Scotland's Census 2022: stakeholder toolkit

Scotland’s Census is the once in a decade official count of every person in the country.

It’s the only national questionnaire to seek the same information of our entire population at the same time, to understand the needs of our people and their communities.

Information collected by the census informs how services are delivered and how public money is invested in the nation’s schools, transport, hospitals, care services and more.

Census data is used extensively across the public, private and third sectors.

Census Day is Sunday 20 March 2022 and my team at National Records of Scotland (NRS) are in the final stages of preparation for this complex and large scale exercise.

In order to raise awareness and maximise participation, we are seeking your help and support. The information in this pack is intended to assist stakeholders in understanding the purpose of the census and how it will be delivered.

In turn we hope you will use this information to help inform and assist your own staff and those communities, groups, customers, networks and partners you work with in completing the census.

In this document we also outline some of the pre-prepared materials we have developed for organisations to use and how your teams can engage with NRS.

For the first time we anticipate that for the 2022 census, the majority of respondents will opt to complete their return digitally, reflecting the changing way in which society prefers to interact with services.

However, importantly, paper forms will remain available on request, for those who need or prefer to use this approach. We are putting in place a range of methods to help support everyone to complete their census.

As part of this, we have worked with a range of organisations to make the census as accessible as possible.

I am extremely grateful for your support in working with us to get the word out as far and as wide as possible across Scotland, which is essential to maximise participation and to ensure that everyone is heard and their needs captured.

Thank you for your help and we look forward to working with you to ensure that Scotland’s Census 2022 is a success.

Yours sincerely,
Paul Lowe
Registrar General for Scotland / Chief Executive
National Records Scotland

What is the census?

Scotland’s Census is the official count of every person and household in the country. It is the only questionnaire of its type in Scotland and is a unique source of detailed information about the population and its needs.

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.

Keeping information safe and confidential

Before we publish any census data, we remove all personal information
to ensure that individuals cannot be identified by their responses.

We keep all census responses secure and confidential, i.e. unpublished for 100 years, and we keep the number of people who can access the data to a minimum.

Find out more information about how we keep census information safe.

Households across the country will receive a letter from the end of February with instructions on how to complete their census online, including details for the census completion website and a unique reference Internet Access Code.

This unique code can be used to complete the census by going to www.census.gov.scot, clicking start, entering the code and then following the on-screen instructions.

The census can be completed digitally using a computer, tablet or mobile phone. This census completion website will be live from 28 February.

There will also be guidance translated into different languages and support available in other accessible formats.

The letter will also include information on how to order a paper questionnaire,
which can be done online or over the phone, for those who prefer to complete the census this way.

Census Day is Sunday 20 March, but people will be able to complete their questionnaire online as soon as they receive their letter.

They will be asked to answer questions with information that will be correct on 20 March to ensure that we have a snapshot of the nation on this day.

14 February 2022

National marketing and PR campaign launches. This will include advertisements across television and radio, press and media relations, social media and out of home advertising.

28 February to 4 March 2022

Households will receive their letters with Internet Access Codes so they can start to fill in their census online, or request a paper form.

28 February 2022

Census completion website goes live.

28 February 2022

Support contact centre goes live.

14 March to 19 March 2022

Postcard reminders go out to households.

20 March 2022

Census day. Everyone is asked to complete the information about their household as it will apply on 20 March.

24 March to 4 April 2022

Reminder letters go out. Households will still be able to complete their online or paper forms after Census Day and return them. Follow up and reminder activity will be carried out where no response is received.

Your support is crucial in helping us to promote the census widely. Working together we can make sure that everyone in Scotland has the opportunity to be counted.

This matters for your own stakeholders, customers, networks and users, so we can ensure that their needs and the needs of local communities are understood properly.

In many cases you will also act as employers and we would also ask you to communicate key information about the census to your staff.

NRS and partner agency Union Connect are working with stakeholders to join together to encourage everyone in Scotland to complete the census.

There are many ways where your help and support will be invaluable. Using your networks and channels you can:

• help to communicate why the census matters to everyone in Scotland
• let people know when the census is here
• explain how they can fill it in
• highlight the wide range of support that is available, including online information and our contact centre

To help you promote the census, we have put together a range of materials that can be used across social media, websites, in newsletters and in buildings or at meetings.

These materials will be available to be downloaded from scotlandscensus.gov.uk and include:

• social media posts
• case studies
• posters
• leaflets
• copy for websites and newsletters
• explainer videos
• a census campaign summary document, available in 31 languages, BSL, audio English, large print and easy read

Promotional assets will also be available in Gaelic.

You can also access and share explainer videos. These are short, factual videos that help people to understand what the census is and why it matters, as well as answer common questions.

Topics will cover:

• what is the census?
• what is Census day?
• who fills in the census, when and how?
• is filling in the census a legal requirement?
• how do I get help and support to fill in the census?

We want completion of the census to be as easy as possible for everyone, so extensive help and support is available.

Please encourage your own stakeholders, supporters and networks to visit our census completion website at www.census.gov.scot (from 28 February) to:

• find detailed guidance on how to answer every question
• request a new unique Internet Access Code
• order a paper questionnaire, including in large print and Braille
• get supporting materials in accessible formats including British Sign Language and Braille
• get in touch with our contact centre using webchat

We also have translated questionnaire guidance available in the following languages:

• Arabic
• Kurdish
• Russian
• Cantonese
• Lithuanian
• Slovak
• Czech
• Mandarin
• Turkish
• Farsi
• Polish
• Urdu
• Gaelic
• Punjabi
• Hindi
• Romanian

Contact centre

Our contact centre will be open from 28 February and is free to call from any landline, or mobile phone on: 0800 030 8308.

The contact centre can assist with a range of queries, such as ordering a paper questionnaire, ordering a replacement Internet Access Code, accessing translation support and accessible questionnaire formats and guidance, as well as any other general census queries.

British Sign Language users can make use of the contactSCOTLAND-BSL.org free video relay service using the free app that is also available from the contactSCOTLAND-BSL website.

People with hearing or speech difficulties can use the text relay service on 18001 0800 030 8308.

Support will be available:

• Monday to Friday: 08:00 to 20:00
• Saturday and Sunday: 09:00 to 16:00
• Saturday 19 March and Sunday 20 March: 08:00 to 20:00

We want to make sure that as many people as possible across Scotland can complete the census. We have designed both the online and paper experience to meet the needs of different citizens.

Independent accessibility audits and user testing have helped us to make sure:

• the colours and fonts in our online and paper designs are accessible
• our written content is in plain English, with a low reading age
• our online system is compatible with assistive technologies and works on most browsers and devices (as per the UK Government Service Manual)

We have followed both public sector and international accessibility standards to guide our designs.

Working with third sector partners, we have also developed a number of support products to help as many people complete the census themselves as possible, either online or on paper.

To support online completion of the questionnaire, people will be able to access question help beside each question.

For those who complete on paper, we will publish question help on our website for them to use.

Additionally, we will also provide video guidance to support census completion online or on paper, featuring British Sign Language, subtitles and audio.

Community support

There will also be a large number of census staff deployed to support communities across Scotland with filling in the census.

To find out more information on community support in your area, please email [email protected].

Communal establishments

There are some establishments where support is provided to residents, and it is important that those residents are also included within the census.

Therefore, we have Area Managers whose focus will be on ensuring that places such as care homes, student accommodation and other residential housing services receive the guidance and support they need, to ensure that those who reside within their services are also counted.

The person in charge of the communal establishment must complete a communal establishment census questionnaire. Every resident of the establishment must also complete an individual questionnaire.

Find out more about how we collect information about communal establishments.

Census fraud

Unfortunately, we know that criminals may try to use the census to illegally gain access to people’s private information and finances. This may be done through a fraudulent e-mail, fake website or someone posing as a member of census staff at the doorstep.

More information and guidance is available on census fraud and how to spot a scam.

Suspicious activity should be reported to:

• Police Scotland on 101
• Advice Direct Scotland (ADS) on 0808 164 6000
• by emailing [email protected]

By email you can contact us at:

[email protected]

Follow us on social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram):

@Scotcensus2022

Visit us online at:

www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk

Sign up to the Scotland’s Census newsletter at:

[email protected]

With your support, we can ensure everyone will be included in the census and that their needs and the needs of their local communities are understood.

Together, we will help shape the future of the country and improve the lives of future generations.

PoppyScotland is a national charity that has been supporting the employment, financial, housing and mental health needs of members of our Armed Forces since 1922.

This time – for the first time in the 220-year history of the Scottish census – there will be a question asking about previous service in the Armed Forces.

This will help the Scottish Government and charities like PoppyScotland to understand more about the needs of the nation’s service people, and their families.

Mark Collins, PoppyScotland’s Chief Executive explains why the census information is important:

”We want to know more about the issues affecting the Armed Forces community.

"We strongly encourage all veterans and their families to complete the census.

"The data will help us to map where there are clusters of the Armed Forces community so we, and everyone involved in supporting them, can target our resources more effectively and provide even better services for them in future.”

PoppyScotland is just one of the thousands of charities across Scotland that will benefit from data collected in Scotland’s Census.

Carers across Dumfries and Galloway are receiving targeted help and support thanks to a service designed using census information.

NHS Dumfries and Galloway and Dumfries and Galloway Council have used census data to gain a greater understanding of the number of people in the region with caring responsibilities.

Partnering with third sector organisations, they’ve developed information and advice for carers, with different versions for adults and young carers, tailored to their needs.

Kerry Willacy from the from Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership explains:

“The last census showed there were around 15,000 carers across Dumfries and Galloway.

"This is really valuable information, as it is not something that people often talk about.

"The census is the only reliable source of data that can give us the complete picture.

"We’ve been working with individual carers to help them develop their own carer support plan and talk about how they can look after their own health, as well as access help and support.

"A big part of this is offering practical tips and advice to help people to continue caring and the support they need is often emotional or practical; or advice to help them in their caring role.

"It’s a really valuable service – and it’s thanks to census information that we are able to provide this so effectively.”

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.”