Census Commonsense

From the BBC:

The full set of questions for the 2011 census - including new ones about citizenship and how well people can speak English - has been unveiled.

The 10-yearly survey of UK residents will take place on Friday 27 March.
It will ask about the date overseas nationals entered the UK and the length of time they intend to stay.

Everyone in the UK on the day will be obliged to answer the questions, which also cover number of bedrooms and types of central heating in homes.

Those who do not complete the census risk being prosecuted.

I’m not sure why it’s anybody’s business other than my own which central heating, if any, I use- although in the interests of "mind yer own business snooper" let’s rejoice in the fact that we no longer will have to record whether or not we "have access to a bath or shower".

The Beeb has, as per usual, gone out of its way to annoy the CEP by labeling the questions as being part of the UK Survey when that will not necessarily be the case; the data issued today will apply only for England and Wales leaving Scotland and NI to create their own questions and it’ll certainly be interesting to see how they finally proceed on the specific question relating to national identity:

The specimen census asks "how would you describe your national identity?," offering English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, British or "other", with space to write in.

Not the full details supplied there, if you check the sample pdf (from page 46 onwards) you’ll see that the option is given to tick more than one box simultaneously, ie HMG is quite prepared for you to be, for example, English and British at the same time.

Why that seemingly small fact is pertinent is that the last time we checked, the SNP were not prepared to be so accomodating:

SNP ministers were under fire last night after claims that the 2011 census form north of the Border will not allow Scots to say that they are both Scottish and British.

Tory and Labour MSPs at Holyrood were furious after it emerged that the draft census questionnaire in Scotland will split up British and Scottish as potential ethnicity options.

In the draft questions for “ethnic group”, people answering section A will be forced to tick just one box, which separates the Scottish and British options.

Murdo Fraser, the Scottish Conservative deputy leader, said: “Incredibly, the census does not do the same for Chinese-Scottish, Pakistani-Scottish, Indian-Scottish, Bangladeshi-Scottish and other options too.

So why, other than pure prejudice, was this case?

A spokesman for the Scottish government pointed out that in the national identity part of the census form, Scots would be able to describe themselves Scottish and British. He added: "In the ethnicity section, there is a space at the bottom of the list where respondents can say they regard themselves as Scottish and British."

As there is on the England/Wales Census…but that is only to be used if you do not fall within the "categories listed above" and Fraser’s point stands, why were Chinese-Scots (correctly) and not British Scots accomodated?

The SNP should be forced to answer that one IF the Scottish 2011 Census follows the format of the earlier draft