2011 Census this Sunday... a personal plea

[Stuart_C]

question 17 was for the welsh only, and was written in welsh, hence why it was left blank.

Well that's dull conspiracy based answers are much more amusig

[mattx]

Most likely not. However, they'll just summons you to court if you don't talk to them.

 

Will be interesting - they pop over or you are asked to appear at a court and you say, well I posted it / filled it in on-line - not my fault it got lost / misplaced / stolen / computer crashed etc. Must be very hard to prove.

[tech_guy]

My wife's Scottish and she ticked the box that she speaks English 'very well'...........

[witch]

My wife's Scottish and she ticked the box that she speaks English 'very well'...........

 

My children all ticked that one as well!

[CAM]

Picture of the nation ? It takes 3 years to sort though it all so even that is a waste of time as it will be 3 years out of date by the time they have it all. How can you base funding on childcare on data that's 3 years old ? That's daft !!

 

That was just a really basic example to prove my point that the census isn't just the government hoarding your data for a giant conspiracy. And as for 3 years, we all know the government moves slowly.

[tech_guy]

I think some of the questions were a little too invasive - particularly the one about which passports you currently hold.

[localzuk]

I think some of the questions were a little too invasive - particularly the one about which passports you currently hold.

 

Why is that invasive?

[witch]

Why is that invasive?

 

Well, it has been the case in recent times that they have not taken away someone's passport as they would effectively be stateless -so maybe if they know that you hold two passports, they can make a note that if you are a bad boy they can take away your British passport

[featured_spectre]

I hold 3 passports...

 

British

German

American

 

My dad is Quarter English, Quarter Scottish and Half American, and my mum is German, my birth got registered at US and German Embassies which entitles me to US, German and British Passports...great for when I go travelling, just pull out the appropriate ones

[witch]

I hold 3 passports...

 

British

German

American

 

My dad is Quarter English, Quarter Scottish and Half American, and my mum is German, my birth got registered at US and German Embassies which entitles me to US, German and British Passports...great for when I go travelling, just pull out the appropriate ones

 

I am amazed that you were able to get a US passport when you are effectively only one quarter American!

mrwITch is half what was then Yugoslavia but he couldn't have got a yugoslav passport when he was born

[featured_spectre]

I was classified as a "natural American born overseas", as was my dad. My granddad was one of the Americans that stayed over from the war.

[tech_guy]

I hold two passports but I don't think the government has a right to know the details.

[witch]

I was classified as a "natural American born overseas", as was my dad. My granddad was one of the Americans that stayed over from the war.

So what's the minimum amount of US blood you can have and still get a US passport?

[Andrew_C]

So what's the minimum amount of US blood you can have and still get a US passport?

Ask Obama?

[featured_spectre]

No clue...My daughter wasn't allowed to be registered, but since the early 90's, a massive heap of restrictions have gone on getting citizenship and passports. (I was reg'd mid 80s)

[FN-GM]

So what's the minimum amount of US blood you can have and still get a US passport?

 

I think if you are born on american soil you qualify for a passport. Even if your parents are not americans.

[featured_spectre]

That is true, as you are classed as a "natural born American" (as stated in their constitution). What a lovely system they have, however only the mother is allowed to stay with the child until said child is 18, at that point the mother applies for citizenship or gets deported.

[elsiegee40]

I think if you are born on american soil you qualify for a passport. Even if your parents are not americans.

 

I'm sure that I read somewhere that the US government is in the process of changing this and it won't apply soon.

[GrumbleDook]

I'm working towards getting my Irish passport as my Dad was British Irish (born in '38, served in RAF in 60s, lived in UK for most of his life).

 

As for completing the census ... the data may take ages to process but considering that some of the trends they are looking at are not linked to the needs of *this* Govt but of Govts over the years ... whichever govt is in power at the time (whether local or central) will use whatever data they have available but departments do not always share data ... partly because there are restrictions on what data is used and how it gets moved around.

 

Refusal to complete the census is a personal choice, but one that could affect others as even a handful of responses can make a difference. The use of the data for historical reference is important. For some people it can affect their nationality, for others links to medical histories, and for some it can have financial implications.

 

For all those stating about how the internet is changing everything ... don't forget that it is official documents which make a difference. Whilst the idea that the internet will hold everything forever ... it doesn't mean that it will be usable. If you look at old newspaper articles from the late 1900s they can give you a wealth of information but they are not usable for official purposes. The census is. Would you fail to register a birth or death? The usual counter-argument to this about people who choose to co-habit rather than marry ... but then you don't have the same legal standing ... that is why you have civil partnerships now.

[JJonas]

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01848/150311MATT_1848475a.jpg

[Achandler]

I've filled it, but I have to say it is useless. My other half is a Postgraduate, still at Uni (doing her PhD) but getting paid.

 

What is she on the census, a student, heck she is not even classed as "working". Lets times this by say the small group she works in, and all of a sudden we have 15 people all students, not earning (cos the government claim students don't work or get paid), they don't travel to "work", yet all 15 of them within the next few years will be "doctors" and be helping to shape the future of the country you would hope, afterall the government does talk about how reserach and development is a big future industry. This is only one research group in one office in one University, there are literally thousands more across the country.

 

And I know the questiosn can be interpreted different, but if we had said she was working, then loads of other questiosn are get stupid, how many hours do you work? Hmm well, she isnt contracted to any hours, so as many as she wants, not an option available.

[CAM]

Then she puts down how many hours she typically works a week. They aren't after the hard and fast number told by an employer but how many a person does.

[FN-GM]

As we was talking about it being a waste of money, this aspect certainly is: UK.gov uses purple-panted-berk to get 'young men' to do census ? The Register

[Avalon]

I think it is a giant waste of money.

 

why do they need me to fill in a form saying where I live, who I live with and my occupation. They have all details from council tax, Inland Revenue, medical records etc etc.

 

Can they not join the dots?

[SteveBentley]

I did mine online, and found the Job title field was too short for the official version of mine, and the tell us briefly about the kind of work you do was much too short!

 

I was surprised that it only asked for first and last name and not middle names, which would surely be of help to future genealogists to know they've got the right person?