Scottish census disarray blamed on ‘public’s anxiety’

A SENIOR minister in Nicola Sturgeon’s government has suggested that Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is partly to blame for the pitiful response rate to the Scottish census.

Angus Robertson provoked ridicule from opponents yesterday when he claimed that public anxiety caused by “recent world events” had contributed to the survey descending into disarray.

More than a fifth of households have so far refused to complete the census ahead of an original deadline of Sunday, after it was delayed by a year by SNP ministers who blamed Covid.

In the rest of the UK, where the census went ahead last year as planned, the census was a major success with 97 per cent of households responding.

Mr Robertson claimed a 77.2 per cent response rate in Scotland was in fact “a substantial figure” in light of “everything happening in the world right now”.

He confirmed a report in The Daily Telegraph that the window for completing forms would be extended by a further four weeks, beyond the original deadline of Sunday, as more than 600,000 households are yet to respond. The unprecedented extension will cost an additional £9.7million, on top of the £21.6 million cost of delaying the census from last year.

The increased costs mean the census is now expected to cost taxpayers £148.3million in total.

“I understand that many people may be dealing with other concerns – recent world events have caused anxiety for many and have remained the focus of the media, quite rightly, in recent weeks,” Mr Robertson said.

“Closer to home, people are still dealing with the impacts of Covid-19 and the cost of living crisis, and given these challenges, I appreciate another ask of people is difficult. However, I cannot stress enough how important it is for the government to hear the voices of the remaining 604,000 households who are still to return [forms].”

Mr Robertson insisted the decision to put off the census for 12 months had been correct, despite experts believing it was a major factor in the far lower response rate.

A high proportion of census returns – well over 90 per cent – are usually needed to ensure that data, vital in deciding government funding and policies, is robust.