Developments in census taking in the last 25 years

This article looks back at censuses of population conducted since 1971. It identifies some of the most important changes with respect to questions asked, methods of collecting the census and the production of outputs. In particular it discusses the introduction of the ONS Longitudinal Study following the 1971 Census and the Samples of Anonymised Records following the 1991 Census. This article outlines some of the changes being introduced for the 2001 Census, including methods of dealing with under-enumeration and improved access to outputs.