The census is almost upon us, and the entire BAME community must be counted.
Run by the Office for National Statistics, the census is a once-in-a-decade survey that gives us the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in England and Wales. It has been carried out every decade since 1801, except for 1941.
Census day is March 21, with results available in 2022. However, personal records will be locked away for 100 years, kept safe for future generations.
The census will shed light on the needs of different groups and communities, and the inequalities people are experiencing, ensuring the big decisions facing the country following the pandemic and EU exit are based on the best information possible
Census 2021 will highlight areas of deprivation. It will show the ethnic makeup of the country. Along with that, it will provide information on our living arrangements, health, education, and the jobs we do. The data from it will help inform policy at a local and national level for years to come.
Sanjay Jagatia is a community advisor working on Census 2021, which encourages the British Asian community to participate.
“Census 2021 is a once in ten years process worth caring about by the South-Asian diaspora in the UK,” he said. “It has implications far beyond merely ticking boxes on a form. The data collected via the census impacts representation, funding, public policy, and many other processes and systems that shape our daily lives in the UK.
“The South Asian community needs to participate in making sure government resources, such as funding for schools, health, housing and roads, are distributed legally. To achieve this, we should all engage in this vital piece of work.
“It is important to remember that all individual responses are confidential. Many within our community may hold misconceptions about how the census data is stored. They fear that their information will be handed over to other government and statutory agencies with negative consequences. Please be assured that this is not the case.”
“We need to educate each other on the importance of the census and encourage people to take part.”
Census 2021 will be the first to be run mostly online, with households receiving a letter with a unique access code in March, allowing them to complete the questionnaire on their computers, phones or tablets.
Paper questionnaires will also be available on request, along with language support. People will also be able to complete the census over the phone with help from trained staff via 
our freephone contact centre.
The ONS aims to provide in-person support to complete the census online through Census Support Centres where it is safe to do so.
The census will include questions about your sex, age, work, health, education, household size and ethnicity. With options to allow everyone to identify their nationality, ethnic group and religion as they wish.
For more information, visit https://www.census.gov.uk.
