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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?.
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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
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