FOI REF: FOI-2023-1301
You asked
With regard to the 2011/2021 Census, I would like to know how many people listed Esperanto or Volapuk as a language they spoke in the Census. I'm interested in the changes over time with both languages.
We said
Thank you for your freedom of information request.
The census asks ‘What is your main language?’ We do not collect data on other languages one may speak. The Census 2021 Main Language (detailed) dataset includes 95 languages. Unfortunately, Esperanto and Volapuk are not included.
We record every write-in answer, but we don’t routinely publish counts of them because write-in counts are not population estimates. There may be people whose main language is Esperanto or Volapuk but this information would only be available as a bespoke dataset and only if it passes our strict disclosure control rules.
The 2021 commissioned table service began on 3 April 2023, so you may wish to submit a request to this service for the data you are interested in. Please see the following link, commissioned table service, to download a copy of the order form which details the scale of charges for this service. On receipt of your completed order form, you will be added to the waiting list.
Please note that any table commissioned will have to pass our strict statistical disclosure control process to ensure there is no risk of disclosure of personal information in the table. More information on this process is available via the following link:
Design for Census 2021 - Office for National Statistics ons.gov.uk
The process is the same for bespoke 2011 Census datasets. Should you have any questions our census.customerservices@ons.gov.uk team can advise.