2021 census

Florine

I tried to have a go at starting the online version of the census form today.  First you have to log in with your 16-character code, then you start answering questions - as far as I've gone, only one question per webpage, then you click on the Save and Continue button, then on to the next question, and so on ...  I didn't notice any indication of what percentage of the survey I'd already done, but perhaps that's not practical if your answers to early questions dictate how many questions you end up answering.

What I wanted to ask is, how practical is this format for people with a variety of disabilities?  You're obliged by law to fill the census in if you're the householder for the property.  Is just working page-by-page like this, possibly with no indication of how many pages are still to come, a viable method with your disability/condition(s)?  I know you can request a paper copy of the census if you need one, but what I *would* have expected to see on the website, but couldn't find anywhere, was some sort of overview of the entire questionnaire so that you could see everything you were going to be asked in one place before you actually started to answer it - I can imagine that might be important for people with a number of conditions.  Perhaps I'm getting concerned over nothing, or is the format of the census ill thought-out with regard to people with disabilities?  Do let me know.

janer1967

Hi 

I did mine online and it wasnt that long to be fair but will depend on how many people live in your house 

If you got it in the post the paper copy should have been included so then you can see the whole survey questions in one place 

If you have trouble completing it you can ask for support 

mikehughescq

I’m struggling to imagine a scenario in which anyone would need to know the full range of questions in advance. There’s no other form of online gov.uk form where that occurs. Physically impossible in reality as it will vary with household competition but in general their clear statement that it should take 10 to 15 minutes seemed accurate to me. As someone with a complex VI I found it optimised very well and far easier than the paper version.

Florine

I wasn't actually thinking of vision problems: I could understand that the online version might actually be very good for that, because it was very cleanly laid out.  I was thinking more of people with certain mental health conditions, spectrum disorders, brain injuries, people who are unable to concentrate long enough to deal with the whole thing in one go, people who generally don't deal well with having surprises sprung on them/need time to mentally prepare the answers to questions ...  From reading accounts of people trying to explain the difficulties their various conditions cause them for PIP applications, I'd have thought this might be a problem for quite a few people, but I may be wrong.

wilko

The online version was easy to fill in and at most allowance for laughing at the alternative answers the wife was giving . Name John , sex male female or don’t know. We had great fun saying the wrong answers but do the correct ones in the end. Helped passed a hour with a coffee.

mikehughescq

As you can save before even answering a question and immediately after a question I still can’t imagine an issue.

OverlyAnxious

As someone with various anxiety based issues I often find it difficult not knowing how long a process will take.  I need to know a firm end time for everything to reduce anxiety as much as possible.  Not knowing whether there's another half an hour to get through, or just another few minutes, causes huge amounts of stress and can easily trigger panic depending on how the day has gone up until that point.  Of course, there are several situations in life where that's just not possible - road traffic, benefits assessments, illnesses, etc...

I'll be filling in my census online at the weekend.  From what I've read so far, it sounds like it'll be physically easier for me than filling in by hand.  Will see how the lack of timescale impacts but being able to save and return later sounds like a definite plus point. 

Oxonlady

Hi, @OverlyAnxious, if it helps, I completed the Census Form on my mobile last night. I found it really straightforward and it took me 20 minutes.

 But of course I only answered questions for myself. For  larger households it will take longer, as I expect questions will be asked for each member of the household. Having said that, it shouldn't take more than roughly 40 minutes.
I hope this helps. 

Globster

I filled my census online at the weekend does any know if get a receipt number once submit it by email?

mikehughescq

Certainly got an acknowledgment email but only if you ticked the box saying you wanted one.

Globster

thank you for your help

OverlyAnxious

Just filled in my census. 

Took around 30 minutes and was mostly straight forward.  Can't say I really noticed the lack of remaining time but had set aside half an hour for it beforehand.

Ross_Scope

As above, it took me around 30 minutes. I found it quite accessible when using it with a screen reader.