ABSTRACT
The planning and execution of the decennial population is a vast and complex undertaking, often described as the largest peacetime operation carried out in the UK. It is certainly the largest statistical exercise, affecting every individual and household. This chapter will describe key elements that went into the years of planning and testing involved in preparing for the main field operation around census day, 27 March 2011, and later to process census returns and publish the results. A number of innovations were introduced for the 2011 Census, such as an address register, questionnaire tracking, a flexibly deployable field force in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and online completion in all parts of the country. The development and testing of these and other key aspects of a successful census operation are covered, including questionnaire design, stakeholder engagement and publicity, and, latterly, the systems and statistical methods to process, clean, validate and adjust the census returns before publication. Key operational differences between the three censuses in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will also be highlighted.
