Delivering UK Census Data to Researchers: Progress and Challenges

2001 Census Programme

Delivering UK Census Data to Researchers: Progress

and Challenges

David MartinUniversity of Southampton and

ESRC/JISC Census Programme

2001 Census Programme

Overview

• UK Census basics

• Output products

• The ESRC/JISC Programme

• Access arrangements

• Changing environment

• Towards 2011

2001 Census Programme

UK census basics

• Decennial data collection, most recently 29 April 2001

• Digital data series from modern censuses 1971 onwards

• NB national differences: England and Wales; Scotland; Northern Ireland

• Multiple products: standard and commissioned outputs

2001 Census Programme

What is a census?

• Questionnaire delivered to every household

• Legal obligation: 96% coverage

• Very many uses and users in all sectors

• Single most important social data source for small areas

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2001 Census Programme

Census topics

• Age, sex, marital status, household structure

• Country of birth/ethnicity

• Health/disability

• Economic status

• Housing, amenities

• Travel to work and cars

• Qualifications

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2001 Census Programme

Output products

• Principal datasets– Aggregate statistics– Boundaries– Microdata samples (SARs)– Interaction data– Longitudinal data (ONS LS, SLS)

• Supporting datasets– Lookup tables– Metadata

2001 Census Programme

• Data acquisition and purchase for academic use

• Single online registration service provided by Census Registration Service for online resources

• Support for ONS and Scottish Longitudinal Studies

The ESRC/JISC programme

2001 Census Programme

The ESRC/JISC programme

• 34,000 registered users in 594 HE/FE institutions (end April)

• 5,900 new registrations (Feb-April)

• 27,000 user accesses (Feb-April)• New ESRC-funded round 2006-11

to include integrated portal service and research and development projects

2001 Census Programme

Data support units

• Census Registration Service

• Census dissemination unit

• UKBORDERS

• Centre for Census and Survey Research

• Centre for Longitudinal Study Information and User Support

• Scottish Longitudinal Study

• Census Interaction Data Service

2001 Census Programme

Access arrangements

• Programme aim to protect the user from cost and complexity

• Multiple suppliers, multiple licences

• Different funding arrangements for successive censuses

• ESRC: 2001 Census Access Partner and commissioned output

2001 Census Programme

Registration and data access

• One-stop registration jointly with Economic and Social Data Service

• Based on Athens authentication, although moving to Shibboleth

• Direct access to online services

• Some datasets require acceptance of additional special conditions

• Most sensitive longitudinal and microdata not available online

2001 Census Programme

Registration – via Athens• Complete online registration process

• Agree to the End User Licence• Respond to confirmation email.

2001 Census Programme

Special conditions

2001 Census Programme

Changing environment

• 2001 One Number Census and Output Area Geography

• Enumeration difficulties, address listing and response rates

• International retreat from censuses (France, USA)

• 2011 post out/post back

• Flexible enumeration strategy

2001 Census Programme

Information environment

• Cross-government focus on neighbourhood renewal

• Need for information

• Role of census

• Increasing use of administrative information

• Neighbourhood Statistics Service

2001 Census Programme

Towards 2011

• New census portal: integrated searchable metadata

• New methodological development: federated dissemination databases

• Further convergence of census and administrative information

• New round of discussion about access arrangements and costs

2001 Census Programme

How to find out more…

http://census.ac.uk