Artwork encourages all to fill in census form
Oban households were being inspired to fill in census forms this week with help from a piece of artwork on tour, writes Kathie Griffiths.
Scotland Connected was specially created by Spanish artist Pilar Garcia de Leaniz to let people know just how important it is to take part in the census.
The artwork, one of two versions travelling round the country, landed in Station Square on Tuesday as part of a roadshow before ending up in Edinburgh on Sunday March 20 – official Census Day.
The census is a unique count of everyone in Scotland; it is used to plan vital public services and inform investment in areas such as education, transport, health and social care. For the first time it is expected the majority of responses will be made online but there are paper questionnaires available. More than 2.5 million households representing more than 5.5 million people began to get letters last month with information on how to join in. And communities have been getting the chance to colour or ‘fill in’ the artwork as it tours round – ready for the big Edinburgh unveiling.
The census asks questions on a range of topics, including the types of accommodation people stay in, household relationships, age, sex, health and employment status. New questions for the 2022 census include use of British Sign Language (BSL), passports held, sexual orientation, trans status and previous armed forces service history.
Pete Whitehouse, director of Statistical Services for the National Records of Scotland (NRS), said: ‘It’s really important that everyone participates in the census, whether online or by paper form.’
A census of the population has been taken every 10 years in Scotland since 1801, with the exception of 1941, because of the Second World War and in 2021 due to the Covid pandemic. Help is available from census.gov.scot or via a free helpline on 0800 030 8308.