Census Day

A snapshot of British life is being taken, with Sunday the official day for people to complete the 2011 census. Every household in the country has been sent a form that asks who is living there as well as seeking details on jobs, education and ethnic background. The aim is to get an idea of who is living in the UK on a specific day, and how they live their lives. Filling the forms in is compulsory. This year for the first time households will be able to complete them online. The census has taken place every 10 years since 1801, apart from during World War II.

From the BBC News website

I received my census form two weeks ago, an official from Midlothian Council knocking on my door at 7.30pm on a Sunday evening to deliver the form in person. I'm assuming she was being paid double time for this - an excellent use of the Council's already stretched resources...

I have duly completed my form and shall post it back tomorrow. It will be interesting to see the results published in due course. Judging by the amount of times I hear OH MY GOD! being screamed, particularly by younger people, I'm wondering if the numbers of those pertaining to have a religion will have increased.

Most of the questions were straightforward about your own personal details and those living with you. I included details for my youngest daughter Michaela but I would have preferred more relevant questions such as:

How often does she borrow money from you?
How often does she pay you back?
How many times does she hog the bathroom for hours on end?
How many times does she leave said bathroom looking like a Turkish sauna?
Is the number of times she makes you a cup of tea related to question 1?
How many times do you have to tell her to slow down when you're in her car?
How much Valium do you take before entering said vehicle?

The answers to the above would provide a much more valuable snapshot of my life.  As for accuracy, it's interesting to note that National Census Day was the same day Scotland played Brazil in a football game in London - and the game was shown live on television. Methinks there may be a chance that, once the information is published, officials will discover the population of Scotland has reduced by several thousand...