Shaping the nations future – the history of Scotland’s Census
The direct impact of Scotland’s Census on the development of our country can be
traced back more than 200 years to when concern over an increasing population led
to the first regular census.
Arguments for taking a census in 1801 included finding out the number of men
eligible for conscription to the military and the number of seamen available to fight in
the Napoleonic wars. Information on the population was also necessary to help
understand how much corn was needed to help feed everyone. The first census
showed that Scotland’s population was nearly 1.6 million – around a third of today’s
population.
Scotland’s census was run from London from 1801 until the passing of the
Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Scotland) Act in 1854 which stated that
a complete and uniform system of registration of events was to be established and
maintained in Scotland. In the same year, William Pitt Dundas, the first Registrar
General for Scotland, was appointed. From 1861 to the current day, the census in
Scotland has been administratively separate from that in England and Wales. The
General Register Office for Scotland has taken a census every decade since, with
the exception of 1941 during the Second World War.
The content of Scotland’s 1861 Census was a little different from that in England and
Wales as it included a count of people who were temporarily absent from the
household on census night. This identified the number of fishermen at sea and
temporary migrants. To identify overcrowding a question on the number of rooms
with windows was included. It showed that, on average, each room with a window
was occupied by 1.7 people. This question was repeated in successive censuses
until 1951.
Throughout the later decades of the 1800s the content of the census remained
essentially the same with a few more questions being introduced. The 1871 Census
asked about unemployment and the 1881 Census was the first to include a question
on the Gaelic language. The number of habitual Gaelic speakers in that year was
recorded as 300,000 which strengthened the demand for more time to be allocated
to the teaching of Gaelic in Scottish schools.
By 1901 the census results showed that Scotland’s population had more than
doubled from 1.6 million a century earlier to 4.5 million and in 1911 census data
showed that Scots were migrating at twice the rate of the English. With the harsh
conditions of urban overcrowding at home and the lure of North America and Empire
countries abroad, the census in this year recorded the largest loss of population from
migration in one decade.
General Register Office for Scotland
Ladywell House, Ladywell Road, Edinburgh, EH12 7TF
Tel: 0131 334 0380 І www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk
The census had become established as a regular and necessary survey across
Great Britain by 1920. Registrars General Sir James Patten McDougall in Scotland
and Sir Bernard Mallett in England and Wales argued for a permanent Act of
Parliament removing the need for separate legislation for each census and the
Census Act 1920 was passed.
The early 1930s saw greater mobility and finding a single date during the year at
which local populations were likely to be stable was becoming difficult. A question on
usual residence was introduced to enable counts to be used for population
estimates.
Preparations for the 1941 Census were interrupted by the outbreak of World War II
which meant that there was no official count of Scotland’s population for 20 years
following the 1931 Census. Interestingly, the 1951 Census recorded the post-war
baby boom showing the largest age group as children under the age of four.
Technical advances saw the use of a computer to process the results of the 1961
Census and by 1971 the development of computer processing unlocked the potential
for significant increases in the volume and detail of the results for future years.
The 2001 Census was the first to be approved by the devolved Scottish Parliament.
New questions were added about general health, the provision of unpaid care, time
since last employment and two voluntary questions on religion.
Like Scottish society, the shape of the census has changed over time, with questions
being added or amended to reflect the needs of the population and to help prepare
for the future.
Registrar General Duncan Macniven, said:
“Scotland’s Census is unique in its capacity to chart our history and inform key
decisions about the level of services required.
“While it is a unique historical record it is important to remember that the census is a
living statistical mechanism that changes with society. The 2011 Census will reflect a
wider change in society by offering most householders the option to complete their
census questionnaire online for the first time, in English or Gaelic.
“One common aspect of every modern census has been the emphasis placed on the
security of personal details. All such information collected through the census is
safeguarded by law and kept confidential for 100 years. Only then will the individual
census records be available to future generations as a rich source of information
about 21st century Scotland.”
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General Register Office for Scotland
Ladywell House, Ladywell Road, Edinburgh, EH12 7TF
Tel: 0131 334 0380 І www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk