What is a census
A census asks questions about you, your household and your home.
It helps us:
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build a detailed picture of who we are as a community and how we live together
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understand what our society looks like now and how it might change
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get the most accurate estimate of the number of people and households in Jersey
Jersey's census takes place every 10 years.
The most recent census took place in 2021.
The information received is used by Government to develop policies and plan services such as:
- schools
- healthcare
- housing
- transport
It's also used by businesses, the public and family historians after 100 years.
Census results and data
The census and the law
The Jersey Census is carried out under the
Statistics and Census (Jersey) Law 2018.
This law appoints Statistics Jersey as the legal entity to run the Jersey Census, ensures we're independent, and sets out strict rules for how we collect, analyse and distribute information. It also ensures that information is protected and kept strictly confidential.
It's a legal requirement to complete the Jersey Census. Refusing to complete the census or supplying false information could result in a fine.
About statistics in Jersey
Protecting your data
Census information is confidential and protected by the:
Jersey Statistics take their responsibility to protect census data very seriously. We keep personal information strictly confidential and do not share it with other Government departments or individuals.
Everyone working with personal census information signs an undertaking that they'll keep the information confidential or face prosecution.
Individuals are not identifiable from the final census report since we only publish grouped statistics.
Once we publish the final report we put the census forms into secure archive storage. Census records are stored securely for 100 years, after which time they are made publicly available for future generations.
Census privacy policy
How we develop the questions
In deciding which topics to include in the 2021 Census, Statistics Jersey consulted with:
- States Members
- Government officers in Jersey
- professional statisticians in the UK
We also researched censuses in other countries.
The cases made for specific topics by census users were balanced against:
- the public acceptability of the questions
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whether or not they could be asked in a way that gives reliable information
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whether there were alternative methods of collecting the information
The number of questions were kept to a minimum to ensure that the questionnaire was quick and easy to fill in.
The census in 2021 introduced new questions on health and disability. There were also new voluntary questions about sexual orientation and gender identity.
The census questions were then approved by of the States of Jersey Assembly.
Collecting census information
For the census in 2021 the Island was divided into Enumeration districts. There was a Census Officer responsible for checking that all dwellings in their district were included in our residential address list ahead of Census Day.
Questionnaires were delivered by post. A small number of questionnaires were delivered by hand to households which were difficult to reach such as lodging houses.
Households had the option to complete their census online for the first time.
Households were asked to provide details of all those who were usually resident along with any visitors at the household on census night.
Households who did not return their census form were sent a reminder and replacement questionnaire before being visited by a special team of Collection Officers, multiple times where required.
The follow-up of non-responding households continued for several months.
The Census Office checked and processed census questionnaires from all the households and communal establishments across the Island.
A careful process of validation was carried out against administrative data sources to ensure the final census numbers were consistent with the known sections of the population.
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