Census 2021 (FOI)

Request

Can the results of the 2021 Census be published.

Why has the 2021 Census results not been published as of this date ?. 

Response 

The 2021 Census data is still being processed; therefore the results are not yet available. As explained in the Publication release schedule, the 2021 Census results are expected to be released, as for the 2011 Census, through a series of individual bulletins which are provisionally scheduled to be published in Quarter 1 – Quarter 2 2022, starting on Wednesday 13th April 2022. Article 36 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 (information intended for future publication) has therefore been applied. 

 Publication release schedule (Statistics Jersey) (gov.je)  

Article applied 

Article 36 - Information intended for future publication 

Information is qualified exempt information if, at the time when the request for the information is made, the information is being held by a public authority with a view to its being published within 12 weeks of the date of the request. 

A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant – 

(a)     of the date when the information will be published; 

(b)     of the manner in which it will be published; and 

(c)     by whom it will be published. 

Article 36 is a qualified exemption, which means that a public interest test has to be undertaken to examine the circumstances of the case and decide whether, on balance, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information. 

Public interest considerations favouring disclosure 

• disclosure of the information would support transparency and promote accountability to the general public. 

Public interest considerations favouring withholding the information

• It is intended to publish bulletins relating to Census data within 12 weeks of the receipt of this request on www.gov.je. The information is currently being collated prior to publication and therefore it is not possible to release it at this stage.