Communal establishments and individual questionnaire question development for Census 2021

In December 2018, the government presented to Parliament a White Paper, Help Shape our Future: The 2021 Census of Population and Housing in England and Wales (PDF, 967KB). This outlined the Office for National Statistics's (ONS's) proposal to collect information on communal establishments (CEs) to meet the needs for comprehensive information about communal accommodation and an authoritative estimate of the population living in these establishments.

The questions used to collect data on CEs are:

• type of accommodation respondent is resident at (individual questionnaire)

• position in establishment (individual questionnaire)

• nature of the establishment (CE questionnaire)

• management of the establishment (CE questionnaire)

• type and number of residents (CE questionnaire)

• type and number of visitors on census night (CE questionnaire)

We collect CEs data in a way that is consistent with previous censuses and optimised for online data collection. CEs data are collected through the CE manager questionnaire and the first section of the individual questionnaire. Census 2021 will be an online-first census, including for CEs, with an overall target of 100% online CE manager questionnaire returns and paper questionnaires with exceptional circumstances. We have reviewed and tested each question online and have recommended additional design and functionality amendments specific to the electronic questionnaire. Following our stakeholder engagement, evaluation and testing programmes we have also recommended additional changes to the CE and individual questionnaire question designs. These changes will be detailed in this article.

To provide greater clarity over who should be included and complete an individual questionnaire, we have added "staying temporarily" to the paper questionnaire. This information in the 2011 Census was found in the manager's accompanying leaflet. For Census 2021, "staying temporarily" is added to the bullet point, "those living in a communal establishment who do not have another usual UK address", in the "Who should complete this questionnaire?" guidance information on page two of the paper questionnaire. We have also added the response option, "staying temporarily (no usual UK address)", to the position in the establishment question for online and paper questionnaires.

We have improved the 2011 Census questions on nature and management of CEs for Census 2021, by:

• using a two-stage design for the online version of the nature of establishment question

• adding additional information, "including inns and pubs", to the response option, "Hotel, guest house, B&B, youth hostel", to the second stage of the nature of the establishment question for travel or temporary accommodation

• re-ordering the response options for the second stage nature of the establishment question for medical or care establishments, so that the establishments most likely to have usual residents are listed first

• adding a "higher or further education institution" response option to the management of the establishment question

• added response option to collecting information on sheltered accommodation

We have altered how we collect data for the number of residents and visitors at the establishment. Rather than asking about numbers of questionnaires distributed, we are asking the CE manager directly through a series of four questions:

• Do any of the following currently live in this establishment?

• How many people are currently living in this establishment?

• Are any of the following visitors staying overnight in this establishment on 21 March 2021?

• How many visitors are staying overnight in this establishment on 21 March 2021?

We have removed the 2011 Census "age groups" and "groups catered for" questions as there was insufficient user need demonstrated to justify their continued inclusion for Census 2021. Information on age groups can be derived from information collected from residents' individual questionnaires.

Since the publication of the White Paper, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has conducted and concluded the final phase of testing on communal establishments (CEs).

This article provides links to previously published research and the findings of testing that led to the final recommended questions for Census 2021 in England and Wales. The questions and response options for Census 2021 have now been finalised through the census secondary legislation: the Census (England and Wales) Order 2020 as well as Census Regulations for England and for Wales.

Additional information on the overall design of the Census 2021 questionnaire can be found in the Question and questionnaire development overview for Census 2021. Details of all our research and testing can be found in the Summary of testing for Census 2021.

We carried out a survey in April 2018 that aimed to identify how communal establishments (CEs) data are used, understand why the data are needed, request information on any new data that are required and ask for opinions on proposed changes in the definitions relating to CEs. The survey received responses from central government and local authorities.

Recommendations following the survey included:

• keeping the bed space definition for guest houses, B&Bs, and inns and pubs

• counting sheltered housing units as households

• enumerating armed forces personnel on ships inside and outside of UK waters in the same way

• introducing a new definition to define and count serviced apartments as households for Census 2021

• counting school boarders who stay at their school address three nights or fewer per week as usual residents at their home address (rather than at school)

These recommendations have been agreed and incorporated into the definitions for Census 2021. These are discussed in Output and enumeration bases: residential address and population definitions for Census 2021.

The survey did not identify any substantive requests for new information to be collected on the CE questionnaire or about usual residents of CEs. It showed a user need for data on type of establishment and management as well as residents' position in establishments. Although there were some requests for new data, these were not supported with strong evidence for why they would be needed and how they would be used. The results informed further testing, which contributed to the development of the final CEs form for Census 2021.

Following this, we began a programme of research and development. We provide a full list of the tests used in the development of the CE questionnaire in Annex 1: Summary of research undertaken for communal establishments, 2017 to 2019. Further details are provided in the Summary of testing for Census 2021.

The tests utilised a range of qualitative and quantitative research methods. A short description of the different research methods and sampling techniques is given in the Question and questionnaire development overview for Census 2021. Testing included respondents managing a varied range of CEs.

The question recommendations for Census 2021 are now finalised. We have evaluated the questions for their potential impact on data quality, public acceptability, respondent burden, financial concerns and questionnaire mode. We found the potential for impact to be "Low" for each criterion for all questions within the CE questionnaire as well as for the two questions within the individual questionnaire.

Ongoing work around this topic will focus on understanding and meeting user requirements for outputs.

The individual questionnaire contains all the individual questions for a household member from within the household questionnaire, the development of which is discussed in the relevant articles. It is completed by residents of communal establishments (CEs) and is also available to individuals in private households who prefer to complete the individual questions asked in the household questionnaire separately to the rest of their household.

In addition to all individual questions within the household questionnaire, it contains two more questions. The first is aimed at establishing whether the respondent is a resident in a CE or a private household. The second, only for residents in CEs, asks about their position in the establishment.

The starting point for the Census 2021 individual questionnaire was the 2011 Census design. You can see the 2011 Census questionnaire in the Census (England) Regulations 2010.

Adapting the questions for the online questionnaire

The 2011 Census individual questionnaire contained information defining a CE on the second page. This has been retained for the Census 2021 paper design but has been moved in the online design and is displayed there as a guidance accordion within the first question, "type of accommodation".

The question whether the respondent is answering for themselves or for someone else has been moved to the individual question section in the paper questionnaire but remains after the type of accommodation question in the online questionnaire. This enables the correct name to be displayed online in the question regarding the respondent's position in the establishment.

Type of accommodation (individual questionnaire)

The type of accommodation question in the individual questionnaire is used to establish whether the respondent lives in a CE or a private household and is therefore different to the type of accommodation question in the accommodation section of the household questionnaire, which asks about the type of dwelling.

2011 Census

What type of accommodation is this?

[ ] A communal establishment

For example, student hall of residence, boarding school, armed forces base, hospital, care home or prison.

[ ] A private or family household

Since the 2011 Census question design, we added a guidance accordion, "What we mean by communal establishment", for the online questionnaire only. This was to aid respondents understanding of how we define "communal establishment". We aim for all CEs to complete the individual questionnaire online or request a paper questionnaire under exceptional circumstances.

We have also added address piping to the question stem to clarify the establishment to answer these questions for.

We tested the following design to collect information on type of address for Census 2021:

What type of accommodation is [census address]?

What we mean by "communal establishment".

This is a place providing managed residential accommodation. "Managed" here means full-time or part-time supervision of the accommodation.

[ ] A communal establishment

For example, student hall of residence, boarding school, armed forces base, hospital, care home or prison.

[ ] A private or family household

Feedback showed that the question was understood clearly (2019:10). Some respondents living in armed forces bases were initially unsure whether family accommodation within the base was a CE or a family home; this initial uncertainty did not lead to any incorrect answers.

Position in establishment

2011 Census

What is your position in this establishment?

If you are answering on behalf of someone else, please record their position and not your own.

[ ] Resident (for example, student, member of armed forces, patient or detainee)

[ ] Staff or owner

[ ] Family member or partner of staff or owner

Changes since 2011

A new response option, "Staying temporarily (no usual UK address)", has been added to increase inclusivity. This provides a response option for UK residents who are present at a CE on Census Day but who do not live there and who do not have a usual UK address (for example, rough sleepers). There is an increasing need to collect data on "rough sleepers". The new response option aims to collect this information.

In addition, wording to include those staying temporarily at the CE was included in the information within the paper questionnaire regarding who should complete an individual questionnaire.

While the manager's leaflet accompanying the 2011 Census CE questionnaire stated to include UK residents without a UK address living temporarily at the establishment as residents, this was not reflected in the guidance within the individual questionnaire on who should complete it or the response options in the position in the establishment question. For Census 2021, adding the new response option resolved this ambiguity.

We tested the following design to collect information on position in establishment for Census 2021:

What is your position in this establishment?

If you are answering on behalf of someone else, please record their position and not your own.

[ ] Resident

For example, student, member of armed forces, patient or detainee.

[ ] Staff or owner

[ ] Family member or partner of staff or owner

[ ] Staying temporarily

[ ] No usual UK address

Testing showed that in certain circumstances, the term "position" was not completely clear after only reading the question stem, with armed forces members being unsure whether it referred to the ranking within the armed forces (2019:10). However, once the response options had been read, it was understood what the question is asking.

This section provides the details on how the questions for communal establishments (CEs) evolved from the beginning of testing through to the final recommended questions for Census 2021.

The starting point for testing the questions on CEs was the 2011 Census question design. You can see the 2011 Census questionnaire in the Census (England) Regulations 2010.

Removing questions on age and type of people catered for

Following the 2011 Census, the questions, "age groups catered for" and "groups catered for", were found to be of limited use. While working on adapting the questions for the online questionnaire, no user need for either question could be established, as outputs from these questions were not used in standard or commissioned tables.

Residents at CEs are required to complete an individual questionnaire, and data regarding age groups at the establishment were taken from these questionnaires.

Responses to the "groups catered for" question broadly aligned with the expected client groups. For example, care homes catering mainly for older people and responses regarding all groups that could potentially be catered for. Regardless of CE type and client group, a high level of multi-ticking of response options was observed, which meant the data collected from this question could not be used to determine the groups the establishment primarily catered for.

Nature of the establishment

2011 Census question

What is the nature of this establishment?

Tick one box only.

Medical and care

[ ] General hospital

[ ] Mental health hospital/unit (including secure units)

[ ] Other hospital

[ ] Care home without nursing

[ ] Care home with nursing

[ ] Sheltered housing only

[ ] Children's home (including secure units)

[ ] Other medical and care establishment

Education

[ ] School

[ ] University (for example halls of residence)

[ ] Other education establishment

Armed forces

[ ] Defence establishments (including ships)

Detention

[ ] Prison Service establishment

[ ] Approved premises (probation/bail hostel)

[ ] Detention centre

[ ] Other detention establishment

Travel or temporary accommodation

[ ] Hotel, guest house, B&B, youth hostel

[ ] Holiday accommodation (for example holiday parks)

[ ] Hostel/temporary shelter for the homeless

[ ] Other travel or temporary accommodation

Other

[ ] Religious establishment

Staff/worker accommodation only

[ ] Other establishment

Developing questions for the online questionnaire

The 2011 "nature of the establishment" question included six headings with multiple response options underneath most headings. To ensure that the question could be displayed on a single screen with minimal need to scroll, we adapted it into a two-stage design, with the first stage response options being the first five headings used in 2011 and the response options under the sixth heading ("Religious establishment" and "Staff or worker accommodation only").

If the chosen response option in the first stage is "Medical or care", "Education", "Detention" or "Travel or temporary accommodation", respondents are routed to a corresponding second stage question. The first line of the address of the CE is piped through the second stage of this question only. There is no second stage for the other response options ("Armed forces", "Religious establishments", "Staff or worker accommodation only" and "Other establishment").

Examples were added to response options in the first stage of the question to make it easier for CE managers to identify the correct category. All slashes were removed and replaced with "or" to increase readability and because slashes are not accessible for screen readers and other assistive technologies.

User experience testing (2019:8) showed that this question was generally well understood and answered without difficulty.

A small number of respondents struggled with or misinterpreted the response options to the second stage question, "What type of medical or care establishment is [census address]?" because of the mixed nature of their establishments. We re-ordered the response options to be mainly alphabetical to move the two response options that are likely to have the largest number of respondents (care homes) to the top of the list. However, "care home without nursing" remains before "care home with nursing" because in the 2011 Census there were a larger number of "care homes without nursing" than "care homes with nursing".

We also removed the 2011 response option "Sheltered housing only" as in Census 2021 sheltered housing units will be counted as households.

Within the "Travel or temporary accommodation" second stage question, the wording for the response option "Hostel/temporary shelter for the homeless" was changed to "Hostel or temporary shelter for homeless people" in line with current terminology use.

Management of the establishment

2011 Census question

Who is responsible for the management of this establishment?

[ ] NHS

[ ] Local authority

[ ] Government department/agency

[ ] Registered social landlord/housing association

[ ] Charity/voluntary organisation

[ ] Private owner/company

[ ] Other

Development of the 2021 Census question

This question was updated in line with Government Digital Service's (GDS's) Service Standards prior to testing. All slashes were removed and replaced with "or" to increase readability and because slashes are not accessible for screen readers and other assistive technologies.

In testing, this question caused a problem for university halls of residences (2019:8) as it was felt none of the options applied. Respondent would choose "other" and thought that if there was not a "higher education institution" response option, every university would answer differently. Further research showed that in 2011, out of those who classed themselves as "University (halls of residence)", 64% ticked "Other" or left the question blank.

We recommended the inclusion of a response option, "Higher or further education institution", and further testing in the 2019 Rehearsal (2019:15) showed that respondents were then able to correctly identify a suitable response option from the list provided.

Adding questions on number of residents and visitors

The 2011 Census did not count the number of residents at the establishment but included a count for individual questionnaires given to and collected from residents for CE managers to complete. The primary intention of this section was to draw attention to the different processes that establishment managers are required to complete.

Panel on front page of the 2011 questionnaire:

Enter individual questionnaire and visitor counts below:

Questionnaires issued

Questionnaires collected

Questionnaires completed online

Visitors staying overnight

In the 2011 Census, there was an operational count of all establishments to administer the correct number of paper questionnaires to each establishment, counting residents and visitors staying overnight. The primary mode of data collection is online for Census 2021, meaning the operational count of residents and visitors is no longer required.

We therefore developed a series of questions to replace it as the data are useful in processing for coverage and estimation and for quality assurance. These questions aim to collect how many residents usually live at the establishment and how many visitors are staying at the establishment overnight on Census Night.

Number of residents question

The starting point for the development of this question was the definitions provided in the information leaflet for CE managers in the 2011 Census.

We tested the following design to collect a count of residents for Census 2021:

How many residents usually live in this establishment?

Include:

• Anyone who has spent, or expects to spend, six months or more in this establishment, even if they are away on 21 March 2021

• UK residents who are staying in this establishment on 21 March 2021 and have no other usual UK address

• Anyone from overseas who has stayed, or intends to stay, in the UK longer than three months who does not have another UK address, even if all their time won't be spent at this establishment

• Students or schoolchildren who stay in this establishment during term time

• Yourself, your family, staff, or any others who live at this establishment

(enter number)

Testing results

The tested question was not well understood (2019:8). The wording "usually live" left some respondents unclear whether the question referred to the number of residents living at the establishment or to the maximum possible occupancy of the CE. In addition, respondents spent time reading through the definitions to judge which applied to their establishment.

Two-stage design

To ease the burden on respondents and to make the definitions easier to read and engage with, we introduced a two-stage design. To improve clarity, the wording was changed from "usually live" to "currently live" and "overseas" was changed to "outside the UK". A tick-box design with the information regarding who to include replaced the bullet points to become the first stage. The second stage asks for the count of residents, and an instruction panel was added to link the two stages together and to reiterate who should be counted. An instruction to not include visitors that informs respondents who would fall into the visitor definition has also been added to make it easier to distinguish between residents and visitors.

We tested the following two-stage design in the 2019 Rehearsal:

Stage 1

Do any of the following currently live in this establishment?

Select all that apply:

[ ] Anyone who has already spent, or is expected to spend, 6 months or more in this establishment, even if they are away on 21 March 2021

[ ] UK residents who are staying in this establishment on 21 March 2021 and have no other usual UK address

[ ] People who usually live outside the UK who have stayed, or intend to stay, in the UK for 3 months or more who do not have another UK address

[ ] Students or schoolchildren who stay in this establishment during term time

[ ] Yourself, your family, staff, and any others who live in this establishment

Or

[ ] None of these apply

Stage 2

How many people are currently living in this establishment?

Include everyone from the groups you selected in the previous question.

Do not include visitors who have another UK address or usually live outside the UK and intend to stay in the UK for 3 months or more.

(enter number)

If "none of these apply" is chosen at the first stage of the question, question version 2b, which has an additional tick-box "No one is living in this establishment" response option, is asked online.

Findings from testing were that while the response options appeared lengthy (2019:15), respondents found them helpful. The tick-box design led to respondents engaging with and considering all the options, and respondents were able to accurately provide the number of residents for their establishment.

Number of visitors in the establishment on census night

As with the questions about residents at the establishment, a box to include a count of visitors staying overnight was included on the front page of the 2011 Census paper questionnaire. We removed the box on the front page and included a question on visitor count within the CE questionnaire. The data captured on number of visitors is useful for coverage and estimation in the operational process and for quality assurance.

As with the "number of residents" question, we have introduced a two-stage design to ensure respondents read and engage with the definitions regarding who to include. Online, an instruction panel was added to clarify that shift workers need to be included as visitors. This instruction was on the leaflet that accompanied the 2011 Census CE questionnaire. We added this information on the front page of the Census 2021 paper questionnaire as part of the instructions on how to complete the form.

Two-stage design

We tested the following two-stage design:

Stage 1

Are any of the following visitors staying overnight in this establishment on 21 March 2021?

Include shift workers, for example, care workers, hotel porters, who are staying overnight on 21 March 2021 as visitors.

Tick all that apply.

[ ] Anyone with another usual address in the UK who has spent, or expects to spend, less than 6 months in the UK

[ ] Anyone from outside the UK who intends to stay in the UK for less than 3 months

Or

[ ] None of these apply

Stage 2

How many visitors are staying overnight in this establishment on 21 March 2021?

Include everyone from the groups you selected for the previous question.

Number of visitors

( )

As with the number of residents question, if "none of these apply" is chosen at the first stage, a slightly different question is asked at the second stage, which has an additional tick-box, "No visitors are staying overnight", for online.

Feedback from testing informed us that the "visitors" question collected accurate data for most participants (2019:8; 2019:15). However, halls of residence managers highlighted that they would be unaware whether visitors were staying with students. This should not pose a problem, as the number of residents and visitor questions are included for operational reasons and the number of visitors question also serves to support respondents in correctly distinguishing between CE residents and visitors.

The design of the questions recommended for Census 2021 was informed by the research and testing detailed in this article. The questions and response options for Census 2021 have now been finalised through the census secondary legislation.

The images that follow are from the electronic questionnaire. We have also published the paper questionnaires for Census 2021.

Guidance text and instructions are not part of the legislation, but we consider these to be finalised as well. However, it is possible that guidance text or instructions may change if there is enough evidence to support doing so.

Welsh language question development

To ensure questions adhere to Cymraeg Clir guidelines, the communal establishment (CE) questionnaire was translated by our contracted specialist Welsh language translation service provider. These changes were quality assured by the Welsh Language Census Question Assurance Group. This group includes Welsh language and policy experts from the Welsh Language Commissioner and the Welsh Government and was convened to give advice on the accuracy, clarity and acceptability of the language as well as other policy issues pertaining to the Welsh language and bilingual design.

Individual questionnaire

What type of accommodation is this?

Figure 1: Online question on type of accommodation in the individual questionnaire, in English and Welsh

Source: Office for National Statistics – Communal establishments and individual questionnaire question development for Census 2021

Download this image Figure 1: Online question on type of accommodation in the individual questionnaire, in English and Welsh

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What is your position in this establishment?

Figure 2: Online question on position in the establishment in the individual questionnaire, in English and Welsh

Source: Office for National Statistics – Communal establishments and individual questionnaire question development for Census 2021

Download this image Figure 2: Online question on position in the establishment in the individual questionnaire, in English and Welsh

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The question, “What is your position in this establishment?” will only be asked if “A communal establishment” is chosen at the type of accommodation question.

In the paper questionnaire, it follows immediately after the type of accommodation question. In the online questionnaire, if the question is answered on behalf of someone else and they select “A communal establishment”, the name question (“What is your name?”) is asked before the “position in the establishment” question. This is to enable insertion of name routing into the “position in establishment” question if needed.

Communal establishment questionnaire

What is the nature of this establishment?

Figure 3: Online question on nature of the establishment, in English and Welsh

Source: Office for National Statistics – Communal establishments and individual questionnaire question development for Census 2021

Download this image Figure 3: Online question on nature of the establishment, in English and Welsh

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If the chosen response option in the first stage is “Medical or care”, “Education”, “Detention” or “Travel or temporary accommodation”, respondents are routed to the corresponding second-stage question.

Medical or care establishment

Figure 4: Online question on nature of the establishment, stage two for medical or care, education, detention, travel or temporary accommodation, in English and Welsh

Source: Office for National Statistics – Communal establishments and individual questionnaire question development for Census 2021

Download this image Figure 4: Online question on nature of the establishment, stage two for medical or care, education, detention, travel or temporary accommodation, in English and Welsh

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Education establishment

Figure 5: Online question on type of education establishment, in English and Welsh

Source: Office for National Statistics – Communal establishments and individual questionnaire question development for Census 2021

Download this image Figure 5: Online question on type of education establishment, in English and Welsh

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Detention establishment

Figure 6: Online question on type of detention establishment, in English and Welsh

Source: Office for National Statistics – Communal establishments and individual questionnaire question development for Census 2021

Download this image Figure 6: Online question on type of detention establishment, in English and Welsh

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Travel or temporary accommodation establishment

Figure 7: Online question on type of travel or temporary establishment, in English and Welsh

Source: Office for National Statistics – Communal establishments and individual questionnaire question development for Census 2021

Download this image Figure 7: Online question on type of travel or temporary establishment, in English and Welsh

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Who is responsible for the management of this establishment?

Figure 8: Online question on management of the establishment, in English and Welsh

Source: Office for National Statistics – Communal establishments and individual questionnaire question development for Census 2021

Download this image Figure 8: Online question on management of the establishment, in English and Welsh

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Do any of the following currently live in this establishment?

Figure 9: Online question on types of residents in the establishment, in English and Welsh

Source: Office for National Statistics – Communal establishments and individual questionnaire question development for Census 2021

Download this image Figure 9: Online question on types of residents in the establishment, in English and Welsh

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How many people are currently living in this establishment?

Figure 10: Online question on number of residents in the establishment, in English and Welsh

Source: Office for National Statistics – Communal establishments and individual questionnaire question development for Census 2021

Download this image Figure 10: Online question on number of residents in the establishment, in English and Welsh

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If “None of these apply” response option is chosen, a slightly different question design is used at the second stage, which has an additional tick-box, “No one is living in this establishment”, for online and does not state the instruction, “Include everyone from the groups you selected for the previous question”.

Are any of the following visitors staying overnight in this establishment?

Figure 11: Online question on type of visitors on Census Night in the establishment, in English and Welsh

Source: Office for National Statistics – Communal establishments and individual questionnaire question development for Census 2021

Download this image Figure 11: Online question on type of visitors on Census Night in the establishment, in English and Welsh

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How many visitors are staying overnight in this establishment?

Figure 12: Online question on number of visitors on Census Night in the establishment, in English and Welsh

Source: Office for National Statistics – Communal establishments and individual questionnaire question development for Census 2021

Download this image Figure 12: Online question on number of visitors on Census Night in the establishment, in English and Welsh

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If "none of these apply" is chosen at the first stage, a slightly different question design is used at the second stage, which has an additional tick-box, "No visitors are staying overnight", for online.

Question evaluation

After completing the research and development phase, we evaluated the recommended questions using a tool that considers the type of evidence we have available and the Census 2021 context. A description of this evaluation tool is provided in the Question and questionnaire development overview for Census 2021.

All questions meet our thresholds to ensure reliable information will be collected in Census 2021. The "potential for impact" categorisations are provided within the context of other census questions. Therefore, a question that was categorised as high is closer to the threshold for inclusion than a question that was categorised as low, but both questions will capture reliable information.

Tables 1 and 2 provide the assessment scores for the CE questions from this updated evaluation. Evaluation showed that potential for impact was assessed as "Low" for each criterion for all questions within the CE questionnaire. The potential for impact was also assessed as "Low" for each criterion for the two CE questions within the individual questionnaire.

Question harmonisation

As in previous censuses, there will be separate censuses in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The questions for England and Wales have been developed through close collaboration with National Records of Scotland (NRS) and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), who are responsible for conducting the censuses in Scotland and Northern Ireland, respectively.

We recognise that each nation has its own user and respondent needs; however, we aim for harmonisation of census questions and topics where possible to produce UK-wide statistics that are consistent and comparable.

The 2011 NRS CE questionnaire was very similar to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) form, but the NRS did not ask a question about "age groups". Furthermore, while asking questions on "nature of the establishment", "groups catered for" and "management" in 2011, some response options to the questions "nature of the establishment" were worded differently to those on the ONS form.

The NRS are introducing an "age group" question asked separately for male and female residents on their CE managers form. For the nature of establishment question, there are some differences to the ONS. These include a response option for "immigration removal centre" under "Detention establishments"; a separate section on hostel or shelter that includes "shelter for the homeless"; and "religious establishment" being included under the "Other" subheading. Scotland's Census has been moved to 2022 following the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

On the NRS's individual questionnaire for CE residents, the front page asks if the respondent's position in the establishment, either a resident (for example, patient, student or member of Armed Forces); a member of staff or the owner; or a family member, or partner, of a staff member or the owner. You can view online the individual CE resident paper questionnaire and CE manager questionnaire that illustrates these differences.

For Census 2021, NISRA have made multiple changes to the CE manager questionnaire, which differ to the ONS CE questionnaire. The differences include asking a question on "age groups". The nature of establishment question has slightly different response option orders, for example, medical or care has "Care home with nurses" as the first response option, education has "University" as the first response option, and travel or temporary accommodation has "hostel/temporary shelter for the homeless" as the first response option.

NISRA recommend different response options when asking "Who is responsible for the management of this accommodation?"; the response options are "Health and Social Care body or group" and "District Council". You can view online the CE paper questionnaire that illustrates these differences.

References to tests take the form (Year: Test number). "Year" refers to the calendar year the test was undertaken in and the test number is the position of the test within the year considering all testing that took place in that year. For example, the fifth test conducted in 2017 would be referenced as (2017:5).

A full description of each of these items can be found in Summary of testing for Census 2021.

The individual questionnaire was also tested in user experience (UX). UX testing focuses on understanding user behaviours as people interact with online services. Through observation techniques, task analysis and other feedback methodologies, it aims to develop a deep knowledge of these interactions and what it means for the design of a service. The individual questionnaire UX testing did not focus on question design but on field procedures, and any spontaneous feedback from testing has also been considered throughout the questionnaire design process.