Census 2001 - Metadata

Glossary

Definition items are listed in the table below.  You can view the definitions by clicking on the appropriate link.

2001 resident population See Population Base.

Cross reference: Population Base 

Back to top h

1991 resident population  The count of all persons recorded as resident in households in an area, even if they were elsewhere on Census night, plus residents in communal establishments who were present in the establishment on Census night. In contrast to 2001, students and schoolchildren are counted as resident at their vacation address. Persons from wholly absent households are included.

In 1991 there was also a count of the population present in an area on Census night (Persons Present Population Base 1991). This information is not available for 2001.
Cross reference: Population Base  
Back to top h

Accommodation Type   Accommodation type describes the type of accommodation occupied by an individual household, or if unoccupied, available for an individual household, for example the whole of a terraced house or a flat in a purpose built block of flats.
Cross reference: Household Space  
Back to top h

Adult   In most output an adult in a household is defined as any person who is not a dependent child. In the univariate table giving the alternative classification of Household Composition the term adult is used to refer to any person aged 16 and over.
Cross reference: Dependent child,
Back to top h

Age  Age is derived from the date of birth question and is the age at a person's last birthday. Dates of birth that imply an age over 110 are treated as invalid and the person's age is imputed.  
Back to top h

All visitor household  A household that completed a census form but has no residents. All visitor households are classified as second/ holiday homes in output.
Cross reference: Second residence/holiday accommodation, Population base, Household resident

Amenities  Amenities include central heating, bath/shower and toilet.  
Cross references: Central Heating, Bath/shower and toilet
Back to top h

Area  The area in hectares on Census Day.  
Cross reference: Census Day 2001
Back to top h

Area of destination  In migration statistics, the usual address on Census day gives the area of destination. In travel statistics, the address of place of work (place of work or study in Scotland) gives the area of destination.  
Cross reference: Place of work, Place of work or study, Day-time population, Workplace population, Migrant
Back to top h

Area of origin  In migration statistics, the address one year before Census gives the area of origin. In travel statistics the usual address on Census day gives the area of origin.
Cross reference: MIgrant
Back to top h

Armed Forces  A member of the Armed Forces is identified by the occupation code 'Officers in Armed Forces' or 'NCOs and other ranks', so does not include civilians working for the Armed Forces.  
Cross reference: Occupation
Back to top h

Bath/shower and toilet  A household's accommodation is described as having sole use of bath/shower and toilet if it has a bath/shower and a toilet for use only by that household. 'Without sole use' means that the household has to share, or does not have, one or both amenities. The information is not available for unoccupied household spaces.  
Cross references: Household Space , Household, Amenities
Back to top h

Carer  See provision of unpaid care.
Cross reference: Provision of unpaid care
Back to top h

Cars and Vans  The number of cars or vans owned, or available for use, by one or more members of a household. It includes company cars and vans available for private use. The count of cars or vans in an area relates only to households. Cars or vans used by residents of communal establishments are not counted. Households with 10 or more cars or vans are counted as having 10 cars or vans.  
Cross reference: Household, Communal Establishment Resident
Back to top h

Census Day 2001  29 April 2001  
Back to top h

Census Night 1991  21-22 April 1991
Back to top h

Central Heating  A household's accommodation is described as 'with central heating' if it has central heating in some or all rooms (whether used or not). Central heating includes gas, oil or solid fuel central heating, night storage heaters, warm air heating and underfloor heating. The information is not available for unoccupied household spaces.  
Cross reference: Household space, amenities
Back to top h

Child  There is no age limit on the term child. For example, a married couple living with their son aged 40 would be classified as a family consisting of a married couple and their child unless the son has a spouse, partner or child living in the household.  
Cross references:  Dependent Child, Family
Back to top h

Cohabiting  Two people are described as cohabiting if they are living together as a couple but are not married to each other. This includes people living with a partner of the same sex. A cohabiting person might be married (to someone not resident in the household) but will not be shown as married or separated in the living arrangements tables. 
Cross references: Living arrangements,  Living in a couple
Back to top h

Cohabiting couple family  A cohabiting couple family consists of two people living together as a couple but not married to each other, with or without their child(ren). The child(ren) may belong to both members of the couple or to only one. Children are included in the family only if they are not themselves living with a spouse or partner and do not have any children of their own in the household. Cohabiting couples of the same sex are included. Cohabiting couples with their grandchild(ren) where there are no children in the intervening generation in the household are also included. 
Cross references: Same-sex couples, Cohabiting couple household, Family Type, Step family
Back to top h

Cohabiting couple household  In most tables the term 'cohabiting couple household' is used to describe a household that comprises a cohabiting couple family and no other person. In the alternative Household Type variable used in one of the univariate tables a cohabiting couple household is defined as a household which contains one or more cohabiting couples but no married couples.  
Cross references: Cohabiting couple family, One family and no others
Back to top h

Communal Establishment  A communal establishment is defined as an establishment providing managed residential accommodation. Managed means full-time or part-time supervision of the accommodation. 

In most cases (for example, prisons, large hospitals, hotels) communal establishments can be easily identified. However, difficulties can arise with small hotels, guesthouses and sheltered accommodation. Special rules apply in these cases:

Small hotels and guesthouses are treated as communal establishments if they have the capacity to have 10 or more guests, excluding the owner/manager and his/her family. 

Sheltered housing is treated as a communal establishment if less than half the residents possess their own facilities for cooking. If half or more possess their own facilities for cooking (regardless of use) the whole establishment is treated as separate households.  
Back to top h

Communal Establishment Resident  The basic 'Household Resident' definition applies when determining whether someone is a resident of a communal establishment. Where clarification is needed, a resident is any person who has been living, or intends to live, in the establishment for six months or more. People visiting the establishment on Census day who do not have a usual address elsewhere are also classified as a resident. Usual residents absent on Census day were left a Census form for statutory completion on their return to the establishment.

In some tables 'Residents' excludes members of staff and their families. 
Cross references: Communal Establishment, Visitor, Household Resident, Resident staff and family, Persons sleeping rough
Back to top h

Community Background  This variable is applicable in Northern Ireland only. It identifies a person's current religious group, if any, or the religious group brought up in for people who do not regard themselves as belonging to any religion.

The four categories of Community Background are:-Catholic; Protestant; Other Christian and Christian-related; Other Religions and Philosophies; and None.

The category 'Catholic' includes those respondents who gave their religion as Roman Catholic, Catholic Apostolic Church, Ukrainian Catholic, Greek Catholic, Palmarian Catholic or Catholic.

Responses have been categorised as 'Protestant, Other Christian and Christian Related' or 'Other Religions and Philosophies' on the basis of the best available information, although it is acknowledged that the categorisation of some of the smaller religions is open to interpretation.
Cross reference: Religion
Back to top h

Concealed family  A concealed family is one that does not include the Household Reference Person
Cross references: Family, Household reference person
Back to top h

Country of Birth  There are five tick box responses to the country of birth question: one each for the four parts of the UK and one for the Republic of Ireland. Where there is no applicable tick box, people were asked to write in the present name of their country of birth. The written responses are coded using the ONS Geography Classification of Countries. Countries are classified in output according to the geographical position rather than politics. For example, the Canary Islands are classified as North Africa rather than Western Europe even though they belong to Spain.  
Cross references: Ireland - part not specified, Language needs indicator
Back to top h

Current religion  See Religion
Cross references: Religion
Back to top h

Daytime Population  In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the day-time population is defined for people aged 16 to 74 as those people who do not work who are resident in the area plus all people who are working within the area. In Scotland it is defined as all people who are not working or studying who are resident in the area plus all people who are working or studying within the area.
Cross references: Night time population, Workplace population
Back to top h

Density (population)  See Population density
Cross references: Population density
Back to top h

Dental practitioners  People with occupation coded to SOC2000 code 2215. They are identified particularly in the table showing professional qualifications by occupation.
Back to top h

Dependent Child  A dependent child is a person aged 0-15 in a household (whether or not in a family) or aged 16-18 in full-time education and living in a family with his or her parent(s). This is a change from the 1991 definition which was a person aged 0-15 in a household or a person aged 16-18, never married, in full-time education and economically inactive. The revised 2001 definition has been agreed following consultation with users. An 'adult' in a household is any person who is not a dependent child.  
Cross reference: Adult, Child
Back to top h

.Distance travelled to work  Applicable in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The distance in kilometres of a straight line between the postcode of residence and the postcode of workplace. Not calculated for people working mainly at or from home, people with no fixed workplace, people working on an offshore installation or people working outside the UK. 
Cross references: Distance travelled to work or study, Population Base
Back to top h

Distance travelled to work or study  Applicable in Scotland only. The distance in kilometres of a straight line between the postcode of residence and the postcode of the place of the person's main job or course of study. Not calculated for people working or studying mainly at or from home, people with no fixed place of work or study, people working on an offshore installation or people working or studying outside the UK. 
Cross references: Distance travelled to work, Population Base
Back to top h

Dwelling  A  household's accommodation (a household space) is defined as being in a shared dwelling if it has accommodation type 'part of a converted or shared house', not all the rooms (including bathroom and toilet, if any) are behind a door that only that household can use and there is at least one other such household space at the same address with which it can be combined to form the shared dwelling. If any of these conditions is not met, the household space forms an unshared dwelling. Therefore a dwelling can consist of one household space (an unshared dwelling) or two or more household spaces (a shared dwelling).  
Cross reference: Household Space, Occupied dwelling, Vacant dwelling
Back to top h

Economic Activity  The Economic Activity questions apply only to people aged 16 to 74. They relate to whether or not a person was working or looking for work in the week before Census. The concept of Economic Activity is compatible with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition of economic status.
Cross references: Economically Active, Economically Inactive
Back to top h

Economically Active  All people who were working in the week before the Census are described as economically active. In addition, the category includes people who were not working but were looking for work and were available to start work within 2 weeks. Full-time students who are economically active are included but are identified separately in the classification. The economic activity questions are only asked of people aged 16 to 74.  
Cross references: Unemployed, Employed, Economically Inactive, Full-time student
Back to top h

Economically Inactive  Within the Economic Activity classification, a person is either Economically Active or Inactive. Specific categories of Economic Inactivity are: Retired, Student (excludes those students who were working or in some other way were economically active), Looking after family/ home, Permanently sick/ disabled and Other. A person who is looking for work but is not available to start work within 2 weeks is counted as Economically Inactive. Economic Activity questions are only asked of people aged 16 to 74. 
Cross references: Economically Active, Unemployed
Back to top h

Employed  Any person who did paid work in the week before the Census, whether as an employee or self-employed, is described as employed or in employment. 'Paid work' includes casual or temporary work, even if only for one hour; being on a government-sponsored training scheme; being away from a job/business ill, on maternity leave, on holiday or temporarily laid off; or doing paid or unpaid work for their own or family business.  
Cross references: Economically Active, Main Job, Unemployed
Back to top h

Employee  The distinction between employee and self-employed is determined by the response to the question 'Do (did) you work as an employee or are (were) you self-employed?' It relates to the person's main job in the week before the Census or, if not working in the week before the Census, their last main job. 
Cross references: Main Job, Self employed
Back to top h

Establishment  See Communal Establishment 
Cross references: Communal Establishment
Back to top h

Ethnic Group  The Ethnic Group question records each person's perceived ethnic group and cultural background. Although the questions differ between the different parts of the UK, the same detailed codes are used across the UK to code the write-in responses. In standard output the most detailed classification used is 16 groups (England and Wales), 14 groups (Scotland) and 12 groups (Northern Ireland).
Cross reference: Welsh Identity
Back to top h

Ethnicity  See Ethnic Group 
Cross references: Ethnic Group
Back to top h

Family  A family comprises a group of people consisting of a married or cohabiting couple with or without child(ren), or a lone parent with child(ren). It also includes a married or cohabiting couple with their grandchild(ren) or a lone grandparent with his or her grandchild(ren) where there are no children in the intervening generation in the household. Cohabiting couples include same sex couples. Children in couple families need not belong to both members of the couple. 
Cross references: Child, Family Reference Person, Cohabiting couple family, Lone parent family, Married couple family, Family Type, Step-family
Back to top h

Family Reference Person  In a lone parent family, the Family Reference Person (FRP) is taken to be the lone parent in a lone parent family. In a couple family, the FRP is chosen from the two people in the couple on the basis of their economic activity (in the priority order; full-time job, part-time job, unemployed, retired, other). If both people have the same economic activity, the FRP is identified as the elder of the two or, if they are the same age, the first member of the couple on the form.  
Cross references: Economic Activity, Family, Lone parent family, Cohabiting couple family, Married couple family
Back to top h

Family Status  This provides information on the family circumstances of a person in a household.
Cross reference: Family
Back to top h

Family Type  This classifies families into different types, whether a lone parent family, a married couple family or a cohabiting couple family. In some tables couple families are classified by whether or not there are any step-children in the family.  
Cross references: Family, Cohabiting couple family, Lone parent family, Married couple family, Step family
Back to top h

Floor level  See Lowest floor level
Cross reference: Lowest floor level
Back to top h

Full-time student  A full-time student is a person of any age who has indicated that they are a schoolchild or student in full-time education.

Full-time students and schoolchildren who are economically active are identified separately in the economic activity tables. They are not included in the other categories of economically active such as 'employees' or 'unemployed'. 

In tables on occupation and industry, where students are not identified separately, they are included under the appropriate occupation or industry.

In the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification all full-time students are recorded in the 'full-time students' category regardless of whether they are economically active or not.

The economic activity questions are only asked of people aged 16-74. 
Cross references: Economically Active, National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SeC), Students and Schoolchildren, Population Base
Back to top h

Full-time working  Working full-time is defined as working 31 hours or more a week.
Cross references: Hours Worked
Back to top h

Furnished accommodation  The distinction between accommodation that is provided furnished and accommodation that is provided unfurnished is applicable in Scotland only. It relates to all occupied household spaces that are rented or are provided rent free.
Cross references: Tenure
Back to top h

Gender  See Sex.  
Cross reference: Sex
Back to top h

General Health  A self-assessment of a person's general health over the 12 months before the Census.  
Back to top h

Health  See General health. 
Cross reference: General health
Back to top h

Highest Level of Qualification  In England and Wales, the highest level of qualification is derived from responses to both the qualifications question and the professional qualification question. For Scotland and Northern Ireland, it is based on the qualifications question. As the levels are derived from different questions they are not (or are only approximately) equivalent. 

England and Wales:
Level 1: 1+ 'O' level passes, 1+ CSE/GCSE any grades, NVQ level 1, Foundation GNVQ
Level 2: 5+ 'O' level passes, 5+ CSEs (grade 1). 5+ GCSEs (grades A-C), School Certificate, 1+'A' levels/ AS levels, NVQ level 2, Intermediate GNVQ
Level 3: 2+ 'A' levels, 4+ AS levels, Higher School certificate, NVQ level 3, Advanced GNVQ
Level 4/5: First degree, Higher degree, NVQ levels 4 and 5, HNC, HND, Qualified Teacher status, Qualified Medical Doctor, Qualified Dentist, Qualified Nurse, Midwife, Health Visitor

Scotland:
Group 1: 'O' Grade, Standard Grade, Intermediate 1, Intermediate 2, City and Guilds Craft, SVQ level 1 or 2 or equivalent
Group 2: Higher Grade, CSYS, ONC, OND, City and Guilds Advanced Craft, RSA, Advanced Diploma, SVQ level 3 or equivalent
Group 3: HND, HNC, RSA Higher Diploma, SVQ level 4 or 5 or equivalent
Group 4: First degree, Higher degree, Professional Qualification

Northern Ireland:
Level 1: GCSE (grades D-G), CSE (grades 2-5), 1-4 CSEs (grade 1), 1-4 GCSEs (grades A-C), 1-4 'O' level passes, NVQ level 1, GNVQ Foundation or equivalents
Level 2: 5+ CSEs (grade 1), 5+ GCSEs (grades A-C), 5+ 'O' level passes, Senior Certificate, 1 'A' level, 1-3 AS levels, Advanced Senior Certificate, NVQ level 2, GNVQ Intermediate or equivalents
Level 3: 2+ 'A' levels, 4+ AS levels, NVQ level 3, GNVQ Advanced or equivalents
Level 4: First degree, NVQ level 4, HNC, HND or equivalents
Level 5: Higher degree, NVQ level 5 or equivalents
Back to top h

Holiday accommodation  See Second residence/holiday accommodation.
Cross references: Second residence/holiday accommodation
Back to top h

Hours Worked  The question on how many hours a week a person usually works in their main job is used to derive whether a person is working full-time (31 hours or more a week) or part-time (30 hours or less per week).  
Cross references: Full-time working, Part-time working, Main Job
Back to top h

Household  A household comprises one person living alone, or a group of people (not necessarily related) living at the same address with common housekeeping - that is, sharing either a living room or sitting room or at least one meal a day.
Cross references: Communal Establishment, Household Space
Back to top h

Household composition  Households consisting of one family and no other people are classified according to the type of family and the number of dependent children. Other households are classified by the number of dependent children or whether all student or all pensioner.An alternative classification defines households by the age of the people in it. It takes no account of the relationships between people.
Cross references: Family, One family and no others, Dependent child, Pensioner
Back to top h

Household deprivation  This term is used in one univariate table. The classification is not related to the DTLR Index of Multiple Deprivation nor the NISRA Measures of Deprivation for Northern Ireland. It is one of the Alternative Household Classifications resulting from an ESRC project completed in 2001.

There are four dimensions of household deprivation defined. A household is 'deprived' in the following dimension(s) if:

Employment: Any member of the household aged 16-74 who is not a full-time student is either unemployed or permanently sick.

Education: No member of the household aged 16 to pensionable age has at least 5 GCSEs (grade A-C) or equivalent AND no member of the household aged 16-18 is in full-time education. [NB. For Scotland the education level is at least one Standard Grade or equivalent which is a lower level.]

Health and disability: Any member of the household has general health 'not good' in the year before Census or has a limiting long-term illness.

Housing: The household's accommodation is either overcrowded (occupancy indicator is -1 or less), OR is in a shared dwelling OR does not have sole use of bath/shower and toilet OR has no central heating.
Cross references: General Health, Occupancy Rating
Back to top h

Household Reference Person  The concept of Household Reference Person (HRP) is new in 2001 output. It replaces Head of Household used in 1991. For a person living alone, it follows that this person is the HRP. If the household contains only one family (with or without ungrouped individuals) the HRP is the same as the Family Reference Person (FRP). If there is more than one family in the household, the HRP is chosen from among the FRPs using the same criteria as for choosing the FRP (economic activity, then age, then order on the form). If there is no family, the HRP is chosen from the individuals using the same criteria. In 1991, the Head of Household was taken as the first person on the form unless that person was aged under 16 or was not usually resident in the household.
Cross references: Family Reference Person, Household
Back to top h

Household Resident  A household resident is any person who usually lives at the address, or who has no other usual address. For people with more than one address (e.g. Armed Forces personnel, people who work away from home) the usual address is where the person spends the majority of his/her time, unless they have a spouse or partner at another address. In the latter instance, the usual address is where the person's family resides. Students and schoolchildren studying away from the family home are treated as resident at their term-time address. 
Cross references: Household, Population Base, Students and Schoolchildren
Back to top h

Household Size  A household's size is the number of people resident in the household. It does not include students and schoolchildren living away from the household during term-time.  
Cross references: Household,  Population Base, Students and Schoolchildren
Back to top h

Household Space  A household space is the accommodation occupied by an individual household or, if unoccupied, available for an individual household.  
Cross reference: Household, Accommodation Type
Back to top h

In employment  See Employed  
Cross reference: Employed
Back to top h

Industry  The industry in which a person works is determined by the response to the question asking for a description of the business of the person's employer (or own business if self-employed). The responses are coded to a modified version of the UK Standard Industrial Classification of Economic Activities 1992 - UK SIC (92)
Cross reference: Main job
Back to top h

Inflow  The inflow of people to an area is a count of people who are resident in the area on Census day but whose usual address one year before Census was outside the area. It is not an exact count of people moving into the area because it does not include people who did not live within the area one year before Census but who had no usual address.  
Cross references: Migrant, Outflow
Back to top h