The census takes place every 10 years - it’s a mammoth undertaking. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) and equivalent agencies aim to collect data on the entire population. In 2021, the overall response rate in England and Wales was 97%.
Compared with high-quality survey data - which is a crucial part of the toolkit - the census offers a few critical advantages. In survey work, we can make statements about groups of occupations like ‘music, performing and visual arts’, but we... more