How people living in communal establishments differ from the household population, England and Wales: Census 2021

• Over one million people (1.7% of the usual resident population) were living in communal establishments in England and Wales on Census Day 2021.
• The percentage of males was higher in mental health hospitals (68.2%), hostels and temporary accommodation for the homeless (66.9%), and children’s homes (64.0%), relative to the household population (48.9%).
• The percentage of females was higher in care homes with and without nursing (both 64.3%), religious establishments (57.4%), and university halls of residence (54.4%), relative to the household population (51.1%).
• Nearly half of occupants of general hospitals were aged 25 to 39 years (48.7%), compared with only 20.1% of the household population in the same age group.
• People who identified as “Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh: Chinese” represented significantly higher percentages in schools and universities compared with the household population (12.0% and 13.4%, respectively, compared with 0.7%).
• Prisons had higher proportions of disabled occupants who were limited a lot (13.6%) or limited a little (25.6%) in their day-to-day activities compared with the household population (7.1% and 9.9%, respectively).

This article examines the characteristics of people living within different types of communal establishments and how they differ from the private household population.

All people who were living in a communal establishment on Census Day 2021 are included in the current analysis and are referred to collectively as occupants of communal establishments. This includes:

• residents (those who live there)
• staff or owners (those who work and live there)
• family members or partners of staff or owners
• those staying there temporarily with no usual UK address

Unless specified otherwise, the analysis presented in this article refers to occupants as a whole. The figures presented in this article may differ from other census-related publications. This is because the aim of this analysis is to look at individual types of communal establishments, rather than grouping them under larger or more general classifications.

As Census 2021 was conducted during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, this likely affected the number of people within communal establishments and the characteristics of those individuals. For example, the number and characteristics of people living in university halls of residence may have been different because of restrictions on international travel and the disruption to in-person teaching.

Figure 1: Over one million people (1.7% of the England and Wales population) were living in communal establishments on Census Day 2021

Number of occupants in each type of communal establishment, England and Wales, 2021

Notes:

1. Data for detention centres and other detention establishments are available for England only. 

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The largest proportion of the communal establishment population was in “Educational” establishments (Figure 1). This included university halls of residence, further education colleges, and boarding schools. University halls of residence had the largest population with 448,025 occupants. “Medical and care” communal establishments had the second largest population, driven by those in both care homes with and without nursing (161,965 and 186,780 occupants, respectively).

Figure 2: Most occupants of communal establishments were residents on Census Day 2021

Position of occupants in communal establishments as a percentage of total occupants of each communal establishment, England and Wales, 2021

Notes:

1. Data for detention centres and other detention establishments are available for England only.

2. Percentages have been calculated using rounded data. Totals may not sum to 100% because of rounding.

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For most communal establishments, the majority of occupants were residents (Figure 2). However, an exception was hotel, guest house, bed and breakfast, youth hostel, where over half of occupants (51.4%) were non-residents staying at the premises.

Age

Religious establishments and other medical and care establishments showed a similar age distribution to that of the household population. An exception was those aged under 14 years, who represented smaller proportions in these establishments relative to their equivalent age groups in the household population. A further exception was those aged 75 years and over, who represented larger proportions in religious establishments compared with the equivalent age groups in the household population.

Many communal establishments showed a high distribution of those aged 25 to 39 years. This included occupants of:

• prison service establishments
• approved premises
• general hospitals
• mental health hospitals and units
• hostels and temporary accommodation for the homeless
• staff accommodation
• detention centres

Nearly half of occupants of general hospitals were aged 25 to 39 years (48.7%), compared with only 20.1% of the household population in the same age group. In addition, 24.1% of occupants of general hospitals were staff, which was a larger proportion of staff occupants than seen in most other communal establishments.

Notably different to other communal establishments, holiday accommodation had high numbers of occupants aged under 20 years, with 47.2% aged 15 to 19 years, and 3.6% aged 0 to 14 years. The holiday accommodation category differs from other travel-related categories as it consists of holiday caravan parks and holiday villages.

Figure 3: Nearly half of occupants of general hospitals (48.7%) were aged 25 to 39 years on Census Day 2021

Banded age groups of occupants of communal establishments as a percentage of total occupants of each communal establishment, England and Wales, 2021

Notes:

1. Data for detention centres and other detention establishments are available for England only.

2. Percentages have been calculated using rounded data. Totals may not sum to 100% because of rounding.

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Sex

The percentage of males (47.3%) and females (52.7%) in the communal establishment population was broadly similar to that in the household population.

The percentage of males was higher in the following detention communal establishments compared with the household population (48.9%):

• detention centres (95.3%)
• other detention establishments (92.1%)
• prison service establishments (96.2%)
• approved premises (93.4%)

The percentage of males was also higher in mental health hospitals (68.2%), hostels and temporary accommodation for the homeless (66.9%), and children’s homes (64.0%), relative to the household population.

Figure 4: Males represented 68.2% of occupants in mental health hospitals on Census Day 2021

Sex of occupants of communal establishments as a percentage of total occupants of each communal establishment, England and Wales, 2021

Notes:

1. Data for detention centres and other detention establishments are available for England only.

2. Percentages have been calculated using rounded data. Totals may not sum to 100% because of rounding.

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In England and Wales, a higher proportion of females lived in care homes with and without nursing (both 64.3%), religious establishments (57.4%), and in university halls of residence (54.4%), compared with the household population (51.1%).

For both categories of care homes this was predominantly driven by females making up a larger percentage of occupants aged 80 years and over, compared with the household population. For example, in care homes without nursing, females made up 73.2% of those aged 80 to 89 years, and 82.3% of those aged 90 years and over, compared with 56.7% and 64.9%, respectively, in the household population. This was similarly seen in care homes with nursing.

For further details on sex breakdowns by age, see Table 1 of our Communal establishment and household population characteristics with age breakdowns dataset.

Disability

Figure 5: Overall, medical and care type communal establishments had the highest percentage of disabled occupants who were limited a lot on Census Day 2021

Disability status of occupants living in communal establishments as a percentage of total occupants of each communal establishment, England and Wales, 2021

Notes:

1. Data for detention centres and other detention establishments are available for England only.

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Care and health type establishments had a higher percentage of disabled occupants who were limited a lot in their day-to-day activities, compared with the household population. This difference was apparent across all age groups.

Hostels and temporary shelters for the homeless also had a higher rate of disabled occupants compared with the household population, both in terms of people who were disabled and limited a lot (19.5% and 7.1%, respectively) and disabled and limited a little (24.0% and 9.9%, respectively). This pattern was seen across all age groups but was particularly evident for disabled people aged 30 to 49 years who were limited a lot. Higher rates of disabled occupants who were limited a lot were also seen in prisons (13.6%), approved premises (21.1%), and other detention establishments (27.6%), compared with the household population (7.1%). This was also the case for disabled occupants who were limited a little in prisons (25.6%), approved premises (27.7%), and other detention establishments (25.2%), compared with the household population (9.9%).

The higher rate of disability in prisons and approved premises compared with private households was seen across all age groups, but again the difference was most pronounced for those aged 30 to 49 years. This was the case both for disabled people who were limited a lot and disabled people who were limited a little. It was not possible to break down the age groups of occupants of other detention establishments because of the small number of people living in these establishments.

Establishments with the lowest percentage of disabled occupants who were limited a lot in their day-to-day activities were schools (2.2%) and universities (2.1%). This compares with 7.1% in private households.

For schools, this pattern was seen across most age groups but was particularly notable for people aged 30 years and over, suggesting a lower rate of disability among staff living within schools compared with their age counterparts in households.

Universities showed a lower rate of disability among those aged 49 years and under, but a considerably higher rate of disability among those aged 70 years and over, compared with the equivalent age groups in households. However, the number of university occupants aged 70 years and over was small compared with the rest of the population in universities.

For further details on disability breakdowns by age, see Table 4 of our Communal establishment and household population characteristics with age breakdowns dataset.

Ethnic group

Overall, those who identified as “White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British” represented most occupants in most communal establishments in England and Wales on Census Day 2021.

However, in general hospitals, the percentage of “White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British” occupants (34.4%) was considerably smaller compared with the household population (74.4%), and this was seen across most age groups.

Figure 6: Those who identified as “Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh: Indian” made up 20.0% of occupants in general hospitals on Census Day 2021

Ethnic group of occupants of communal establishments as a percentage of total occupants of each communal establishment, England and Wales, 2021

Notes:

1. Data for detention centres and other detention establishments are available for England only.

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Other differences in the occupants of general hospitals compared with the household population were for people who identified as “Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh: Indian” (20.0% and 3.1%, respectively) and as “Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African: African” (15.5% and 2.5%, respectively).

While this was the case for most age groups where data were available, the difference was most pronounced for those aged 20 to 39 years who identified as “Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh: Indian”, and those aged 30 to 39 years who identified as “Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African: African”.

There was also a lower percentage of occupants who identified as “White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British” in schools and universities (56.5% and 50.1%, respectively) compared with the household population (74.4%). While for universities this pattern was broadly consistent across most age groups, for schools it was most pronounced for those aged 1 to 19 years compared with the equivalent age group in households.

People who identified as “Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh: Chinese” represented significantly higher percentages in schools (12.0%) and universities (13.4%) compared with households (0.7%). These differences were consistent across most age groups but were particularly evident for occupants of schools aged 1 to 19 years, and occupants of universities aged 20 to 39 years, when compared with the equivalent age groups in households. These patterns may partly be explained by the number of international students living in schools and universities.

These findings are in line with our Ethnic group differences in health, employment, education and housing shown in England and Wales’ Census 2021 publication, which identified “Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh: Chinese” as one of the ethnic groups with the highest level of education.

Staff and worker accommodation had a lower percentage of occupants who identified as “White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British” (40.8%), and a higher percentage of occupants who identified as “White: Other White” (24.8%), compared with the household population (74.4% and 6.2%, respectively). These differences were seen across most age groups where data were available.

Overall, there were higher percentages of occupants of staff and worker accommodation who identified with the following ethnic groups when compared with the household population:

• "Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh: Indian” (5.9% compared with 3.1%)
• “Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh: Chinese” (3.2% compared with 0.7%)
• “Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh: Other Asian” (5.7% compared with 1.6%)
• “Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African: African” (4.2% compared with 2.5%)

These findings may in part reflect seasonal workers living in staff and worker accommodation.

There were also higher percentages of occupants of prisons who identified with the following ethnic groups when compared with the household population:

• “White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller” (2.2% compared with 0.1%)
• “Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups: White and Black Caribbean” (4.1% compared with 0.9%)
• “Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African: Caribbean” (3.7% compared with 1.0%)
• “Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African: Other Black” (2.3% compared with 0.5%)

In contrast to these other communal establishments, there were higher percentages of occupants who identified as “White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British” in care homes with and without nursing (92.3% and 93.1%, respectively) compared with the household population (74.4%).

For further details on ethnicity breakdowns by age, see Table 2 of our Communal establishment and household population characteristics with age breakdowns

Religion

The religion question in Census 2021 was voluntary, and the proportion of those who chose not to answer in communal establishments (ranging from 5% to 38%, depending on type of establishment) was greater in some cases compared with the household population (5.8% chose not to answer). These proportions also varied by age group. Caution should be used when comparing data between different establishment types because of these varying response rates.

In England and Wales, “Christian” and “No religion” were the most reported religious affiliations in both the household population and in communal establishments.

Figure 7: Percentage of people reporting “No religion” was highest in children’s homes, holiday accommodation and university halls of residence on Census Day 2021

Religion of occupants living in communal establishments as a percentage of total occupants of each communal establishment, England and Wales, 2021

Notes:

1. Data for detention centres and other detention establishments are available for England only.

2. The base population used to calculate percentages also includes those who did not answer the religion question.

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In general hospitals the percentage of occupants who reported “No religion” (16.8%) was lower compared with the household population (37.2%). There were also differences between occupants of general hospitals and the household population among those who identified as “Muslim” (14.3% and 6.6%, respectively) and “Hindu” (7.5% and 1.7%, respectively). These differences were seen across all age groups where data were available.

Occupants of care homes with and without nursing had lower percentages of people who reported “No religion” (19.9% and 23.9%, respectively) compared with the household population (37.2%). In addition, both types of care home had lower percentages of occupants who identified as “Hindu” (0.4%) and “Muslim” (0.7%) compared with the household population (1.7% and 6.6%, respectively). The differences for “Hindu” and “Muslim” religious affiliations were evident for most age groups.

Universities had a higher percentage of occupants who reported “No religion” (49.8%) and a lower percentage who identified as “Christian” (22.1%), compared with the household population (37.2% and 46.3%, respectively). There were notable differences in the number of people who reported “No religion” for those aged 16 to 19 years, but also for those aged 60 years and over, compared with the equivalent age groups in households. This suggests that differences are not solely because of the younger age profile of occupants of universities.

A higher percentage of occupants of universities identified as “Hindu” (2.8%) and a lower percentage as “Muslim” (4.7%) compared with the household population (1.7% and 6.6%, respectively). For those who identified as “Hindu” these patterns were seen across all age groups where data were available. For those who identified as “Muslim” the difference between universities and households was particularly evident among those aged 16 to 29 years.

Prisons had a lower percentage of occupants who reported “No religion” (33.7%) or “Christian” (39.8%) compared with the household population (37.2% and 46.3%, respectively). These patterns were seen across most age groups where data were available.

A higher percentage of prison occupants identified as “Muslim” (12.1%) compared with the household population (6.6%). This difference was seen across all age groups where data were available but was most evident for those aged 20 to 29 years (18.9%), compared with the equivalent age group in households (7.8%).

Other communal establishments also had higher percentages of occupants who identified as “Muslim” compared with the household population (6.6%), including:

• hotel, guest house, bed and breakfast, youth hostels (10.9%)
• hostels and temporary accommodation for the homeless (11.0%)
• other travel and temporary accommodation (17.5%)

These differences were seen across most age groups where data were available.

These findings are in line with our Religion by housing, health, employment, and education, England and Wales: Census 2021 article. For further details on religion breakdowns by age, see Table 3 of our Communal establishment and household population characteristics with age breakdowns dataset.

Sexual orientation

The sexual orientation question in Census 2021 was voluntary and was only asked of people aged 16 years and over. This means that figures for schools and children's homes are likely to represent responses from the staff and older children in these establishments (those aged 16 to 18 years).

The proportion of those who chose not to answer this question in communal establishments (ranging from 5% to 33%, depending on type of establishment) was greater in some cases compared with the household population (7.2% chose not to answer). Therefore, caution should be taken when comparing figures between different establishments.

The term LGB+ is used in this analysis to refer to lesbian, gay, bisexual or other minority sexual orientations collectively.

Figure 8: Communal establishments with younger occupants tended to have a higher proportion of those identifying as LGB+ on Census Day 2021

Sexual orientation of occupants living in communal establishments as a percentage of total occupants of each communal establishment aged 16 years and over, England and Wales, 2021

Notes:

1. Data for detention centres and other detention establishments are available for England only.
2. The base population used to calculate percentages also includes those who did not answer the sexual orientation question.

3. Percentages have been calculated using rounded data. Totals may not sum to 100% because of rounding.

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In England and Wales, both in the household population and communal establishments, most individuals who answered the question identified as straight or heterosexual (89.7% of the household population and ranging from 56.2% to 92.9% in communal establishments).

Some communal establishments, particularly those with a younger age profile, showed a higher proportion of occupants identifying as LGB+ compared with the household population (1.5% gay or lesbian, 1.2% bisexual, and 0.3% all other sexual orientations). These included but were not limited to:

• holiday accommodation: 3.0% gay or lesbian, 9.0% bisexual, 1.7% all other sexual orientations
• university: 3.1% gay or lesbian, 8.4% bisexual, 1.5% all other sexual orientations
• children’s homes: 3.1% gay or lesbian, 4.8% bisexual, 1.0% all other sexual orientations

This is consistent with our Sexual orientation: age and sex, England and Wales article, which showed that those aged 16 to 25 years were most likely to have identified as LGB+, and the majority of LGB+ people were aged 16 to 34 years. However, higher percentages of people identifying as LGB+ in some communal establishments were not isolated only to younger age groups.

For occupants of universities, the percentage of individuals identifying as LGB+ was larger than the age equivalent percentages in the household population, and this was the case across all age groups for which data were available. For people identifying as gay or lesbian, this difference was most notable for those aged 50 to 69 years compared with the equivalent age group in households.

Similar percentages of people identifying as gay or lesbian were in prisons (2.0%) compared with the household population (1.5%). However, this pattern differed across age groups where data were available, with less people in prison aged 16 to 39 years, and more people in prison aged 40 to 79 years, identifying as gay or lesbian compared with the equivalent age groups in households. Those identifying as bisexual represented higher percentages in prisons compared with the household population, and this was seen across all age groups for which data were available.

A higher percentage of people who identified as bisexual (4.0%) or as gay or lesbian (2.3%) were occupants in mental health hospitals compared with the household population (1.2%), and this was the case across most age groups where data were available.

For further details on sexual orientation breakdowns by age, see Table 5 of our Communal establishment and household population characteristics with age breakdowns dataset.

Communal establishment

A managed communal establishment is a place that provides managed full-time or part-time supervision of residential accommodation.

Examples include:

• university halls of residence and boarding schools
• care homes, hospitals, hospices and maternity units
• hotels, guest houses, hostels and bed and breakfasts, all with residential accommodation for seven or more guests
• prisons and other secure facilities
• Single Living Accommodation (SLA) in military bases
• staff accommodation
• religious establishments

It does not include sheltered accommodation, serviced apartments, nurses’ accommodation, and houses rented to students by private landlords. These are households.

Communal establishment occupants

Occupants of a communal establishment include:

• residents (those who live there)
• staff or owners (those who work and live there)
• family members or partners of staff or owners
• those staying there temporarily with no usual UK address

This analysis includes both those who were staying in a communal establishment temporarily with no usual UK address and usual residents in communal establishments. For a detailed explanation of usual residents, see our Measurements used in Census 2021 data web page.

Household

A household is defined as one person living alone, or a group of people (not necessarily related) living at the same address who share cooking facilities and a living room or sitting room, or dining area.

This includes all sheltered accommodation units in an establishment (regardless of whether there are other communal facilities), and all people living in caravans on any type of site that is their usual residence; this will include anyone who has no other usual residence elsewhere in the UK.

A household must contain at least one person whose place of usual residence is at the address. A group of short-term residents living together is not classified as a household, and neither is a group of people at an address where only visitors are staying.

Usual resident

A usual resident is anyone who on Census Day, 21 March 2021, was in the UK and had stayed or intended to stay in the UK for a period of 12 months or more, or had a permanent UK address and was outside the UK and intended to be outside the UK for less than 12 months.

Census Day 

The census is carried out every 10 years and gives us the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in England and Wales. In 2021, the census was conducted on 21 March. At this time, most of the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown restrictions were still in place in England and Wales. The coronavirus pandemic may have affected estimates of people providing unpaid care.

Religion

The religion people connect or identify with (their religious affiliation), whether or not they practice or have belief in it.

This question was voluntary in Census 2021, and the variable includes people who answered the question (including "No religion") alongside those who chose not to answer this question.

This variable classifies responses into the eight tick-box response options. Write-in responses are classified by their "parent" religious affiliation, including "No religion", where applicable.

Ethnic group

The ethnic group that the person completing the census feels they belong to. This could be based on their culture, family background, identity or physical appearance.

In 2011, respondents could choose 1 out of 18 tick-box response categories. In 2021, respondents could choose 1 out of 19 tick-box response categories as a new “Roma” category was added next to the “Gypsy or Irish Traveller” tick-box within the “White” category.

For more information on the ethnic group variable, please see our Ethnic group variable: Census 2021 web page.

LGB+

An abbreviation used to refer to people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and other minority sexual orientations (for example, asexual).

Sexual orientation

Sexual orientation is an umbrella term covering sexual identity, attraction and behaviour. For an individual respondent, these may not be the same. For example, someone in an opposite-sex relationship may also experience same-sex attraction, and vice versa. This means the statistics should be interpreted purely as showing how people responded to the question, rather than being about whom they are attracted to or their actual relationships.

We have not provided glossary entries for individual sexual orientation categories. This is because individual respondents may have differing perspectives on the exact meaning.

The question was voluntary in Census 2021 and was only asked of people aged 16 years and over. For more information on the sexual orientation variable, please see our Sexual orientation variable: Census 2021 web page.

Disability

In Census 2021, people who assessed their day-to-day activities as limited by long-term physical or mental health conditions or illnesses were considered disabled.

This definition of a disabled person meets the Government Statistical Service harmonised standard for measuring disability and is in line with the Equality Act (2010). This requires that a person has a physical or mental impairment, and that the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out day-to-day activities.

Therefore, those reporting conditions that limited their day-to-day activities a little or a lot were classified as disabled. People who had no long-term physical or mental health conditions, or who had conditions that did not limit their day-to-day activities, were classified as non-disabled. For details on changes to questions between 2011 and 2021, see Section 10 of our Unpaid care and protected characteristics, England and Wales: Census 2021 article.

For more information on the disability variable, see our Disability variable: Census 2021 web page.

Approved Premises

Residential units which house offenders in the community.

The census provides the most detailed picture of the entire population, with the same core questions asked to everybody across England and Wales. Census results can be more reliable than survey results based on a sample of the population, because the whole population is included. The UK Statistics Authority has assigned National Statistics status to Census 2021 outputs, providing assurance that these statistics are of the highest quality and value to users.

Census 2021 achieved a very high response rate of 97%. We ensure the census results reflect the whole population by using statistical methods to estimate the number and characteristics of people who were not recorded on a census response. This means that the census statistics are estimates rather than simple counts of responses, so they have some statistical uncertainty associated with them. We take numerous steps to minimise possible sources of error.

Additionally, we apply statistical disclosure control to protect the confidentiality of census respondents. Differences in the methods used for statistical disclosure control may result in minor differences in data totals between census products. As we round all figures individually, table totals may not sum exactly.

Quality considerations, along with the strengths and limitations of Census 2021, are provided more generally in our Quality and methodology information (QMI) for Census 2021. We provide further information on our quality assurance processes in our Maximising the quality of Census 2021 population estimates methodology. For further details on housing, see our Housing quality information for Census 2021 methodology.

We plan to publish more detailed data and analysis on housing in the coming months, alongside the release of multivariate data. For more information, see our Housing analysis plans web page and our release plans for Census 2021 more generally.