of Khandesh (1827), D.A. Blane's statistical reports on the districts of the province of Kattywar (1831), and R. Montgomery Martin's compilation, Statistics of the colonies of the British Empire (1839).

It may be mentioned in passing that Montgomery Martin obtained corroboration of the estimate made in 1822 by Henry Shakespeare of the Lower Provinces of Bengal Presidency from Dwarakanaut Tagore, Rabindranath Tagore's grandfather: 'I obtained it in India from Dwarakanaut Tagore, a Hindoo of an enlarged mind, a most generous disposition, and a truly British spirit. Dwarakanaut Tagore was then at the head of the salt and opium department at Calcutta, and had perhaps the best means of judging as to its correctness of any man in India; he considered it as a fair estimate for 1820 or 1822.' Of the greatest technical and methodological interest by far of this period are 'the censuses' made of the town of Allahabad (1824) and the city of Benares (1827-28) by the great James Prinsep, FRS, and of the city of Dacca (1830) by Henry Walters.

Walter's census was perhaps the first complete census of an Indian city, which classified the population by sex and broad-age-groups, the houses and structures by building characteristics, storeys, other amenities, lodgers and inmates, and the population again by as many as 132 caste-occupations. The second census of Fort St. George Presidency was taken in 1836 -37 and it was not until a decade later, that is, in 1849 that the Government of India asked the local governments to establish, by means of their revenue officials, quinquennial returns of population. This "inaugurated (in Madras) a system of periodical stock-taking of the people, which continued down to the time when the Imperial Census was ordered. The first of these returns was taken during the official year 1851-52, the second in 1856-57, the third in 1861-62 and the fourth and last in 1866-67. The quinquennial Census of 1871-72 was merged in the Imperial Census of 1871." "Thus", continues Dr. W.R.

Cornish, FRCS, Superintendent of Census Operations, Madras, 1871 in page 3 of Volume 1 of his Report, "It will be seen that within a period of twenty years the population of this Presidency has been counted, more or less efficiently on five occasions, and it becomes no cause for surprise that the fifth counting should have involved no more political anxiety to the government than any of the former enumerations. As remarked by the Madras Government, 'There is nothing novel in the ideal of a Census in this Presidency, and there is no reason to anticipate any difficulty in carrying out the wishes of the Government of India.' The northern provinces were not so fortunate. The North-Western provinces took their census in 1852 under G.J. Christian, and it is interesting to note that J.D. Sim's Scheme of quinquennial censuses for Madras was based on the North-Western Provinces' scheme of 1850. The N.W.P. Census of 1852 'was a regular house to house numbering of all the people in the Province at one fixed time - viz., the night of the 31st December, 1852'.

Under Statistical Despatch No. 2 of 23 July, received from the Home Government, in the year 1856, the Government of India had entered upon a consideration of the means by which a general Census of the population of India might be taken in 1861. But the undertaking was postponed in 1859 in consequence of the Mutinies. In the North-Western Provinces, however, a census was conducted on 10 January, 1865 by W. C. Plowden on 'the principle that the population should be determined by an actual house to house enumeration to be made on the same day throughout the province, distinguishing the sexes, the two great creeds, and classifying the people according as they followed agricultural or non-agricultural occupations, the different occupations and trades of the people, and their various castes'. The census was also required to collect information on 'the settlement of the several prevailing castes in the different parts of the country, their origin, and the manner in which the subsidiary castes had separated themselves from the parent stock.' It was also the first census to attempt a detailed age classification of the population.

A similar census of the Central Provinces was taken in November, 1866 followed by one of Berar in 1867. A census of the population of the Punjab Territories taken in January, 1855 was followed by another in January, 1868, while a census of Oudh was taken in 1869. Censuses of the cities of Madras, Bombay and Calcutta had, in the meantime been taken in 1863, 1864, and 1866 respectively. Statistical organisation moved fast at the close of this decade under the leadership of Lord Mayo, Governor General. W.W. Hunter was appointed Director General of Statistical Survey in 1869. An experimental census of the Lower Provinces of Bengal was organised in 1869 by H. Beverley, Registrar General. In 1865 the Government of India and the Home Government had agreed upon the principle that a general population census would be taken in 1871. Model census schedules and questionnaires had already been patiently worked out by W.C. Plowden in 1865.

The years 1867-72 were spent in taking a census by the actual counting of heads in as much of the country as was practicable. This series, commonly known as the Census of 1872, was not a synchronous project, nor did it cover all territory possessed or controlled by the British. Though based on uniform schedules it was not centrally supervised, moderated or compiled. But it was inspired by modern concepts, marked an auspicious beginning, and contained the rudiments of all basic demographic, social and economic tables. The undertaking stimulated the introduction into the Statue Book of the Bengal Births and Deaths Registration Act of 1873, to be followed later by the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act of 1886 which would henceforth provide 'data for calculation', the lack of which H.T. Colebrooke had regretted in 1794. The problems of coverage and cartography that the 1872 group of censuses had presented were ably followed up by W.W. Hunter's Statistical Survey and the Survey of India, so that the Census of 1881 taken by W.C.

Plowden, Census Commissioner for India, was a great step forward toward a modern synchronous and comprehensive operation,in which much effort was spent not only on more complete coverage but on classification of demographic, economic and social characteristics. The Census stimulated for over eighty years on of the most thorough-going inquiries into social structure ever to be conducted in any part of the world, while, it was responsible for the great Linguistic Survey of India, another unique inquiry, again, for any part of the world. The first complete census of population was, however, conducted in 1881, on a unifrom basis throughout India providing the most complete and continuous demographic record for any comparable population. Since then the Census is being regularly conducted after every ten years. These censuses have collected information on the distribution of population, with respect to its density, physical groups, urban and rural distribution, housing condition, migration, occupation, racial distribution, literacy, religion, physical deformities, sex, civil condition etc. Contrary to uninformed opinion, which seems to imagine that the early Censuses were little concerned with economic information, the 1872 Census of Bombay Presidency made an alphabetical classification of 376 occupations.

The 1881 All India Census adopted 6 classes, 18 orders, 75 sub-orders and 480 groups of occupations, while 1891 adopted 478 occupations divided into 7 classes, 24 orders and 77 Sub-order. Even this was improved upon in 1901 by 521 occupations divided into 8 classes, 24 orders and 79 sub-orders, which can still serve as a model for countries with insufficiently developed economies and a preponderance of rural skills. The 1901 classification also made an exhaustive analysis of caste-occupations. In fact, the classification developed in 1901 was over-shadowed, not without some loss of definition of local realities, by the requirements of international comparability in 1911. Much has been made of the Indian Census's preoccupation with castes and tribes and cognate anthropological inquiries over the decades.

While indeed a very large and valuable body of anthropological literature has grown round the Indian Census, it needs to be emphasised that the Indian Census has always been primarily concerned with its legitimate tasks of demographic analysis and economic classification, of 'mathematical manipulation' and even 'statistical ingenuity', the apparent lack of which was the subject of a regret expressed by Kingslay Davis, a modern demographic scholar of India and Pakistan. For early work on age in India, such efforts as J.A. Baines's Age Distribution in his report of Bombay and Sind 1881, L.Mc. Liver's dissertation on the same theme in his report for Madras, 1881, Gabriel Stokes's Native Life Tables for the Madras Presidency, 1881, W.W. Drew's note on age distribution in his Report on Bombay, 1891, G.H. Stuart's Life Table for the City of Madras, 1891, M.M. Khan's Life Tables for the Nizam's Dominions, 1891, V.N.

Narasimmiyengar's note on age statistics and sex ratio in his report of Mysore, 1891, not to speak of a host of other works in later censuses, would do honour to demographic analysis in any country. What is more, they brought to the world of mathematical manipulation, much broad understanding and empirical knowledge. One is liable to ignore the fact that in the preparation of age and life tables, India has always been fortunate in securing the services of eminent actuaries, beginning with Sir George F. Hardy, and this long line of actuarial investigations since 1881 has presented the World with valuable devices for the construction of age and life tables out of inadequate and often very unsatisfactory material. A third important feature of past censuses is also insufficiently appreciated. The Indian Census has never been bound hand-and-foot to tradition, never taken shelter 'behind an official wall of infallibility', but has broken new ground at every census without losing comparability with previous censuses. Thus the Indian Census has always paid a good deal of attention to the changing scene and the requirements of Government while trying to keep pace with contemporary and advanced census quests.

In short, it has never rested on its oars, but represents 'the most fruitful single source of information about the country'. The Government emphasised the importance of population data and set up a Population Data Committee in 1944 to examine and advise the Government of India on the available data relating to growth of population. This committee comprised of Mr. W.M. Yeatts, the Census Commissioner of India in 1941 as Chairman and Sir Theodore Gregory, Professor P.C. Mahalnobis, Professor K.B. Madhava and Dr. K.C. K.E. Raja as members. The Committee paid special emphasis to the statistical problems relating to the age tabulation of the 1941 census which could not be completed because of financial stringency caused by the Second World War, and also made recommendations for the use of sampling methods for the estimation of vital statistics rates. In particular, they pointed out the use which could be made of the household lists prepared at the census as a sampling frame for obtaining demographic data and recommended their safe keeping.

The Health Survey and Development Committee popularly referred to as the Bhore Committee constituted for making plans for post-war developments in the health fields made a comprehensive review of the field of population from the quantitative and qualitative points of view. It suggested the appointment of Registrar General of Vital and Population Statistics at the centre and Provincial Superintendents in the Provinces with a view to improve the quality of population statistics. One of its chief recommendations was that "the population problem should be the subject of continuous study." Census Act was passed in 1948 and was placed on the Statute Book. Text of the Act is given in an annexure at the end of this chapter. In 1949, the Government of India decided to initiate steps for improvement of Registration of Vital Statistics and further decided to establish a single organisation at the Centre in the Ministry of Home Affairs under the Registrar General and ex-officio Census Commissioner for India to deal with Vital Statistics and Census. Till 1951 the Census Organisation in India was functioning like the phoenix, that is the Organisation came into being just on the eve of the census and wound up as soon as census operations were over within two or three years of its creation.

With the establishing of a permanent nucleus at the centre, it has been possible to have continuing Census Organisation during the inter-censal period. Concentrated steps were taken to improve registration of Births and Deaths in the country to yield reliable vital rates which are so essential for present day planning. The first census after Independence was taken in 1951. The report of 1951 census by the Census Commissioner for India was a complete departure from the pattern of previous census reports. This report attempted to interpret the past changes in the size and structure of India's population and to point out their implications for the level of living of the population. The report also made a plea for a reduction in the birth rate of the country. The 1951 census also attempted for the first time in the history of Indian census to make an assessment of the accuracy of the census count by a re-check in the field. The demands of the various Government Departments, Planning Commission and various Demographic Bodies for the collection of the detailed statistics on population necessitated the enlargement of the 1961 census questionnaire and a number of cross tabulations of data. As many as 1400 publications were planned and printed.

A novel feature of 1961 census was the undertaking of a large number of ancillary studies relating to rural craft, fairs and festivals and ethnographic surveys. The Census Organisation, therefore, became the repository of a wealth of sociological information relating to the country. Special Socio-economic Surveys were undertaken in a large number of villages. For the first time in the history of Census of India, a Census Atlas was planned at the State level as well as at India level. An attempt was also made for the mechanical tabulation of some of the data and consequently a moderate complement of mechanical data equipments like, Key punches, Verifiers, Sorters, Tabulators, Reproducers were obtained and household schedules of the 1961 census were tabulated on the mechanical equipments. The schedules of 1971 Census were further modified to suit the needs of the Govt., Planning Commission, various Demographic Bodies and Scholars. The new features of 1971 Census were (i) an attempt was made to collect data on current fertility, (ii) migrational particulars with reference to place of last residence were collected which yielded valuable and realistic data on internal migration, (iii) considerable departure was made in respect of economic questions.

The main activity of a person was ascertained according as he spent his time basically as a worker producing goods and services or as a non-worker. A new concept of 'Standard urban Area' was developed for the tabulation of certain urban data. Encouraged with the experience of 1961 Census it was again proposed to have a number of studies ancillary to 1971 Census. It was proposed to have a restudy of a number of villages and also to have intensive studies of about 200 towns and ethnographic studies of selected communities. Besides there would be one special study at the choice of the Director of Census Operations in each State. The results of each census have been published in great detail. The general reports which summarise and analyse the results have often been exceptionally scholarly. It was only in 1941 that the census publications could not be as complete as usual because of the limitations imposed by the Second World War. The Indian Censuses were remarkable not only for the information they reveal but for the special obstacles they had had to overcome.

Imagine a massive, diversified sub-continent with hundreds of millions of people nearly all of whom are illiterate, most of them rural and some isolated in jungles or mountains, some harbouring superstitions inimicals to census co-operation, some split by political and religious rift and some pure savages of stone age. One can imagine all this and the difficulty of taking a census becomes apparent. Modern techniques of postal enumeration cannot be used and the time-tested slow but sure method of each individual being enumerated separately is all that is possible. This involves the recruitment and training of a vast army of enumerators whose number can only be reckoned in thousands. The social and cultural complexities create special problems. The Indian Census has not been a mere statistical operation. Demographic data have not been presented in a dry form but interpreted and analysed in an interesting manner. The General Reports of the Census, whether that of the country as a whole or of the States, have been products of scholarship. A large number of experts have been associated with the census and their analysis of data has often been the only authentic material on socio-economic conditions. The Indian Census has been fortunate in having had at its helm extremely devoted civil servants and scholars. Sir William W.

Hunter, historian directed the gigantic statistical survey of India made in 1869-1881 and published among other books, the famous Annals of Rural Bengal (three Volumes) and A History of British India (two Volumes). Sir George Grierson, who wrote the chapter on Indian languages for the 1901 census report, directed the monumental Linguistic Survey of India; Sir Herbert Risley, who was Census Commissioner for India in 1901, wrote the treatise 'The People of India'; Sir Edward Gait, who was in charge of the Census in 1901, was an authority on caste; L.S.S. O'Malley and J.H. Hutton, both of whom wrote fine studies of Indian administration and castes, were closely associated with the census. The general report of 1951 by R.A.Gopalaswamy was a landmark in that it was a forthright plea for a population policy, while the "Levels of Development" of 1961 by A. Mitra was an excellent regional analysis for planning.

The First Census of England, Scotland and Wales is Undertaken (1801) : HistoryofInformation.com Visit HistoryofScience.com » The First Census of England, Scotland and Wales is Undertaken (1801) Following the passage of the Census Act or Population Act of 1800, which he was largely responsible for drafting, English goverment official and statistician John Rickman supervised the first Census of England, Scotland and Wales — the first detailed census ever undertaken of any country. "The 1801 census was in two parts: the first was concerned with the number of people, their occupations, and numbers of families and houses. The second was a collection of the numbers of baptisms, marriages and burials, thus giving an indication of the rate at which the population was increasing or decreasing. Information was collected by census enumerators who were usually the local Overseers of the Poor or (in Scotland) schoolmasters. They visited individual households and gathered the required information, before submitting statistical summaries.

The details of households and individuals were important only in creating these local summaries and were destroyed in all but a few cases." John Rickman first proposed the census in 1796 in an article in the Commercial, Agricultural, and Manufacturer's Magazine, which he edited. The Secretary to the Treasury, George Rose, noticed the article and in 1800 the Census Act, drafted by Rickman, was presented to parliament. Rickman then directed the census and was responsible for digesting and annotating the data. The study of population was one of the major concerns of political economy at this time and the first census came at a crucial point in the debate. When Malthus published his Essay on Population in 1798, demographic knowledge was necessarily limited. After the results of the first census were known, Malthus extensively revised and expanded the Essay, incorporating insights gained from the census and other sources, and published it virtually as new work in 1803. The census was published on December 21, 1801 as Abstract of the answers and returns made pursuant to an act, passed in the forty-first year of His Majesty King George III.

Intitled an act for taking an account of the population of Great Britain, and the increase or diminution thereof. A second volume was published on June 9, 1802. 2011 Census - Office for National Statistics 2011 Census Statistical bulletin:2011 Census: Population Estimates for the United Kingdom, March 2011 Estimates of the usually resident population of the UK and its constituent countries, by age and sex. This is the latest release On census night, the population of the United Kingdom (UK) was estimated to be 63.2 million. There were 31 million men and 32.2 million women in the UK. The estimated populations of the four constituent countries of the UK are 53 million people in England, 5.3 million in Scotland, 3.1 million in Wales and 1.8 million in Northern Ireland. The population of the UK increased by 4.1 million (nearly 7 per cent) between 2001 and 2011. Over the last hundred years the population of the UK (as currently constituted) has increased by 21.1 million (50 per cent).

The population of the UK aged 65 and over was 10.4 million (16 per cent of the UK population) in 2011, 9.4 million in 2001 (16 per cent) and 2.2 million in 1911 (5 per cent). Back to table of contents 2. Summary This bulletin presents the key messages from the first release of 2011 Census data for the UK. It describes the usually resident population of the UK and its constituent countries, by age and sex, and provides information on how the population has changed over time. Censuses were undertaken by the Office for National Statistics in England and Wales, National Records of Scotland, and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. The 2011 Census data for the UK are based on the combined results of these individual censuses, which were all held on 27 March 2011. The 2011 Census outputs for the UK are delivered by the Office for National Statistics. 3.

Introduction First release of 2011 Census statistics for the United Kingdom The UK population was 63,182,000 in 2011. This is the first population estimate for the UK to be produced from all three 2011 Censuses, which were conducted on 27 March 2011. This release includes estimates of the usually resident population of the UK and its constituent countries, by sex and five-year age band. This bulletin follows the first release of statistics for England and Wales and for Northern Ireland on 16 July 2012 and for Scotland on 17 December 2012. The availability of 2011 Census population estimates for all four constituent countries now allows for the publication of UK level estimates. Due to the breadth and depth of census data, results from the 2011 Census are being released in stages. Subsequent releases of UK census data will be available as soon as all constituent country data are available. An outline of the timetable for subsequent UK releases has been published via the 2011 Census prospectus (754.4 Kb Pdf) .

Statement of Agreement of the National Statistician and the Registrars General for Scotland and Northern Ireland The Statement of Agreement (65.7 Kb Pdf) of the National Statistician and the Registrars General for Scotland and Northern Ireland sets out the principles for ensuring that the independent censuses carried out in each constituent country of the UK will be able to provide consistent and high quality statistics, that meet user requirements for UK level data. In summary, the agreement specified: That each census would be held on the same date, 27 March 2011. The use of a common main population base for outputs of usual residents. A common design for the census questionnaires. The use of common definitions and classifications. Harmonised final outputs to ensure consistent, coherent and accessible statistics. Some questions and procedures, for the separate countries, inevitably reflected local issues – for example in Wales the census could be completed in Welsh, either on paper or online, whilst in Scotland it could be completed (online) in Gaelic. About the census The censuses for Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland) were taken every ten years back to 1801.

Decennial censuses were held in Ireland from 1841 through to 1911. There was no census in Ireland in 1921, and following this, the first Northern Irish census was in 1926, with the second Northern Ireland census in 1937, then every ten years from 1951. There was no census undertaken throughout the UK in 1941 due to the Second World War. Census statistics describe the characteristics of the population that live in an area, such as how many men and women there are and their ages, religion, ethnic group, education level and occupations. This first release is for population estimates by sex and five-year age band only. Subsequent releases will provide more detailed statistics for other variables. The census population estimates were extensively quality assured using both national and local sources of information for comparison and review. The 2011 Census provides a high quality estimate of the population that people can use with confidence. Further information about the methodology and quality assurance processes for the 2011 Censuses in England and Wales , Scotland and Northern Ireland are available from their respective websites.

Operational details Questionnaires were distributed to all areas of the UK, by either post or hand. Respondents also had the opportunity to respond online. The questionnaires across the four countries of the UK (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) were of a consistent design that enables harmonised UK outputs to be produced. The 2011 Censuses conducted across the UK give an estimate of the total population. A good response was achieved to the 2011 Census but inevitably some people were missed. The issue of under coverage in a census is one that affects census takers everywhere and methods and processes were designed to address this. Census coverage surveys were carried out to measure under coverage in a sample of areas and based on this, with rigorous estimation methods, the census population counts were adjusted for under and over coverage to produce population estimates that represent 100 per cent of the usually resident population in all areas. The questionnaires, operational methods, and statistical processes were designed by each census office to best reflect local circumstances and needs. These differences are set within a wider picture of harmonised questions, operations, methods, and outputs, to give UK data.

Further details of how the censuses were undertaken can be found on each census office website. The data in context Census statistics are used to understand similarities and differences in the characteristics of local, regional and national populations. This information underpins the allocation of billions of pounds of public money around the UK to provide services like education, transport and health, determining, for example, the growing or diminishing demand for education or health services in an area. The size and make up of the population is also of interest to commercial companies, special interest groups, academia, and the general public. Decisions are taken every day using census statistics. These can be as local as the number of car parking spaces needed at supermarkets, to wider programmes, for example, where to target government training schemes. Publication of the 2011 UK Census population statistics on a consistent basis facilitates analysis and decision taking across the whole of the UK. This helps users who have a UK wide interest. As well as financial allocations to the Scottish Government, National Assembly for Wales, and Northern Ireland Assembly, international bodies such as the European Union (EU) and the United Nations require statistics for the United Kingdom as a whole.

Within the EU regional funding and contributions, and qualified majority voting allocations are made on the basis of population levels. UK Census population estimates also underpin population projections for the UK, by ONS, Eurostat, and other organisations. Provision of consistent population data is also the first step towards meeting the UK’s legal obligations to provide 2011 UK Census data to Eurostat (the statistics arm of the EU). The statistics in this release are used as a baseline for the 2011 mid-year population estimates for the UK and its constituent countries. The mid-year estimates refer to the population on 30 June of the reference year and are published annually; updating census data with information on births, deaths, and migration. In due course the UK mid-year population estimates for 2002-2010 will be re-based to take into account the additional information that the 2011 Census has provided about how the population of the UK has changed during the decade. Mid-2011 population estimates based on the 2011 Census, and which take into account population change between 27 March and 30 June, were published on 25 September 2012 for England and Wales .

These will be published in due course for the rest of the UK. Notes for Introduction For the 2011 Census, a usual resident of the UK is anyone who, on census day 2011, was in the UK and had stayed or intended to stay in the UK for a period of 12 months or more, or had a permanent UK address and was outside the UK and intended to be outside the UK for less than 12 months. Back to table of contents 4. The population of the United Kingdom The 2011 Census estimated usual resident population of the UK was 63,182,000, including approximately 31,028,000 males and 32,154,000 females. Figure 1 below shows the distribution of this population between the four constituent countries of the UK. Figure 1: Residents (millions) by UK constituent country and sex 2011 Source: Census - Office for National Statistics, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, National Records of Scotland Notes: Usual resident population data are shown in millions.

Download this chart Image .csv .xls In 2011, the usual resident population of England accounted for approximately 84 per cent of the UK usual resident population. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland account for 8 per cent, 5 per cent and 3 per cent respectively. This distribution of population across the UK remains similar to that seen in 2001. As females tend to live longer than males, females account for slightly over 50 percent of the population in all four UK constituent countries. Back to table of contents 5. The growth of the population of the United Kingdom The population of the UK in 2011 was 63.2 million, the largest it has ever been. Between 2001 and 2011, the UK population grew by 4.1 million, nearly a 7 per cent increase. This is the largest decennial percentage change recorded since 1961. Figure 2 below shows the population of the UK in each census year from 1911 to 2011; no census was held in 1941 throughout the UK due to the Second World War.

In 1981 there was a small decrease, in contrast to the increasing population of the UK, generally, between 1911 and 2011. Figure 2 : UK population change Source: Census - Office for National Statistics, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, National Records of Scotland Notes: Usual resident population data are shown in millions, but are rounded to the nearest thousand persons. The 1911 Northern Ireland population is created from aggregating the constituent Counties (Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone) and the Belfast and Londonderry County Boroughs. Northern Ireland Census date was 1926. (This has been included and presented for 1921). Northern Ireland Census date was 1937. (This has been included and presented for 1931). There was no census undertaken throughout the UK in 1941 due to the Second World War. UK population calculated using mid-year population estimates for 1991 and 2001, and 1981 in Northern Ireland. See background note 4 for further information.

Over the last one hundred years, the UK population has grown by 21.1 million (a 50 per cent increase). A population decrease was only recorded during one decade, 1971 to 1981, when the population fell by 0.7 per cent. This population decrease was driven by net international emigration (more people leaving the UK than arriving) during the late 1970s. Table 1: UK percentage population change 1911-2011 Map 1 below shows the percentage change in the estimated usual resident population of the UK between 2001 and 2011, for local authorities in England and Wales, council areas in Scotland and local government districts in Northern Ireland. Map 1: Percentage difference in UK population, 2001-2011, by local authority district Source: Census - Office for National Statistics, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, National Records of Scotland Notes: Percentage changes are calculated using mid-year population estimates for 2001.

Local authorities (or equivalents) with the largest percentage population increases, over the period 2001 to 2011, are particularly concentrated in London, the South East, East Midlands and East England and Northern Ireland. The three local authorities with the largest percentage population increases were in the London boroughs of Tower Hamlets (26.4 per cent) and Newham (23.5 per cent), and Dungannon in Northern Ireland (20.9 per cent). However, the population of some local authority districts decreased between 2001 and 2011. The areas experiencing population decline are concentrated in the North East and North West regions of England and the west of Scotland. In Wales one local authority, Blaenau Gwent, showed a small decrease. No local authority districts in Northern Ireland had a decrease in population between 2001 and 2011. The three local authorities with the largest percentage population decreases were in Barrow-in-Furness, England (-4.0 per cent) and Inverclyde (-3.7 per cent) and Argyll and Bute in Scotland (-3.6 per cent). Back to table of contents 6.

The structure of the population of the United Kingdom The structure of the population is defined by its age and sex; this can be visualised using a population pyramid. Figure 3 below shows the population pyramid for the UK in 2001 and 2011, by five-year age group. The overall chart shape of the UK population pyramid demonstrates an ageing population, which can be seen by comparing both the size of the older population in 2011 against the 2001 overlaid line. The smaller base of the 2001 pyramid, indicating the lower birth rates of the late 1990s and early 2000s, can also be seen. Figure 3: UK Population by sex and five-year age group Source: Census - Office for National Statistics, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, National Records of Scotland Notes: UK population pyramid for 2001 is based on mid-year population estimates. Each line (up to 85-89) in the pyramid represents a five-year age band and the length of the line relates to the number of people of that age in the population.

The size and composition of the population is determined by the pattern of births, deaths and migration that have taken place in previous years. Some key details illustrated by the pyramid for 2011 are: Peaks and wide bands of the pyramid reflect high numbers of births in previous years (particularly for people aged 60-64 born following the Second World War and those aged 40-49, born during the 1960s baby boom). The narrowing of the pyramid for people aged five to nine years is a consequence of low numbers of births at the beginning of the last century, and the broadening of the pyramid in the 0-4 years category is due to a higher numbers of births in recent years. At older ages, females outnumber males, reflecting the higher life expectancy of females. At younger ages there are more males than females, reflecting that there are slightly more boys than girls born each year. Figure 4 below shows the percentage by broad age group, of the UK population for 1911, 2001 and 2011; illustrating the change in the broad age structure.

Figure 4: UK population by broad age group 1911, 2001 and 2011 Image .csv .xls At broad age level the structure of the UK population in 2011 remains similar to that seen in 2001 with 66 per cent of the population aged 15-64, compared to 65 per cent in 2001, despite the variation visible in the five-year age groups shown by figure 3. The percentage of the population aged under 15 decreased slightly (1 percentage point) whilst the older population (aged 65 and over) increased by 0.5 percentage points. However, over the last century the UK population structure has changed significantly. Although the proportion of the population aged 15-64 has remained broadly similar, the proportion of the population aged 0-14 has nearly halved (31 per cent in 1911 compared to 18 in 2011) and the proportion of older people aged 65 and over has more than trebled (from 5 to 16 per cent).

This highlights the impact of the declining birth and mortality rates recorded across the one hundred year period, the cause of the UK’s ageing population structure. This ageing population has considerable implications for a range of policy issues within the UK, such as pensions and provision of health-care. The population aged 15-64 was 64 per cent in 1911 and 66 per cent in 2011. Figure 5 shows the broad age structures of the four constituent countries of the UK in 2011. Although minor differences can be seen in the age make-up of the countries, this figure shows how similar it is at the national level within the UK. Figure 5: Population of UK constituent countries by broad age group 2011 Back to table of contents 7.Background notes ONS is responsible for carrying out the census in England and Wales. Simultaneous but separate censuses took place in Scotland and Northern Ireland. These were run by the National Records of Scotland (NRS) and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). ONS is responsible for the publication of UK statistics (compiling comparable statistics from the UK statistical agencies above). Figures may not sum due to rounding.

The numbers presented in this report have been rounded to the nearest thousand. Similarly, percentages have generally been rounded to the nearest whole number to ease readership. Unrounded data from England and Wales and Northern Ireland are summed together first, before rounding and adding to rounded data from Scotland. As a result, final unrounded data may be slightly different to data in this report. Percentage figures are similarly affected. Comparisons of 2011 Census data with 1991 and 2001 are made for the UK using mid-year population estimates. For Northern Ireland only, 1981 data uses mid-year population estimates. A person’s place of usual residence is in most cases the address at which they stay the majority of the time. For many people this will be their permanent or family home. If a member of the armed services did not have a permanent or family address at which they are usually resident, they were recorded as usually resident at their base address. Further information on the methodology and quality assurance processes used to produce 2011 Census estimates are available from the ONS , NRS and NISRA websites for their respective countries.

The Statement of Agreement (65.7 Kb Pdf) of the National Statistician and the Registrars General for Scotland and Northern Ireland ensures that the independent censuses carried out in each constituent country of the UK are able to provide consistent and high quality statistics that meet user requirements for UK level data. There will be further releases of data from the 2011 Census over the next 18 months; information is available online in the 2011 Census prospectuses for each country: England and Wales (754.4 Kb Pdf) , Scotland and Northern Ireland . Further information on forthcoming UK releases can be found within the ONS Census Prospectus, as ONS is responsible for collating and publishing statistics for the UK as a whole. The census provides estimates of the characteristics of all people and households in the UK on census night, 27 March 2011. These are produced for a variety of users including government, local authority areas, business and communities. The census provides population statistics from a national to a local level. This bulletin discusses the results for the UK as a whole, for the four UK constituent countries and for local authority areas.

Future releases from the 2011 Census will include tabulations at other geographies, more detailed statistics (such as by single year of age) and additional variables (such as socio-economic characteristics). You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk The document is also available on our website at Details of the policy governing the release of new data are available by visiting or from the Media Relations Office email: media.relations@ons.gsi.gov.uk These National Statistics are produced to high professional standards and released according to the arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority.

UK Genealogy-Links - The British Census Dates *Links provided by Ancestry.co.uk ( Search ALL Years 1841-1901 ) **Will be opened 1st January 2012 1841 UK Census ( Search ) The following information was requested: Name of street, place, road, etc.; House number or name; Name of each person that had spent the night in that household; Age; Sex; Profession or occupation; Where born. Download a blank form for 1841 1851 UK Census ( Search ) The following information was requested: Name of street, place, road, etc.; House number or name; Name of each person that had spent the night in that household; Relationship of person enumerated to the head of the family; Person's marital status; Age at last birthday; Person's rank, profession, or occupation; Person's place of birth; Whether blind, deaf, or idiot.

Download a blank form for 1851 1861 UK Census ( Search ) The following information was requested: Name of road, street, etc; House number or name; Whether or not the house was inhabited; Name of each person that had spent the night in that household; Relationship of person enumerated to the head of the family; Person's marital status; Age at last birthday; Person's occupation; Person's place of birth; Whether blind, deaf, or idiot. Download a blank form for 1861 1871 UK Census ( Search ) The information requested on the census included: Address (name of the street, avenue, or road; house number); Occupant (name of each person who spent the night in the house; their birthplace and relationship to head of family); Residence (whether home was inhabited; number of rooms occupied); Personal (sex, age, marital status); Occupation (whether employer, employee, or neither); Health (whether blind, deaf, dumb, imbecile, idiot, or lunatic).

Download a blank form for 1871 1881 UK Census ( Search ) The following information was requested: Name of street, avenue road, etc.; House number or name; Whether or not the house was inhabited; Number of rooms occupied if less than five; Name of each person that had spent the night in that household; Relationship of person enumerated to the head of the family; Each person's marital status; Age at last birthday; Each person's occupation; Person's place of birth; Whether deaf and dumb, blind, imbecile or idiot, or lunatic. Download a blank form for 1881 1891 UK Census ( Search ) The following information was requested: Name of street, avenue road, etc.; house number or name; whether or not the house was inhabited; number of rooms occupied if less than five; name of each person that had spent the night in that household; relationship of person enumerated to the head of the family; each person's marital status; age at last birthday (sex is indicated by which column the age is recorded in); each person's occupation; whether they are employer or employee or neither; person's place of birth; whether deaf, dumb, blind, or lunatic.

Download a blank form for 1891 1901 UK Census ( Search ) The following information was requested: Name of street, avenue road, etc.; house number or name; whether or not the house was inhabited; number of rooms occupied if less than five; name of each person that had spent the night in that household; relationship of person enumerated to the head of the family; each person's marital status; age at last birthday (sex is indicated by which column the age is recorded in); each person's occupation; whether they are employer or employee or neither; person's place of birth; whether deaf, dumb, blind, or lunatic. Download a blank form for 1901 1911 UK Census - Will be opened January 2012 The most important innovation made in 1911 was the use of the census to obtain more detailed information bearing on the fertility of marriage. The 1911 Census was also the first in which machines were used for purposes of tabulation in Great Britain. A significant consequence of the introduction of machinery was that it enabled the results of the census to be presented in greater detail than could ever have been attempted before.

(source: " Guide to Census Reports ") Additional Resources UK Census Forms ... Census extraction forms are doubly valuable: not only do they allow researchers to see the format and column headings for various census years (especially if the schedules themselves are hard to read), they also provide a clean and convenient method for extracting and filing important information you find. Interesting article... The History of the UK Census ... Excerpt: The census is one of the key sources for the family historian. A census reveals who was living at a particular address in a particular place on census night. Every ten years, the census provides researchers with a snapshot of individuals and families across the nation. The census shows each person's name, their relationship to the head of household, age, and much more. Another article... British Censuses ... Excerpt: There are some isolated surviving earlier censuses for a few places in earlier years of the 1800s, (from 1801), but the first major national census of use to family historians was carried out in 1841. Access to censuses is restricted under a 100 year rule. Therefore, the latest census that can be viewed by the public is the one for 1901.

200 Years of the UK Census - changes over the last 200 years as revealed by the census. Introduction to the Census Introduction to the Census History of the Census in New Zealand Origins of the census Census-taking began in China and the Middle East, with one of the earliest recorded censuses taking place in the Babylonian Empire nearly 6,000 years ago. These early censuses are mentioned widely in early Middle Eastern literature, and there are also references to them in a number of places in the Bible. According to tradition, Jesus was born while his parents were returning to their home village to be counted in the census. Censuses of population were first taken in England and Scotland in March 1801, Ireland in 1811 and Australia in 1828. The first New Zealand census was undertaken in 1851, although this census excluded Māori. Milestones of census-taking in New Zealand 1840 – Counts of the European population were undertaken sporadically in various settlements throughout New Zealand. 1851 – The first population census in New Zealand was conducted. Māori were excluded.

The census was conducted on a three-yearly basis until 1874. 1858 – The first collection of statistics on the Māori population was undertaken. 1867 – The 1867 Franchise Act gave Māori separate parliamentary representation and made it mandatory to collect statistics on the Māori population in the census. 1874 – The second official census of the Māori population was undertaken. 1877 – The Census Act was passed. This set the requirement for a census to be held every five years. 1886 – In the 1886 Census, details were obtained of numbers, sex, age, principal tribes and county of residence of Māori. 1906 – A “Census of Natives” was undertaken. 1916 – The Post Office assisted with the distribution and collection of census forms. 1921 – The range of questions in the census was expanded. This was also the first time that automatic sorting and counting machines were used in New Zealand. 1926 – A separate Māori census was conducted. 1931 – The census was abandoned, as the New Zealand economy was in the height of the Depression.

1941 – The scheduled census was abandoned during World War II. 1951 – The Māori and general population censuses were combined and a question included about race. 1966 – Sorting machines used to process the census forms were replaced by computers. 1976 – An automatic, electronically based system was introduced to replace the use of punchcards in the census form processing. 1981 – The 1981 Census was the last census in which the Post Office was involved. 1996 – Scanning and imaging of census forms was introduced. A question on iwi (tribal) affiliation was added to the census form. Māori/English forms were reintroduced. 2001 – Web-based dissemination was used for the first time. Māori/English forms were used in targeted areas. 2006 – Online census forms were introduced. Text messaging was used in the field to assist with form collection. Automated web products were used to disseminate some of the census data. Early census-taking in New Zealand Before 1840, counts of the European population in the various settlements were made sporadically.

From 1840 onwards, these became reasonably regular but were not coordinated or comprehensive enough to be called censuses. To comply with a royal injunction, Blue Books (which were basically books of tables) were: “to be annually filled up with certain returns relative to the revenue and expenditure, militia, public works, legislation, civil establishments, population, schools, course of exchange, imports and exports, agricultural produce and other matters in the said Blue Book, more particularly specified to the state of our sociology”. Blue Books were issued annually from 1840 to 1847, after which time they were no longer officially required. They were, however, still produced from 1848 to 1852 by both of the provinces when New Zealand was split into New Ulster and New Munster. Subsequently, they were also produced by the six provinces that were in existence from 1852 to 1876. The Blue Books were not intended for publication, but three copies were to be prepared for the Colonial Secretary's Office, the New Zealand desk in the Colonial Office and the House of Commons Library. In 1851, the first population census in New Zealand was held.

A Census Ordinance was announced that year, making provision for a triennial census. A census was then carried out every three years until 1874. In 1877, the Census Act was passed, repealing previous legislation and setting a requirement for censuses to be held every fifth year. Censuses still took place in 1878 and 1881 but, thereafter, they have been held every five years with only two exceptions: The 1931 Census was abandoned due to the New Zealand economy being in the height of the Depression. In 1941, the scheduled census was abandoned due to World War II. The 1946 Census was taken earlier than scheduled. In 1945, an electoral 'Country Quota' system was in place under which a loading of 20 percent was added to rural populations. This resulted in more country electorates in relation to population than urban electorates. The Labour Government of the time, wanting to introduce legislation abolishing this inequitable situation, brought forward the census to September 1945 in order to have available the redefinition of electorates for the 1946 election.

The subsequent census still occurred in April 1951 as if the previous census had been taken in 1946. This change disturbed the five-yearly time series of the statistics. In addition to this, since the 1945 Census took place while World War II was ending, thousands of young men were still overseas and the economy was geared to wartime conditions. Census of Māori The 1858 Census was the first attempt to collect comprehensive statistics on the Māori population. Sixteen years passed before the second official census of Māori took place in 1874, which collected data on age and sex at the hapu (subtribe) level. In 1886, details of numbers, sex, age, principal tribes and county of residence of Māori were obtained, while livestock particulars and details of land under cultivation were included in later censuses. In 1906, a "Census of Natives" took place as part of the census, but the information was still limited and was roughly classified into two age groups: those under 15 years and those 15 years of age and over.

In this census, a distinction was made between Māori still living as members of tribes and those who lived in 'European' communities as individual families. By 1921, the range of questions had been expanded to include sex, age, current residence, usual residence, trade or occupation, whether or not married to a European, and whether full-blood or half-blood Māori. In 1926, a separate Māori census was conducted in a similar way to a general census, although a special Māori questionnaire remained in use until 1951. However, Māori in the North Island were able to use schedules printed in Māori on request. The 1926 Māori schedule contained greater detail than previous schedules, but there were still considerably fewer questions than the European version. A trial was undertaken in the South Island in 1936 in which the same schedule was distributed to both the general population and Māori families. In 1945, schedules in both Māori and English were offered to all Māori families but only 25 percent of the Māori population chose to use the Māori language schedules.

In 1951, Māori families were issued with the same schedules as those distributed to the rest of the population. Although no schedules in Māori were printed for the 1956 Census, interpreters accompanied sub-collectors where necessary. Māori/English questionnaires were available for the 1996, 2001 and 2006 Censuses. Only specific areas were targeted for the 2001 Census. The 1867 Franchise Act gave Māori separate parliamentary representation and made it necessary to collect statistics on the Māori population in the census. Until 1951, the Māori and general populations were counted in separate censuses. In 1951, the two censuses were combined and a question was included that asked people what their race was. A question on race/descent/ethnic origin has been asked in every census since then. Since the 1991 Census, the question has been asked specifically on Māori descent. An ethnicity question based on self-identification or cultural affiliation, rather than racial descent, has been included since this time.

Ethnic group is determined by a self-identification process. It has a social and cultural base, as opposed to the biological base used in defining ancestry or ethnic origin. A question on iwi (tribal) affiliation was included in censuses up to 1901 but was not asked again until the 1991 Census. Statistical information on Māori tribal populations is needed in order to monitor the performance of Treaty of Waitangi obligations by the Crown and iwi (tribes), and to assist the Waitangi Tribunal in decisions relating to land ownership and fishing rights. Iwi also use the data for social and economic planning. For these reasons, a question on iwi affiliation was included in the 1996, 2001 and 2006 Censuses. The Census of Population and Dwellings has been the only source of data on the size and distribution of the population of Māori descent. This data is needed to meet the statutory requirements of the Electoral Act 1993. Census collection New Zealand's first census was taken on a 'settlement' basis, and the local census authority was the armed constabulary or the Resident Magistrate.

During the time of the six provincial governments, the Provisional Superintendents organised the collection in each province. Once the provinces were abolished, the Registrar General became responsible for carrying out the collection process. In these earlier years of the census, illiteracy was common among Europeans (in fact, more so than among the Māori population at that time) and the census collector was required to fill in the schedules if the householder was unable to do so. In the early days of poor communication infrastructure, the task of the sub-collectors in the country areas, especially in the more remote regions of New Zealand, must have been very difficult, particularly when the weather was bad. There was even a casualty; in the 1911 Census a sub-collector was drowned while crossing a swollen river on horseback. In 1916, the Post Office agreed to assist the Statistics Office in the physical collection of information about the population, and this dramatically improved how the census was carried out. Districts were redefined to suit the new system of collection. Postmasters of towns centrally located within the new districts were appointed as collectors. They, in turn, appointed sub-collectors and organised the collection routine in their own areas.

This system had two significant advantages: firstly, postmasters had good local knowledge; and, secondly, since postmasters were well-known and respected figures in their districts, the major part they played created a favourable atmosphere for the census to be conducted in. The 1981 Census was the last census in which the Post Office was involved. To reduce costs and have greater management over the collection process, Statistics New Zealand has carried out the collection phase of the census since 1986. Questionnaires Personal schedules were issued to occupants of private dwellings for the first time in 1926. Prior to this, they were for the “use of inmates of hotels, boarding houses, clubs, ships, trains ...” The primary census form was the householder's schedule. The head of the household had the responsibility for completing the particulars relating to each member of the household, a method of collection that meant there was little or no privacy for individuals. In 1926, in addition to special dwelling and family schedules, personal schedules were circulated for all individuals included in the European census.

The head of the household was still responsible for completing the dwelling schedule, for filling in the forms for the children of the household and for seeing that every person in the household complied. Individual schedules could be enclosed in an envelope to ensure privacy. Since 1945, only personal and dwelling schedules, or questionnaires, have been used. Legislation There are several Acts of parliament that have formed the legal basis for the collection of statistical data and census-taking as it has developed over the years. The Census and Statistics Act 1910 created the Office of the Government Statistician, which was seen as recognition of the special skills and expertise required in statistical work. Under the Act, however, the Government Statistician was to be appointed within the office of the Registrar General. A considerable improvement in status occurred in 1915 when the Government Statistician was moved from the Registrar General's Office and up several places in the departmental hierarchy. At this time, the government had the power to direct the Government Statistician to collect or cease to collect particular information. The Census and Statistics Act 1926 took the place of the 1910 Act and brought about a major improvement regarding the collection of census information.

The duty of the occupier or person in charge of the "dwelling, store or apartment" to fill out the householder's schedule for all people in the household on census night was restricted to his/her own family. For the first time, a relative or boarder in the household was given the opportunity to preserve the confidentiality of his/her personal information, enabling more sensitive questions, such as income, to be included within the scope of the census. Unfortunately, however, the Act also removed the Government Statistician's right to present his/her observations on the statistics directly to Parliament without any departmental vetting. The Statistics Act 1955 clearly defined the duties of the department and the Government Statistician for the first time. The office of Deputy Government Statistician was created as a result of this Act and it also substantially tightened up the secrecy provision. Employees of the department were required to subscribe to an oath of secrecy concerning the disclosure of information from individual returns, no particulars regarding the individual supplier's return could be published without that person's prior consent, and statistical tables were arranged to render the identification of an individual impossible from the published data.

The Statistics Act 1975 clarified that the information contained in returns is to be used for statistical purposes only. It also specified which particulars it is mandatory to collect in the census and which particulars are able to be collected if the Government Statistician considers it in the public interest to do so. This Act also established the independence of the Office of the Government Statistician. Cabinet interference with regard to the collection of specific information has now been effectively prevented, as this Act also enabled the Government Statistician to use the powerful sanction of making public, without comment, any ministerial direction should the need arise. For a full copy of the Statistics Act 1975, Part III, refer to appendix 3 . Technology use The 1921 Census marked the first occasion on which automatic sorting and counting machines were employed in New Zealand, enabling the major portion of census compilation to be carried out mechanically. The system installed for this census was purchased from the United States, which had been employing mechanical tabulation for census work since 1870. For the 1966 Census, sorting machines were replaced by computers.

Statistical tables were also produced by computer for the first time and results became available much earlier, with a large number of additional cross-classifications of the census data being possible. The use of punchcards for each individual and dwelling was continued until 1976, when an automatic, electronically-based system was introduced. Mechanical tabulation has been replaced by electronic data capture and handling, as the speed and capacity of computing technology has improved. In 1996, the scanning and imaging of census forms was introduced with analytical tools and information at a level incomprehensible to the department of earlier years. The 2006 Census saw the introduction of online census forms for the first time and the use of text messaging in the field to assist with the collection of forms. The online forms were developed to meet both e-government objectives for delivering services via the Internet and public expectations for an electronic means to complete census forms. Traditional paper census forms remained available. The online form option also provided an opportunity for visually impaired people to take part in the census. As the 2006 Census was the first time that an online census form was offered, the expected level of uptake was unknown.

Overall, online form submissions resulted in an uptake of more than 7 percent of all collected forms. A data collection system was developed that integrated the online response option into overall census processes. The online option has positioned Statistics New Zealand to take advantage of technology for the 2011 Census and for following censuses. The use of text messaging enabled collectors to be notified of any forms that had been mailed directly to Statistics New Zealand or completed online. This meant that it was not always necessary for the collector to return to all households. Text messaging also enabled messages to be sent to field staff explaining where people needed additional census forms. A further technological advancement was the use of automated web technology to disseminate some of the census data.

Question: In what year was the first British Census undertaken?
Answer: 1801