General Information about the Census
Published: Tuesday, March 15, 2011
General Information about the Census
How does the census take place?
A census form is delivered to every household in Ireland by a census enumerator who will call back after the census to collect the completed form. The head of every household needs to complete the form by filling in the details for each person in the household on Census night and to keep the form in a safe place until the enumerator calls to collect it. The Enumerator will also answer any questions and gave a helping hand with filling in the form if asked.
Who is included?
Everyone is included. A census form must be completed for everyone in Ireland on Census night. This is compulsory, by law.
Why have a census?
The census is the way that we take account of everyone in our society and what their position is - what their needs and abilities are. The information we get helps us all - whether government, local authorities or local communities - to make informed and therefore better decisions about the future - whether about what services to provide or to justify the need for the services we are seeking to have put in place.
Is it confidential?
It is also important for everyone to know that the information provided on their census form is completely confidential and to assure people that none of the details supplied on the census form, by any individual, will be disclosed to any other government department or agency. Census information is only provided to other organisations in the form of statistical data and cannot be used to identify any individual's personal data.
Central Statistics Office has put the following resources in place to assist the public to find out more about census 2011 and to assist them with filling in their census form.
We are putting a number of resources in place to help communicate with the public including the following:
- Developing a website for Census 2011 which will share comprehensive information about the census with the general public. You can see this website online at www.census.ie and read further about how and why the census is conducted and the benefits of participating.
- Website will include a foreign languages page to the website, which will make a number of resources available in 21 different languages (please see the attached list of languages) to help people whose first language is not English. In particular this page will allow the following documents to be viewed and downloaded in each of those languages:
- General information about the census
- A translation of the 2011 census form
- A census information leaflet
- A profile of six of the larger non-Irish national communities in Ireland from the 2006 census .
- Producing a step-by step guide to completing the census form, in the English language, which it is hoped will help a variety of people in filling in the census form. This will be available on the website but we can make hard copies available also if required.
- The Census enumerators of course will also be happy to help when they call to deliver or collect the census form - they will also be able to provide foreign language translations of the census form.