Scotland's Census 2022

Back to list 23/02/2022

Completing the census is important because the answers provide the Scottish Government, local authorities, the NHS and many other service providers with the data they need to make important decisions that affect people’s lives and their communities.

These decisions include how money will be spent on important services, for example:

the schools, colleges and universities in our communities
the roads we drive on every day
the hospitals, care services and GP surgeries that we rely on

National Records of Scotland is responsible for planning and delivering the census.

What information does the census record?

Every household in Scotland has a legal responsibility to complete a census questionnaire.

This is vital to ensure that the census provides detailed and accurate information about the entire nation and population.

We have engaged extensively with stakeholders over many years to develop the questions in the census. These include information on:

age
sex
where people live
employment, education and qualifications
ethnicity

This time, the census will ask some new questions which will collect information about:

British Sign Language (BSL) use
passports held
Armed Forces service
trans status or history
sexual orientation

Who is responsible for completing the census?

The householder, i.e. a person who either lives, owns, rents the property or is responsible for paying the household bills and expenses, is responsible for completing the census.

If an individual in a household wishes to provide answers about themselves in private, they can request an individual questionnaire separate from the household questionnaire.

The householder will not be made aware of the request or the information provided.

People who are over 16 and living in places like halls of residence, care homes or hostels are also legally required to complete an individual census questionnaire as well as having their information recorded as part of a communal establishment questionnaire.

A communal establishment is typically managed residential accommodation where there is full-time or part-time supervision of the accommodation.

Complete the census (from 28 February)

Why the census matters - a case study

The Outer Hebrides islands are just off the west coast of mainland Scotland and have a population of around 26,500 people.

Census information is helping to keep rural communities in the Outer Hebrides
connected with essential health services. NHS Western Isles is using census data to track population movement on the islands, as well as the average age of islanders.

Doctor Maggie Watts from the NHS Western Isles health board explains the information is a useful source to help plan where services, such as doctors’ surgeries, should be located.

She says: “Census information tells us that the population of the islands is generally moving towards the towns such as Stornoway.

It may seem obvious, then, that we would put more focus on services in these places.

"However, when we look at census data relating to and where people live, it’s apparent that a lot of older islanders are still living in remote locations and not towns.”

Maggie said census information has helped to shape decisions on GP practices.

“Without census information, it would be a lot harder to properly inform these decisions, which have a real benefit to people in the Outer Hebrides.”