Northern Ireland Census User Needs Consultation Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this consultation about?
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), on behalf of the Registrar General for Northern Ireland, is responsible for the census in Northern Ireland. NISRA wants to build on the success of Census 2021 and ensure that Census 2031 is underpinned by a comprehensive assessment of future user need.
This consultation is NISRA’s first step towards understanding what you need from Census 2031.
The consultation will ask about:
- your use of Census 2021 outputs and the key benefits of these, to
feed into a Census 2021 benefits realisation report;
- your future data needs, which will feed into content development for
Census 2031, including question design and testing; and
- your views about NISRA using alternative sources of information to support Census 2031.
Why is this consultation important? What will my response be used for?
The consultation will be used to help NISRA understand what users’ future needs are from the census. Future need for census topics will feed into subsequent legislative proposals, and research priorities for content development, including questionnaire design and testing.
Is this about the actual questions on the Census 2031 questionnaire?
No, this consultation will focus on identifying the topics for which information is required and not specific questions to be included on the Census 2031 questionnaire. Future need for census topics will feed into subsequent legislative proposals, research priorities and user engagement for content development, including questionnaire design and testing.
When is this consultation taking place?
Our consultation will take place from 28th October 2025 to 4th February 2026.
Is this consultation for the whole United Kingdom (UK)?
This consultation aims to understand user need for topics in a Northern Ireland Census 2031.
There will be separate censuses in Northern Ireland, England and Wales, and Scotland. Each jurisdiction will design their own questionnaires to meet local user needs but will also work together to align approaches where possible in the interests of coherence across the UK.
National Records of Scotland (NRS) launched a public consultation on 17th June 2025, to understand user needs for topics for a Scotland Census 2031. The consultation is open until 11th November 2025 and further information can be accessed on the NRS website. The ONS launched a Census 2031 Topic Consultation for England and Wales on 28th October 2025.
Who can take part in this consultation?
Everyone can take part. People can respond as an individual or on behalf of an organisation.
How do I take part?
Taking part is easy. Our consultation is available on a website called Citizen Space. To respond, simply follow the link to get started.
What if someone does not use the internet?
We appreciate that not everyone uses the internet. A paper version of
the consultation questionnaire (MS Word or PDF version) is available on
the NISRA
website and can be returned via email or post.
Alternatively, you can contact our consultation team on 028 9025 5156.
What is Citizen Space?
Citizen Space is an established public consultation website used by many people to view and take part in consultations, including public sector consultations. Citizen Space is easy to use and meets government accessibility standards.
How long will it take to complete this consultation?
The time to complete the consultation questionnaire will vary depending on how many subtopics/additional topics you choose to respond about. Each should take under 10 minutes to complete. We have included tick boxes and write-in options to make it easier.
What’s covered in the consultation questionnaire?
There are five sections:
Section 1: About you
Asks questions about you, such as your contact details.Section 2: Census 2021 Review
Asks about your past use of census data to inform a Census 2021 benefits realisation report.Section 3: Future need for existing census subtopics
Asks about your future need for existing census subtopics, to feed into content development for Census 2031.Section 4: Future need for additional topics
Asks about any new topics you would like us to consider including in Census 2031.Section 5: Public acceptability of the use of alternative data sources to support the census
Asks your views about the use of alternative data sources to support Census 2031.
Only questions marked as required need to be answered by all respondents. You can skip sections not relevant to you.
What is the difference between a topic and a subtopic?
A topic is a broad theme (e.g., Housing, Accommodation and Communal Establishments) and a subtopic is a specific part of that (e.g., number of rooms).
Census 2021 collected information about 39 subtopics, which can be grouped into 7 topics. A list of the 39 subtopics collected in Census 2021 are detailed in the Census User Needs consultation document.
Section 2 focuses on your past use of census data for topics. However, Section 3 asks about your future need for subtopics to include in Census 2031. We focus on subtopics here as we need you to be precise about what exactly you need.
How many subtopics/topics can I respond about?
The questionnaire on Citizen Space allows you to respond for up to 10
subtopics in Section 3 and up to 5 additional topics in Section 4.
If you would like to respond about more, just submit another online response using the same contact information in Section 1. This will allow us to link your responses. Note, if you are submitting another response, Sections 2 and 5 do not need to be completed again.
Do I have to complete it all at once?
No, you can fit it around when you are free. You can save your progress and return later.
How can an organisation respond?
Guidance for organisations with multiple respondents can be found on the NISRA website. We prefer one response per organisation, but we understand that this is not always possible.
What are alternative data sources?
Alternative data sources can include existing surveys or administrative data. NISRA is exploring the use of alternative data sources for Census 2031. The consultation will ask about your awareness of these sources, whether they meet your needs, and your views on using them to support or replace census questions.
What is survey data?
Survey data refers to information gathered from a smaller group of people with the aim of understanding the population as a whole. The group of people surveyed should be representative of the larger population. It can offer useful complementary insights to census data.
What is administrative data?
Administrative data (also called admin data) held by Government and other public bodies refers to information collected in the delivery of services. A range of admin data sources were used to support Census 2021; in data collection, data processing, and quality assurance. More detailed information on the use of admin data to support Census 2021 is summarised in section 9 of the Census 2021 General Report.
Who should I contact if I have technical difficulties with Citizen Space?
If you have any technical issues when completing the online questionnaire, please contact DoF Citizen Space Enquiries.
Who should I contact if I have any queries about the consultation?
For consultation-related queries, you can contact the consultation team via email: census2031.consultations@nisra.gov.uk or telephone: 028 9025 5156.
What happens after the consultation?
After the consultation is closed and the results moderated, we will publish a summary of the responses in Spring 2026.
Later in 2026, we will publish a report summarising NISRA’s full response to the consultation, including NISRA’s revised view on the topics to be included in Census 2031, next steps and an overview of our plans.