2021 Census

Include:

• population
• ethnic group
• religion
• marital status
• health
• provision of unpaid care
• household composition
• household size
• tenure
• unemployment
• occupation
• car availability
• travel to work.

 Includes:

• community areas
• parishes
• electoral wards
• ONS output areas
• lower and middle super output areas
• south west region and England.

A census is a count of a population and one has been held in England and Wales every 10 years since 1801 (except during the Second World War in 1941). The information that the census provides helps to identify the characteristics (age, gender, etc) of the population and helps central and local government to understand the needs of local communities, and plan and prioritise resources and public spending on housing, education, health and transport services for years to come. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for running the census in England and Wales and to producing the statistics that are vital to understanding your needs and those of your communities for the future. In Wiltshire the ONS is being supported by Wiltshire council.

During the census every household received a questionnaire to complete and return. The questionnaire asked straightforward questions and was available in English, Welsh, large print and Braille. For those householders whose first language is not English or Welsh, translation booklets were available in 56 different languages as well as language support via our telephone helpline. The questionnaire could be completed online or on paper and had to be completed in English or Welsh.

ONS is committed to ensuring that data contained in every census questionnaire is completely confidential. When your questionnaire was returned to ONS it was scanned and the information is stored securely. The Government agreed that your personal census information must remain confidential for 100 years. This is protected by law. The answers that you gave have been turned into anonymous statistics. This makes it impossible to work out who or where the answers came from and so any details will remain completely confidential. These statistics have been, and are still being, analysed and used to help make decisions to improve the way we will live in the future.