How is Census data collected?
Unlike many of the major social surveys, information in the Census is collected through self-complete questionnaires rather than by interviewers. The Census forms (link to unit on census forms) are delivered to households by Census Enumerators, where the information about all individuals is entered, usually by the householder or joint householder. The form asks respondents to enter information about all household members for Census night (in April). Households are given a period over which they should complete the forms, after which they are followed up by Census enumerators. In past censuses the completed forms were collected by the Enumerator, but a move to self return by post is one of many changes implemented for the 2001 Census. In particular huge advances in technology have facilitated a major change in the way the completed census forms are processed.
