The 2011 Census: is it necessary?

[Paul E]

OK - imagine its 2111... your descendents are hunting for you.

What information do you think should be collected in the 2011 census to make the whole job 'easier'?

When I look back at my own life, I find I have lived in 15 different houses over a period of 40 odd years.  I've had five different jobs, and been married twice.

A snapshot every ten years would only catch four of the places I'd lived, and only two of the jobs.  It might even miss my marriage and divorce (especially is my two wives had the same name and age - thankfully not the case).

So what info could a census collect that it doesn't currently that would help untangle some of this?

Paul

[leagen]

It could ask for Town and State names you lived past 10 years and have there been any  name changes .  Also "Have you (m) or (div) past 10 years?" And "Does your place of birth Match what you reported 10 years ago?"  And "Please state job place if different than 10 years ago."    Leagen

[Paul E]

Or even better - lets make the credit card companies responsible for the census - they seem to track you hour by hour!

Paul

[bonjedward]

I wonder if censuses are still relevant? If the authorities are careful about keeping all the records they have on us - tax, social security, etc, that would provide much more information.
In Denmark, which is admittedly much more centralised and bureaucratic than Britain, census taking was abolished in the 1970s when everyone was issued with a unique computer ID number - your date of birth plus 4 control digits. Initially, the promise was that it would only be used in the citizens dealings with the state, but these days you can't open a bank account, go to evening classes, or even rent a video without showing it.
Since your date of birth is part of the ID number, it also means that "you don't ask a lady her age" is now quite irrelevant.

In Denmark, you must report your new address to the council within a few days of moving, or face prosecution.

On the other hand, there's the risk that no information will be available at all in a 100 years' time, unless someone comes up with a method of storage that doesn't need frequent maintenance. How many of the documents from the last 1000 years would have survived if they, like CD-ROMS, needed recopying every 7 years or so?

[Paul E]

I wonder if censuses are still relevant?
...

On the other hand, there's the risk that no information will be available at all in a 100 years' time, unless someone comes up with a method of storage that doesn't need frequent maintenance. How many of the documents from the last 1000 years would have survived if they, like CD-ROMS, needed recopying every 7 years or so?

Davis

I think you have a point here.  Apart from anything else, e-mails are unlikely to be available to historians in the way that letters are.

But re the census, I agree that there is a wealth of data out there that's not likely to be around for the future.  Big shame.

Maybe someone should persuade some foundation or other to fund the maintenance of a vast archive for the future?

Paul

[Janed]

Having recently arrived in Canada just before the last census(2000?) i was shocked at some of the questions that I wa expected to answer. Apparently I was lucky or unlucky to receive  the long form of the census. This involved questions on exact income down to the last cent, utility bills to the last cent etc.  Virtually every piece of possible expenditure was examined. This was then followed up by phone calls questioning you on whether the information that you had provided was correct. Privacy seemed to be missing.

However in true Canadian bureacratic style there was a question on ethnic background I took it seriously and about them about 8 possiblities thanks to my family history research

[leagen]

Paul, the LDS Are putting all records into a large cave in Utah because they feel the world as we know it will be destroyed and they want records saved for any one who survives to find so that the past Isn't forgotten.  They just happen to put info online too for us to access now.   Leagen

[Paul J Ballard]

On the other hand, there's the risk that no information will be available at all in a 100 years' time, unless someone comes up with a method of storage that doesn't need frequent maintenance. How many of the documents from the last 1000 years would have survived if they, like CD-ROMS, needed recopying every 7 years or so?

The currently accepted life-span for optical and CD-R media is 30 years, still a chore but not as bad as once every 7 years.

Of course the question posed to a bunch of dedicated family historians is moot really since we will all leave perfectly documented and referenced accounts of our lives 

For those not interested in family history I think that many already believe that Government is too intrusive and would probably be in favour of putting less information on the census. In the UK, Government is not yet well enough "joined up" to stop taking a census, there is no single personal identity for one thing but the ID card is likely to change all that. 

I know of several countries who are investigating large scale genealogy databases so that they can maintain pedigrees for all of their citizens - now that IS worrying!

Paul

[Berlin-Bob]

In Germany there are some bits and pieces of older, local censuses here and there, but the newer, official census is

a) only for statistical purpose, i.e. no names, no pack drill !

b) irregular.  The last one I know of was in 1987. Although the government constantly emphasized that only statistical data was being collected, that all forms would be anonymous, etc, etc, many people protested, even threatening to burn the census forms !

After this census, the gov. decided to do a mini-census - 10% of the population - and extrapolate statistical findings. Since then Census has never been mentioned here !

As it was suggested in the 1987 census debate that the data being collected was already available in different government databases, I strongly suspect that any statistical analysis is now being done quietly, by linking databases !

The attitude here to the census is more understandable, when you consider recent german history:
 
- Germany arose out of the prussian state, and the prussian bureaucrat mentality dies hard !
Data is collected 'en masse', (for instance, there is obligatory registration of domicile, within 14 days of moving, for everybody), but only 'authorized' persons are allowed to see it.

- Reading a book on german Ancestor Research, I came across this passage. The gist of it (my very free translation) is:

During the National Socialist period it was obligatory for every family to have an Ancestry Book ('Sippenbuch'). This book was a genealogical record of the family, going as far back as possible. Loyal party members were even allowed access to otherwise unavailable records, to help them fill out this book.

Sounds like Genealogist's Heaven, doesn't it ! ... until you read on ....:

These books were used by the (Nazi-) Party to establish that you were a 'true' aryan. Any non-aryan blood could be more easily spotted and the whole family marked as 'suspect', discriminated against, etc. The Nazis had an 'Office for Genealogical Research' with plans for a later 'Ministry of G.R.', which would have had wide reaching powers to act upon 'unfavourable' data, and not just collect it !

I think we all know what THAT means ! Given the above, it is not surprising that for many, many decades after the war, the whole idea of genealogical research was tainted !