2011 Census in England

The 2011 UK census form can now be viewed online.

The form consists of 14 household questions and up to 42 questions for each individual in the household conditional on age, employment status and the like. Information on religion, ethnicity, occupation and work-related activity are asked, a contrast to the proposed Canadian short census form.

View the complete form (English version) at www.ons.gov.uk/census/2011-census/2011-census-questionnaire-content/2011-census-questionnaire-for-england.pdf

A Daily Telegraph article reports that the UK government is proposing to eliminate the census after 2011. It quotes Francis Maude, the Cabinet Office minister, as calling the census "an expensive and inaccurate way of measuring the number of people in Britain."

Much as I, along with all genealogists, benefit from census data I don't believe that just because something as been done for 200 years means it has to continue for another 200.

Then there's always the question of the intrusiveness of the questions, as illustrated (thanks to Scottish GENES).