UK peeps ... Done your Census have you?

[Uncle Gizmo]

UK peeps ... Done your Census have you?

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Oh, do you guys do a decennial census? Or some other periodicity?

In the USA, 2020 was our most recent census year. I did that on-line about a week after the form came to the house.

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

decennial census

Yes Richard, was yesterday, Sunday. And online! First time online here in the UK I believe.

I thought some of the questions were unnecessarily "personal", a bit invasive.

Still, it's done!

 

[Jon]

I think I got my gender one correct: "Same gender as at birth." Phew!

 

[NauticalGent]

Is the census optional in the UK?

 

[Minty]

No, mandatory, £1000 fine if you fail to complete it.
Some of the questions are optional though, to do with religious views etc.

 

[NauticalGent]

No, mandatory, £1000 fine if you fail to complete it.
Some of the questions are optional though, to do with religious views etc.

I assume there is a consequence if you willingly falsify the information too. I THINK it is no longer optional here in the US. I refuse to complete it and at one point I even refused to submit my Federal taxes (I had no issue with State taxes). But my current wife is quite the conformist (with the exception of COVID avoidance!) and she brought me current - good thing too or my clearance would have been revoked.

I simply cannot get out of me own way sometimes!

 

[Minty]

There are times when "being difficult" or "Obstinate on Moral grounds" can end up hoisting you by your own petard.

I predominately have always just conformed based on the unerring believe that I'll get caught.

 

[NauticalGent]

own petard

And now I have an addition to my vocabulary. Is this forum great or what?!?!

 

[The_Doc_Man]

And for once, I'm not the person dredging up an old saying. Thanks, Minty, for proving that I'm not the only person here who coughs up old sayings.

 

[Isaac]

That's very interesting that it's mandatory and even with punishment. Here it is very common to just ignore it and nobody can force you. But of course, the government factors in response rate to their formulas and makes educated guesses I think.

I suppose making it mandatory is effective. But at the very least it should be a lottery entry for completing it!

 

[Minty]

I'm pretty certain that there are a number of "non-participants", however, if they are on the electoral register they will probably get a fine.
I'm not sure how it is policed.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Actually, Isaac, I believe it is illegal to refuse to respond at all to the U.S. Census. If you answer a couple of questions then you can in theory decline others if you got the long census form. The short form should be no trouble except for illegals and squatters.

However, there are too many people who do not respond and the police are frequently too busy with other crimes. Further, the census takers have trouble deciding whether they have a scofflaw or a pandemic victim who just isn't home at the moment.

I know when the census takers came around, I helped one of them by giving approximate dates when our neighbors moved out and put their home up for sale and when the new owners were expected to move in. She didn't ask me about family details, fortunately, because I would have been unable to supply what they needed.

 

[Isaac]

Interesting - I guess the impression I've gotten has been so common to ignore it that I nearly missed the somewhat important fact that ignoring it is illegal! I imagine I'm not the only one who never even knew that. Perhaps if they advertised that more, more people would respond. Thanks for the clarification.

To me the biggest problem is simply coverage. At least half of all census years that I can remember, I never even got asked to participate. Maybe I wasn't home when they came, maybe the mail never came to me, who knows. Just needs better organization or more people and resources I suppose.

 

[kevlray]

I cannot say about other countries. But in ours, there is a disbelief among the illegal immigrants that if they fill out the census, they could be kicked out of the country.