Laid before the Scottish
Parliament by
the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth
December 2008
SG/2008/214
ISBN 978-1-874451-78-8
CONTENTS
Chapter 1 – Introduction
Plans for the next census
Uses of census information
Alternative data sources
Date of the census
The UK-wide census picture
International perspective and EU Regulations
Lessons from the 2001 Census
Strategic aims for the 2011 Census
Summary of the key 2011 Census design features
Cost and financial control
Registrar General’s Scottish Census Steering Committee
Chapter 2 - Consultation and census tests
Consultation
Census tests
Chapter 3 - Population and topics in the census
The population base
Revised definition of a ‘household’
Requirements for question topics
Criteria for question selection
Selected topics and questions
Questions to be asked at all addresses
Questions about each household
Questions about each household resident
Questions about visitors
Arrangements for ‘communal establishments’
Questions considered but not included
Chapter 4 - Collecting the information
Enumeration strategy
Field organisation
Community involvement
Address information
Completion of census questionnaires
Returning the census questionnaires
Enforcing the legal requirement to complete a census
questionnaire
Publicity
Follow-up fieldwork
Chapter 5 - Processing the data and publishing the
results
Introduction
Data capture and coding
Downstream processing
Quality assurance
Output production
Output geography
Chapter 6 - Confidentiality, privacy and computer
security
Confidentiality principles
Confidentiality: households
Confidentiality: staff in the census organisation
Confidentiality: contractors
Confidentiality: IT systems
Statistical confidentiality and disclosure control
Wider use of census data
Privacy and the Human Rights Act
Chapter 7 - The legislative process
Primary census legislation
Secondary legislation
Beyond 2011