In this section
1. Summary
Following the consultation "2021 Census: Initial view on content for England and Wales", which ran during the summer of 2015, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) evaluated and published its response in "The 2021 Census – Assessment of initial user requirements on content for England and Wales: Response to consultation".
A follow-up survey is now being conducted, which is a next step in the development of the ethnic group question for the 2021 Census. This survey gives you the opportunity to provide more information to help us maintain or improve the relevance of the ethnic group data outputs, which will inform how we collect information about ethnic groups in 2021.
The survey is open between Tuesday 1 November and Wednesday 30 November 2016.
The best way to respond to the survey is online. If you have any questions, or wish to respond via email or post, please contact Census Customer Services, via census.customerservices@ons.gov.uk (and use the subject line "Ethnic group follow-up survey"), or via telephone on +44 (0)1329 444 972.
Responses to the follow-up survey will be published on our website. As a result, we will moderate responses according to the policy outlined in "Moderation policy: The 2021 Census – Ethnic group stakeholder follow-up survey".
If you submitted a response to the consultation "2021 Census: Initial view on content for England and Wales", we will match your responses, so you do not need to repeat the information you’ve already provided.
General information about the survey can be found in "Further information: The 2021 Census – Ethnic group stakeholder follow-up survey". In addition, details of the evaluation criteria that will be used to decide on the ethnic group question design and outputs can be found in "Evaluation criteria: The 2021 Census – Ethnic group stakeholder follow-up survey".
Back to table of contents2. Moderation policy
In the interests of transparency the Office for National Statistics (ONS) will publish all responses to the "Ethnic group stakeholder follow-up survey".
This gives you the opportunity to post a response to the survey that will remain publicly viewable on our website. We will therefore moderate responses to ensure they are appropriate and not harmful to others. Moderation is performed by us in accordance with the following terms.
Responses which include any of the following may be deleted:
threats or incitements to violence
use of obscenity
duplicative or substantially duplicative postings by the same person or entity
postings seeking employment or containing advertisements for a commercial product or service
information posted in violation of law, including libel, condoning or encouraging illegal activity, revealing classified information, or infringing on a copyright or trademark
Moderators reserve the right to remove responses that do not address some aspect of their intended purpose. We value your time and input and our desire is to remove as few responses as possible while ensuring that a focused, constructive survey takes place. This moderation policy is subject to change to address additional matters as necessary. If you have a complaint about an item of user-generated content, or feel that your own content was removed in error, please contact us.
Back to table of contents3. Evaluation criteria
The “Ethnic group stakeholder follow-up survey” will provide evidence to evaluate the strength of user need, comparability of data over time and public acceptability. The criteria relating to user requirements are the main criteria for evaluation. The strength of the user requirement will be scored to inform the development of the ethnic group question.
The following criteria will be used to decide on the ethnic group question’s design and outputs:
- strength of user need
- lack of alternative sources
- comparability of data over time
- data quality
- questionnaire mode affect
- respondent burden
- effective online questionnaire design
- impact on harmonisation
- impact on other collectors/ producers of ethnic group information
- disclosure control
- financial concerns
Other sources of evidence will include qualitative and quantitative question testing, 2011 Census data and the Office for National Statistics’s (ONS's) evaluations of costs.
User requirements
Requests for additional or new data must carry a strong and clearly defined user need. Responses from users on the importance of the information will help inform what is to be included in the 2021 Census.
The table below defines 3 main considerations relating to user requirements.
| Criteria | Description |
| Strength of user need | User need could be justified in terms of, for example: significant resource allocation, improved service provision, major policy development or policy monitoring. |
| Lack of alternative sources | The 2021 Census will seek to collect only information which cannot be obtained by other means. Consideration should be given to whether or not suitable information is available from other sources. |
| Comparability of data over time | Comparison with previous censuses is an important aspect of census analysis. However, other aspects of user needs may override the need for comparability. |
Download this table
.xls (26.1 kB)4. Contact us
Telephone: +44 (0)1329 444 972
Email: census.customerservices@ons.gov.uk (please add "Ethnic group follow-up survey" in the subject line of your email)
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