HOUSEHOLDS across Tameside will soon be asked to take part in Census 2021 to record a snapshot of modern society, now particularly relevant due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The once-in-a-decade survey gives the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in England and Wales.
It has been carried out every decade since 1801, with the exception of 1941 during World War Two – incidentally the same year Tameside’s very own hat-trick World Cup hero Geoff Hurst was born.
The census will be run predominantly online for the first time, with households receiving a letter with a unique access code to complete the questionnaire on their computers, phones or tablets. Paper questionnaires are available for everyone on request.
“A successful census will ensure everyone, from local government to charities, can put services and funding in the places where they are most needed,” explained Iain Bell, deputy national statistician at the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
“This could mean things like doctors’ surgeries, schools and new transport routes for Tameside.
“That’s why it is so important everyone takes part. We have made it easier for people to do so online on any device, with help and paper questionnaires for those that need them.”
Census day will be on March 21, but households across the country will receive letters with online codes allowing them to take part from early March.
The census will include questions about your sex, age, work, health, education, household size and ethnicity.
For the first time, there will be a question asking people whether they have served in the UK armed forces. Representatives of the Tameside Veterans community have been instrumental in promoting the inclusion of this question.
This will help the ONS understand numbers, locations and age of the armed forces community for local and central government, as well as charities providing support for veterans and their families.
This is so they can target resources and expertise where they are most needed to meet their commitments under the Armed Services Covenant.
There will also be voluntary questions for those aged 16 and over on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Results will be available within 12 months, although personal records will be locked away for 100 years, kept safe for future generations.
This year will also see the release of the 1921 Census result to the public, which happened to follow a previous pandemic, Spanish flu.
• For more information, visit census.gov.uk or speak to Graham Thomas, census engagement manager for Tameside, by emailing graham.thomas93@field.census.gov.uk or calling 07452 935233.