Where do you come from? The changing nature of questions about migration in UK Censuses

Where do you come from? The changing nature of questions about migration in UK Censuses Oliver Duke-Williams School of Geography, University of Leeds o.w.duke-williams@leeds.ac.uk Paper presented at the Remaking Migration Theory conference Brighton, 13-14 May 2009

Where do you come from? • Questions about migration and mobility in the Census • Questions in the 2011 Census • Will they help to break down binary views? • Will the results be worthwhile?

Census questions • British / UK Censuses have asked various questions about migration and other aspects of mobility • Direct questions about recent migration • Questions about lifetime migration • Implicit questions about ‘others’ • Questions about temporary migration and shorter term mobility

A history of questions about migration • First British Census in 1801 • 1801-1831 Censuses simple aggregate head counts • 1841 Census first to have household schedule • Specific questions to be answered for all individuals • Questions about or related to migration asked in all Censuses from 1841 onwards

The Victorian Censuses • 1841 Census: two questions about migration • “Whether born in same county?” • “Whether born in Scotland, Ireland or Foreign Parts?” • 1851 Census: one question about migration • “Where born?” • Similar questions posed in subsequent 19th century Censuses

Source: Ravenstein, 1885 Victorian Censuses • Reservations about data quality • Respondents in different parts of Britain were given different instructions about how to answer • More information gathered in England and Wales than elsewhere • The questions established some information about migration within Britain over a person’s lifetime

Birthplace • Questions about place of birth have continued to be asked in all UK Censuses • For recent Censuses, these are reported with varying levels of detail at all geographies down to small area level

Direct questions about recent migration • The current ‘migration question’ in the Census considers recent migration as opposed to lifetime migration • The question was first included in the 1961 Census, and has been retained with minor changes in wording since then • The 1971 Census additionally included a 5-year transition question “What was your usual address one year ago?”

Direct question – answers • For those who were not at the same address one year prior to the Census most are prompted to write in an address • A few ‘special cases’ have been recognised with tick-box options • Aged under one • No fixed address (2001) • This covers a significant number of people, but is poorly defined • Mean proportion of migrants who had no fixed address: 6.6% • Range at Local Authority level is from 3.4% (Richmondshire) to 14.2% (Newham)

Questions about ‘otherness’ • Questions about nationality • All Censuses 1841 to 1961 • Questions about parent’s nationality • 1971, separate answers for mother and father • Questions about religion and ethnic group

Census questions about ethnicity • Question about ethnic group first included in 1991 Census • Question asks about both skin colour and region or country of ‘origin’ • White • Black-Caribbean • Black-African • Black-Other • Indian • Pakistani • Bangladeshi • Chinese • Other

Ethnicity: 2001 • The ethnicity question was revised in 2001 • Major categories remain the same, although wording changed • “Black” changed to “Black or Black British” • Introduction of additional major category, “Mixed” • White category subdivided

Questions about religion • Religion question used in 1851; debate over interpretation of results • No further use until 2001 • 1920 Census Act specifically prevented inclusion of religion • Amended for 2001 Census • Considerable debate over question wording • Religion is the only optional question on the Census form

Percentage of population reporting ‘Jedi’ religion, 2001: England and Wales, Local and Unitary Authorities Quartiles: 0.2% min, 2.6% max Source: ONS: www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=297 2001 debates • Both the ethnicity and religion questions prompted significant media interest and concerted campaigns • Campaign for boycott in Wales • Viral campaign for Jedi religion

Temporary and shorter term mobility • Inclusion of students a major issue for interpretation of results and analysis of change over time • 1991 – students included at parental home • 2001 – students included at place of study • Journeys to place of work and to place of study (Scotland) • Provides a ‘ghost’ of under-explored area of patterns of weekly commuting etc

2011 Census • Next census to take place on March 27 2011 • Not one census, but three • First post 9/11 Census in UK • Will include a number of new questions, including questions relating to migration

Migration in the 2011 Census • Direct one-year migration question to be included as usual • New questions • Date of entry to the UK • Length of intended stay

Date of entry to the UK • Year and month of most recent entry to the UK • 1971 Census included a similar question • Year of first entry • Results not included in 1971 Small Area Statistics • Longitudinal Study includes results • ‘Strong relationship between errors and year of entry’ • Error in interpretation of ‘first entry’

Length of intended stay • “Including the length of time already spent here, how long do you intend to stay in the United Kingdom?” • Less than 6 months • 6 to 12 months • More than 12 months • No precedent in Census for this question • Not planned in Scotland • Subjective and complex • Doubts over data quality

Citizenship and ethnicity • New or revised questions about citizenship, national identity and ethnicity • Citizenship: “Which passports do you hold?” • New question • Multiple answers allowed • National identity: “How would you describe your national identity?” • English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish, British, Other (write in) • Multiple answers allowed • Language spoken • New general question; specific previous questions in Wales, Scotland etc

2011 ethnicity • Ethnicity question again revised • Expansion of white groups • Change of Chinese in major groups • Explicit inclusion of Arab ethnicity

Second residences • Specific questions about second residences • Different approaches tested in England and Wales and Scotland • Question dropped in Scotland

Second residences • Do you stay at another address for more than 30 days per year?” • Tick reason • Armed Forces base • Another address when working away from home • Student’s home or address • Another parent or guardian’s address • Holiday home • Other

Second residences: Scotland • Different structure in Scottish tests • Give other address and reason • Further questions about time spent there • How many days a week? • How many weeks a year?

2011 Census • Are the questions worthwhile? • What will the data quality be like? • What will we be able to do with the results? • Will analysis of the questions promote less dichotomous views of migration?

Data quality • Direct migration question • Same question as in previous years • Inherent data quality will be the same • Usefulness in practice subject to output policies

Data quality • Date of entry • 1971 experience suggests poor response quality • Question may be hard to answer; target group more likely to have limited English language skills • Could be replaced with more general ‘when did you move to your current address?’ • Would apply to all people

Data quality • Length of intended stay • Subjective; answer may change • Intrusive • Target group may have more reason than others to be suspicious of question intentions • Surveillance of migrants • Legal implications • May be question-specific response problems • May affect overall response quality

Data quality • Citizenship, national identity and ethnicity • Citizenship problems for children? • Difficulties of national identity classification • New treatment of Arab ethnicity may cause suspicion in conjunction with other questions

Data quality • Second residences • Many reasons for having a second residence • Impossible to frame time-related questions that work • Real opportunity to expand ideas of internal migration, and relationships between migration and commuting • Only applies to limited sub-population • Output data has risk of being unusable

Comparison to other countries

Conclusions • Migration data are important to frame debates, although they tend towards binary structures • Census is best source of small area data • 2011 will see new questions • Questions on second residences will allow better analysis of several facets of migration • Question about intention to stay is poor and may harm overall response

Oliver Duke-Williams School of Geography, University of Leeds o.w.duke-williams@leeds.ac.uk

Where do you come from? The changing nature of questions about migration in UK Censuses