Today Sunday, March 20 is Scottish Census day, a once-a-decade count of the population across Scotland.
Today is the day people across Scotland must complete the census, or you could face a £1000 fine.
The census opened to people on February 28, and already more than a million households have completed it.
But what is the Scottish census, and why do we have to do it?
What is the Scottish census?
Scotland’s Census is the official count of every person and household across the county.
There has been a census in Scotland every 10 years since 1801, except 1941.
Today is Census Day #ScotlandsCensus2022
— Scottish Government (@scotgov) March 20, 2022
Filling in the census helps us find out what your community really needs whether that’s employment, healthcare or other essential services.
You can fill it in online at https://t.co/Nz9emsQA1k pic.twitter.com/wyTJRZbn0v
Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2021 census in Scotland was moved to 2022.
The government uses the answers given in the census to build a picture of the Scottish population to help inform decisions.
The census covers topics such as:
- type of accommodation
- household relationships
- age, sex and health
- employment, education and qualifications
- religion and ethnic group
- car and van ownership
For 2022, new questions have been added to the census. These include:
- trans status
- sexual orientation
- British Sign Language (BSL)
- passports held
- previous armed forces service
How to fill in the Scottish census?
Every household in Scotland will have received a letter instructing you how to fill out the census. Each letter contains a unique code that allows you to fill out the form.
If you have lost your letter, you can order a replacement here.
Filling out the census is a legal responsibility, and every householder is responsible for completing the household census questionnaire.
The householder is the person who lives, or is present, at an address who:
- owns/rents (or jointly owns/rents) the accommodation and/or
- is responsible (or jointly responsible) for paying the household bills and expenses
People who are over 16 and living in places like halls of residence, care homes or hostels are responsible for completing an individual census questionnaire.
You can be fined up to £1000 for not filling out the census, or for giving false information.
When is the Scottish census deadline?
The deadline for completing the Scottish census is May 1, 2022.
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