Forum Topic

The census: vital information or lavish waste of money?

Me, I read History so am with the census takers every timeBut it's ever so expensive and this may be the last one.Would that be a shame or a sensible tuning of our aspirations to our resources?

Sara Nathan ● 5674d13 Comments

I think it is important as it provides real hard data. Too often decisions are made based on who is shouting loudest in the media. For example, the last census showed that 73% of people described themselves as Christian, 15% said "no religion" and about 4% said Muslim. That surely should have put paid to both the secular politically correct lobby and the multicultural politically correct lobby which want to banish Judaeo-Christian principles from all aspects of every day life

Patrick Gray ● 5673d

.......... and there is a real need to find out exactly how many people are living in London.  More than the Government think I would suggest.  Just see how many people are waiting at Acton Central Station and 207 bus at 7.15 am in the morning.  Where do they all live?  We don't have that much new housing in Acton. Victoria Station was again closed yesterday morning due to overcrowding.

Dee Cook ● 5673d

And it does ask about how people travel to work, Doris, just to keep you happy.

Sara Nathan ● 5673d

I too would like to think that the census would tell us how many people are living in London. But I have my doubts. A couple of years ago Immmigration broke in to the house where my student daughter and her friends were living. They found 32 men of oriental orign living in the cellar without access to utilities. Cooking over an open fire.  They were arrested of course, but bailed the following day for inquiries. They disappeared immediztely are probably still living somewhere. The owner of the house wasn't even prosecuted. The girls knew they were working, but no serious attempt was made to find the employer.  I doubt this was an isolated incident. Will they or their employers fill tn the form correctly do you think?

Maire Lowe ● 5672d

I think if I had 32 people living in my cellar I would tell someone rather than waiting for the Immigration authorities to find them.

Nigel Williams ● 5672d

And how many of the "Christians" ever go to church or otherwise practice the religion they reflexively ticked?10% tops

Roy Gillett ● 5672d

Does going to church equate with having a residual religious identification? I would have thought not. The census doesn't ask for degrees of commitment, just self-identification.

Sara Nathan ● 5672d

All Councils rely on Census population statistics to get the government funding we need for public services.How much we get is directly related to how many and what kind of people the Census says live in our area.So even if the Census were to end up just a few households short, it could make a very real difference to people’s lives. So the more people there are the easier it is for Ealing Council to provide the Council services we need, ie. Schools, etc.No people = no services.

Dee Cook ● 5672d

In the term "residual religious identification" I think the really interesting word is "residual" What's the point of it? If somene never goes to church/temple/mosque, never prays, never opens their notional holy text and treats the major relgious holidays as an opportunity to either get bladdered or build a garden patio, in what meaningful sense are they followiong a religion at all?A country where so few people formally conduct any religious observance (including but not limited to churchgoing) can hardly be termed religious at all, whether (Judeo) Christian, Muslim, Hindu or Pastafarian

Roy Gillett ● 5672d

Are Pastafarians Italian?  Only joking

Nigel Williams ● 5672d

Dee is correct. Each person doing a census form will yeild a council about £2000 per year for the next 10 years. I have received it, filled it in, sent it off and have the t-shirt.Gary Malcolm

Gary Malcolm ● 5672d

I'm just not sure you can judge religious adherence by what they do as opposed as to how they feel. If they would get married in church or buried by a minister or even if they just think of themselves as belonging to a religion, how can anyone else judge the genuine nature of this?Me, I'm a card carrying and regular if not that frequent attender so no dilemma about what - merely whether to declare it on a census. But have decided to do so.

Sara Nathan ● 5672d

Roy, but when we die we have to be buried, burnt or otherwise.  This is a function of the Council (usually) - so an indication of what preference (religions) people have (buried facing Mecca, on consecrated ground, burnt, etc.) will have an effect on those trying to manage cemeteries, etc.  That is, how many burial places will be required over the next 100 years. Many cemeteries in London have little capacity for burials and are nearly full up.

Dee Cook ● 5672d