The census as an information source in public policy-making

Abstract

This paper provides an assessment of the value of national population censuses as information sources with specific reference to UK census data and its use in policy-making. Mixed methods were adopted to collect quantitative and qualitative data from two sources: (a) a content analysis of policy documents; and (b) interviews with policy-makers in Scotland. The findings highlight that, although the general value of the census is recognized, policy-makers are not necessarily closely engaged with the census as a tool for directing the development and implementation of policy. This is evident, for example, in a lack of awareness of proposed changes to the census, and infrequent deployment of available data. The opportunity to change perceptions among policy-makers, and to expand the application of census data in public policy, is identified. With a novel focus on the deployment of censuses as sources of evidence for policy-making that includes the views of policy-makers from both within and beyond government, this work contributes to an established body of global research on international censuses.