The Census asks questions about a person, their household, and their home. All data obtained through the Census information is anonymised, and the actual Census records are kept secure for 100 years. The data obtained from the Census helps to build a detailed snapshot of society. It helps the government and local authorities to plan and fund local services.
For example, Census data showing how many people work in different jobs and industries are used to develop new policies in relation to employment. Information on how people travel to work and how many cars they have contributes to roads and transport planning.
The Census carried out in Scotland in 2022 was co-ordinated by the Scottish Government.
Data is available for the 2022 Census on the Scotland's Census website. Through the link available at the top of the page, there is an option to search this data by council area, electoral ward, or postcode. This includes:
- Demography and migration - Where people come from.
- Education, labour market and travel to work - All about people's jobs, employment and education.
- Ethnic group, national identity, language and religion - How people identify themselves, their beliefs and their language skills.
- Health - People's general health and caring responsibilities.
- Households - Types of homes and the people living in them.
- Population - People and their living arrangements.