THERE has been a fantastic response to Census 2021, with nine out of ten households across England and Wales having had completed their questionnaire.

Every household is required by law to complete the census. Although Census Day – March 21, 2021 – has gone past, it is still not late to fill out the form to avoid a fine.

Most people have already completed their census online to make sure public services like GP surgeries, hospital beds, school places and public transport, are with up to date information.

Iain Bell, the deputy national statistician at the Office for National Statistics in charge of the census, urged the public to look out for reminder letters and complete their census.

“We’ve had an amazing response to the census so far,” Iain said. “I’d like to thank everyone who has helped us exceed all expectations.

“But we want to make sure everyone counts and we won’t rest until every household has responded. Field officers are out and about knocking on doors where records show we have had no response. If you don’t want to get a visit, please complete your census now.

“Your response is vital. The information you give means all the services we rely on, like school places and emergency services, are planned on accurate information. It is even used to plan where to build new supermarkets, what food to put on the shelves and how many parent and toddler spaces to put in the car
park.”

The census questionnaire is simple and safe to complete online.

All households were sent a letter through post in early March with instructions for taking part. If people have lost the letter or have a second address – they are requested to go visit the site to request an online completion code via SMS text message.

For those who don’t have the skills or confidence to complete the census online, there are local census support centres across England and Wales offering support.

One can also call the freephone contact centre – 0800 141 2021 in England and 0800 169 2021 in Wales for help or to order a paper questionnaire.

Then there are field officers to give help and encouragement to those who have not yet filled in their census questionnaire online or on paper and direct them to the support services they need. Moreover, they will be operating in the same way as a postal or food delivery visit, and also carrying ID to prove they are part of the census process.