Scotland's Census 2021 Topic Consultation

3. Topics under consideration for collection in Scotland's Census 2021

This section sets out the initial view of NRS on each of the topics currently under consideration for collection in Scotland's Census 2021. Each topic has been organised into a set of sub-topics and the initial view for that sub-topic is presented, using the classification system set out in the table below.

Initial view	Definition
Collect	Propose to include based on current understanding of user needs and quality considerations.
Further information required - existing topic/question[2]	Where further information is required for an existing census topic/question, based on quality considerations and/or to better understand user need for 2021.
Further information required - asked elsewhere in the UK in 2011	Where further information on user need is required for topics/questions not included in Scotland but asked elsewhere in the UK in 2011, to understand user need for 2021.
Further information required - not asked in 2011	Where further information on user need is required for topics/questions not included in any of the UK censuses in 2011, to understand user need for 2021.

Table 1 below provides a summary of NRS' initial views on the topics currently under consideration for collection in the Scotland's Census 2021.

Table 1: Summary of topic recommendations

Topic	Collect	Further information required - existing topic/question	Further information required - asked elsewhere in the UK in 2011	Further information required - not asked in 2011
Housing and accommodation	Accommodation type Self-contained accommodation Tenure and landlord (if renting)	Number of rooms Type of central heating Cars or vans	Number of bedrooms
Basic demographics and household composition	Sex Age Marital or same-sex civil partnership status	Student status Household and family relationships	Second address
Migration	Country of birth Address one year ago	Date of arrival in the UK	Type of migration Citizenship
Travel to work or place of study	Method of transport	Address of place of work Address of place of study
Ethnicity and national identity	Ethnic group	National identity
Language	Gaelic language	Scots language English language Other languages
Religion	Religion
Health and care	General health Long-term health problem or disability Unpaid care	Long-term health conditions
Educational attainment	Qualifications held
Labour force and socio-economic classification*	Economic activity Occupation Industry	Year last worked Supervisory status Hours worked	Voluntary and unpaid work
Sexual orientation				Sexual orientation
Income				Income

*NRS intends to collect the range of information needed to derive National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SeC).

You can access a copy of the 2011 household questionnaire via Scotland's Census website: http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/documents/Householdpre-addressed27_05_10specimen.pdf.

3.1 Housing and accommodation

Sub-topic	Initial view	Collected in 2011?	Comment
Accommodation type Self-contained accommodation	Collect	Yes	Provides housing stock information; including the number of household spaces within dwellings.
Number of rooms	Further information required - existing topic/question	Yes	Provides information on housing stock. Information on number of rooms is required by Eurostat in lieu of floor-space. Further information is required to better understand user need for 2021.
Type of central heating	Further information required - existing topic/question	Yes	Collected for the first time in 2011. The previous question (whether the accommodation had central heating or not) was changed to collect information on type of central heating, offering users additional insight on deprivation and fuel poverty. Further information is required to better understand user need for 2021.
Tenure and landlord (if renting)	Collect	Yes	Provides housing stock information and details on tenure.
Cars or vans	Further information required - existing topic/question	Yes	Provides information to inform traffic planning and historically has been used to provide a proxy measure for deprivation/affluence. Further information is required to better understand user need for 2021.
Number of bedrooms	Further information required - asked elsewhere in the UK in 2011	No	Please see section 4.4 for commentary.

Data from questions about accommodation type (collected since 2001), self-containment (collected since 1971) and tenure (collected since 1961) feed into the estimates of housing stock that are used for national and local government planning purposes. Key household outputs of the census are based on responses to these questions. An increasing need for detailed information on housing (to monitor the effects of the UK Government's Welfare Reform programme) was highlighted by users via the Beyond 2011 consultation in 2013. Due to the known requirements, NRS intend to collect information on accommodation type, self-containment and tenure in 2021.

Information about number of rooms has been collected in Scotland since 1861^[3] and provides information about household overcrowding and under-occupation. The question however is complex, requires detailed guidance and the CQS showed that it was poorly answered in comparison to other household questions, with an agreement rate of 88.6 per cent. This was however a significant improvement on the 2001 figure of 77.5 per cent.

A question on availability of central heating was asked in Scotland in 1991 and 2001. In 2011 the question was expanded to collect information on type of heating, since the question asking whether central heating was available or not was considered largely redundant. Information on type of central heating allows additional insight on deprivation and fuel poverty. Policies in place to promote the use of renewable heating technologies may also mean that census information would be beneficial to understanding the impact of these on the mix of central heating types in the future. NRS require further information to better understand user need for 2021.

A question about the number of cars or vans available for use by households has been asked in Scotland since 1971. This information has historically been used to provide a proxy measure of affluence / deprivation. It also assists central and local government with transport planning, but census data about the methods of travel to work and residence to workplace flows are likely to be more useful for these purposes. Hence, NRS require further information to understand whether there is a continuing requirement to collect information about the number of cars or vans available for use by households in the 2021 Census.

3.2 Basic demographics and household composition

Sub-topic	Initial view	Collected in 2011?	Comment
Sex	Collect	Yes	Essential demographic information.
Age	Collect	Yes	Essential demographic information. Age is derived from date of birth.
Marital or same-sex civil partnership status	Collect	Yes	Essential demographic information. Response categories to be reviewed in light of the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014
Student status	Further information required - existing topic/question	Yes	Essential demographic information. Further information is required to better understand user needs and to ensure they are being met by the detail of the information being collected.
Household and family relationships	Further information required	Yes	Essential demographic information. Further information is required to better understand user need for data on household relationships. The question asked in 2011 did not work well and was difficult for respondents to answer.
Second address	Further information required - asked elsewhere in the UK in 2011	No	Please see section 4.3 for commentary.

Basic demographic information is essential for the majority of census outputs and is assumed to be a key requirement of census users. In this context basic demographic information is considered to be age, sex, legal marital or same-sex civil partnership status, student status and household and family relationships.

Consultation in 2013 as part of the NRS Beyond 2011 project confirmed the already well-established user need for population data by age and sex - particularly at lower geographic levels. It also confirmed a need for a range of age breakdowns in census outputs, for example outputs covering single years of age up to age 100. Population counts by single year of age and sex are also essential for the production of mid-year population estimates.

The 2011 Census collected information on legal marital and same-sex civil partnerships. We expect that there will be a user requirement for the 2021 Census to take account of the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act, which allows same-sex couples to marry - or to convert civil partnerships to marriage - in Scotland from December 2014. This being the case, the response categories required would be reviewed accordingly, to best meet this need.

Information on student status has been collected in the census since 1851^[4]. In 2001 and 2011, information was collected to identify schoolchildren and students in full-time education. Information about whether they live at home, or at a different address during term-time has also been collected since 1991, to identify where they should be counted as 'usually living' for census purposes. Currently, the student questions asked in the census, along with those about economic activity, allow identification of full-time students who are part of the labour force (whether employed or unemployed), but not part-time students who are also employed.

Analysis of 2011 data suggests that some respondents were confused by the 'student status' question, evidenced by a sizeable undercount of schoolchildren identified by the census, as compared to the school census. NRS intend to review the information collected to ensure that the questions can be answered easily and accurately and better serve operational requirements. The review will also consider whether additional questions are necessary to achieve this; for example collecting information on level of education. Further information is required by NRS to better understand user needs for data relating to students.

The census provides detailed information on the social composition of families and households that is not available from any other source. The 'household relationship matrix' question was revised for 2011, to make it easier for respondents to understand how they should respond. Despite this, the question still proved problematic for people to answer, both on the paper and online questionnaires. The agreement rate for 'relationship to person 1' as measured by the Census Quality Survey (CQS), was 97.2 per cent and while agreement rates were not calculated for other relationships, the quality of the responses provided generally decreases as the number of people in the household increases. The survey also showed that the most common type of error made was for relationships to be recorded the wrong way round (for example, "mother or father" instead of "son or daughter").

Increasing or emerging requirements in relation to household and family structures were reported to NRS via the Beyond 2011 consultation, related to the increasing complexity of household types and structures and policy requirements, such as the UK Government's Welfare Reform programme. To ensure that the best approach to collecting the correct information in 2021, NRS requires further information to better understand specific user needs for data on family and household relationships.

As well as information about people in households, the census also collects information about the population living in communal establishments, such as care homes and prisons. As in previous censuses, NRS does not intend to collect information about relationships between people living in communal establishments.

3.3 Migration

Sub-topic	Initial view	Collected in 2011?	Comment
Country of birth	Collect	Yes	Country of birth information is a key indicator of population change through migration.
Address one year ago	Collect	Yes	Address one year ago is used to identify internal and international migration.
Date of arrival in the UK	Further information required - existing topic/question	Yes	Information on date of arrival in the UK contributes to better understanding of patterns of international migration. Further information is required to better understand user need for 2021.
Type of migration	Further information required - asked elsewhere in UK in 2011	No	Please see section 4.5 for commentary.
Citizenship	Further information required - asked elsewhere in UK in 2011	No	Please see section 4.6 for commentary.

The 2011 Census allowed identification of international migrants via two questions - country of birth, and usual address one year ago. Most recent migration to the UK was also used to classify international migrants by their length of residence. Address one year ago was used to identify migration within the UK. Data derived from these migration questions was used extensively in analyses published by Scottish Government on characteristics of migrants; additionally migration data was used to inform mid-year estimates, population projections and estimates of migration. NRS intend to continue to collect information on country of birth and usual address one year ago in the census in 2021, to allow production of information on internal and international migration.

The 2011 Census included, for the first time, a question on most recent date of arrival in the UK (for those born outside the UK) in order to better understand patterns of international migration and characteristics of different groups of international migrants. This enabled the identification of individuals' migration history, alongside health, social and labour market questions to obtain a clearer view of different types of migrants and their socio-economic outcomes, down to low geographic levels. This in turn facilitated assessment of the social and economic outcomes of different migration cohorts over time. Since this was a new question in 2011, further information is required by NRS to understand user need for 2021.

3.4 Travel to work or place of study

Sub-topic	Initial view	Collected in 2011?	Comment
Address of place of work	Collect	Yes	Data on travel flows to places of work are widely used across central and local government for service provision and planning.
Address of place of study	Further information required - existing topic/question	Yes	Information on address of place of study provides useful additional information on travel flows. The combined question on work and study address does not work well and so further information is required to better understand user need for address of place of study in 2021.
Method of transport	Collect	Yes	This information is widely used across central and local government for planning and monitoring transport policy.

Information on travel to place of work has been collected in the census since 1971, with travel to place of study also being collected in Scotland from 2001, providing both addresses of work or study locations and method of transport used to get there. The travel flow data are widely used by central and local government, to inform development of transport planning policy and provision of public transport services, particularly where congestion is a problem.

These data are most often analysed with those on ' Home Address', to understand commuter flows, and the 'Origin - Destination' products, produced to facilitate this, are among the most requested and analysed census outputs.

The combined question on address of place of work or study introduced in 2001 has not worked well. It requires respondents who both work and study to make a choice between reporting the address of their work or course of study address, based on where they spend the most time. Consultation in 2006 and 2007 showed that whilst the majority of respondents supported continuing to gather information on both travel to work and study, it was felt that two separate questions were required to do so. Some users however felt that asking about travel to work was sufficient for their needs and that asking about both work and study negatively affected the quality of the data gathered on work. In the Beyond 2011 consultation, emerging technologies such as global positioning systems (GPS) were acknowledged as being potentially useful for gathering information on travel activities, but only as an addition to data from census or other surveys.

Due to questionnaire space constraints and competing demands for information on other topics in 2011, it was not possible to consider accommodating two separate questions. NRS requires further information to fully understand user needs in this topic area; specifically whether there is sufficient demand for travel to study data to consider asking two separate questions in 2021 (the need for travel to work data is well established).

3.5 Ethnicity and national identity

Sub-topic	Initial view	Collected in 2011?	Comment
Ethnic group	Collect	Yes	A key census variable, ethnic group is required for a wide range of uses by government, academia and the wider user community. It is also a key equalities measure.
National identity	Further information required - existing topic/question	Yes	Collected for the first time in 2011. National Identity provides complementary information to ethnic group, enabling a wider range of analyses to be undertaken, and allows respondents to record these different aspects of their identity more fully. Further information is required to understand user need for 2021.

Ethnic group has been collected in the census since 1991, and has become one of the most widely used output variables. These data are used for resource allocation by central and local government, to inform policy development and to help organisations meet and monitor their statutory obligations which stem from the Race Relations Act 1976, Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 and Equalities Act 2010. Collecting this information in the census is particularly important because many minority ethnic groups in Scotland are too small in number to be captured effectively by sample surveys. The census gives the only robust information on size of groups at small area level. In consultation prior to the 2011 Census ethnicity was a frequently requested topic, and the data collected were widely analysed and reported. NRS is confident that this will remain the case for the 2021 Census, and NRS' initial view is that the 2021 Census will continue to collect information on ethnic group.

The Scottish Government (SG) worked in partnership with the then General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) to conduct the comprehensive and wide-reaching review. The result was a revised official ethnicity classification for use in Scottish surveys and Scotland's 2011 Census. The details of the review and the new classification itself were published by the SG in July 2008:

http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2008/07/29095058/0 ^[5]

Ethnicity is a complex concept, where people hold strong (and sometimes polarised) views. Peoples' concept of their ethnicity, and the way that they choose to express it, changes over the years. The new classification was designed to meet changing user requirements and use acceptable terminology, while retaining an element of comparability for 2011 statistics with those from the 2001 Census and statistics relating to the rest of the UK.

The review also identified benefits in developing a separate national identity question for use on the Census and relevant Scottish official statistics, to complement the question on ethnic group. Hence a question on national identity was also asked for the first time in 2011, in conjunction with the question on ethnic group, to provide respondents with the opportunity to say what they feel their national identity to be - whether 'Scottish', 'British' or any other national identity - before expressing their ethnicity. This allows people to more fully describe their identity, whilst also being able to distinguish between their ethnic origin or heritage and their present sense of national identity.

The data collected have been analysed both in conjunction with, and independently of, those for ethnic group. Since national identity was a new question in the 2011 Census, NRS require further information to understand user need for 2021.

3.6 Language

Sub-topic	Initial view	Collected in 2011?	Comment
Gaelic language	Collect	Yes	Information on proficiency in the Gaelic language is used to inform policy development and monitoring as well as in local service provision, in the context of legislative requirements.
Scots language	Further information required - existing topic/question	Yes	Collected for the first time in 2011. Research carried out prior to the census suggested that people vary considerably in their interpretation of what is meant by "Scots". These findings were reflected in the data that were collected. Data quality considerations mean that further information is required to clarify user need for 2021.
English language	Further information required - existing topic/question	Yes	Collected for the first time in 2011. A strong user need was identified for this data to inform service planning and resource allocation. Further information is required to understand user need for 2021.
Other languages	Further information required - existing topic/question	Yes	Collected for the first time in 2011. A strong user need was identified for data on other languages, to inform service planning and resource allocation. Further information is required to understand user need for 2021.

In consultation in 2007, there were more responses to the language consultation point than to any other topic, with the vast majority in favour of collecting information on other languages as well as Gaelic. Increasing migration in recent years has meant central and local government have highlighted increasing information requirements on language, to help understand needs and put appropriate support services in place.

Understanding the use of language has two aspects: skills and proficiency. Language skills are the abilities to understand spoken language, and to speak it, read it and write it. Proficiency relates to the level of these skills. Consultation revealed most interest in 'spoken' language but there was also support for a question based around 'proficiency or competency' in a language, as well as primary and additional languages used. As a result, a set of questions was developed and tested on the topic of language, to best meet this strong user need.

The census has gathered information on the Gaelic language since 1881. Data on the number of Gaelic speakers from the census is used widely across Scotland to monitor the health of the language and to underpin service planning and provision. Due to known user and legislative requirements, the initial view of NRS is that the 2021 Census will collect data on Gaelic language skills.

The 2011 Census was the first to collect information on the Scots language. Consultation in 2006 and 2007 identified user need for data on Scots, mostly in relation to the spoken version of the language. Opinion was polarised however, primarily because of the difficulties involved in defining the term. Research carried out prior to the census suggested that people vary considerably in their interpretation of what is meant by "Scots" and that it was therefore likely that the census statistics would reflect a very broad definition of the language. These findings were reflected in the data that was collected. The CQS showed that the 'Scots' part of the language matrix question (which asked about abilities in English, Gaelic and Scots) had one of the lowest agreement rates of all questions, at 88.5 per cent. Since 2011 was the first census to collect information on the Scots language and given the concerns which exist around data quality, NRS require further information to understand user need for 2021.

The 2011 Census also collected information for the first time on the English language. A strong user requirement for this information was identified, particularly to identify those with little or no English language ability to assist in resource allocation and service planning. Since 2011 was the first census to collect information on the English language, NRS require further information to understand user need for 2021.

There were some apparent inconsistencies in the data collected in the 2011 Census for language, particularly in relation to Scots and English. For example, a significant number of respondents indicated they were fully skilled in Scots (that is, could understand, speak, read and write Scots) but had no corresponding skills in English - despite then going on to state that they spoke English "very well" or "well" in the following question. Collecting information collected on language skills does involve subjective assessment and so people may not report their skills in a consistent or comparable way, particularly when a variety of interpretations are, or can be applied to a language.

Information on other languages - specifically languages other than English used at home - was also collected in the census for the first time in 2011. A strong user need was identified for data on other languages, including British Sign Language, to inform service planning and resource allocation. NRS anticipate continuing strong demand for data on a range of languages. Since 2011 was the first census to collect information on other languages, NRS require further information to understand user need for 2021.

3.7 Religion

Sub-topic	Initial view	Collected in 2011?	Comment
Religion	Collect	Yes	Collecting information on religion is especially sensitive to the precise wording and format of the question. NRS has asked about 'belonging to' a religion, religious denomination or belief in both 2001 and 2011. Further information is required to better understand user need for 2021.

The census first included the religion topic in 2001. A late addition to the questionnaire, its inclusion was allowed on the condition that the question was voluntary, and in 2011 it remained so.

Most recently, the Beyond 2011 consultation in 2013 showed that many public bodies were using religion data along with other identity-related information to assist with monitoring discrimination, linked to the introduction of public sector duties arising from the Equality Act 2010. Other common uses included informing service provision for health, social care and education since these are all impacted by religious diversity.

It is common practice when measuring the religion of a population to distinguish the concepts of religious affiliation, belief or practice. In both 2001 and 2011, the question in Scotland's Census asked about sense of 'belonging to' a religion, religious denomination or belief. Since the question was asked for the first time in 2001, comparability with the 2011 Census data was important for users. However, consultation also identified a demand for alternative concepts.

Comparability with previous censuses is always important to users and any change that would affect comparability would have to meet a clearly identified and strong user need. Whilst NRS intends to continue to collect information on religion, further information is required to better understand user needs for 2021.

NRS intends to continue to collect religion on a voluntary basis in the 2021 Census.

3.8 Health and care

Sub-topic	Initial view	Collected in 2011?	Comment
General health	Collect	Yes	This information is used for resource allocation, identifying health inequalities and policy development and assessment.
Long-term health problem or disability	Collect	Yes	This information is required for resource allocation, understanding health inequalities and policy development and assessment.
Long-term health conditions	Further information required - existing topic/question	Yes	Collected for the first time in 2011. A strong user need for this information was identified to further inform resource allocation, understanding health inequalities and policy development and assessment. Data quality considerations mean further information is required to better understand user need for 2021.
Unpaid care	Collect	Yes	Required for policy formulation, planning formal care needs and resource allocation.

A question on general health was first included in the 2001 Census. Despite being a self-assessment of one's general state of health, the data is a good predictor of future demands on health services; for example, uptake of GP services. Limitation in performing normal day-to-day activities, or activity restriction, is an indicator of disability. A question on long-term health problem or disability was first included in the 1991 Census.

Information on self-assessed general health and long-term health problem or disability are needed to identify health and social care service needs and allocate health resources at local and national level. The data are widely used to develop, monitor and assess policies on population health and health inequalities. They also enable statutory obligations placed on public bodies, such as the public sector equality duty, to be met.

The availability of health data at small geographic area level is also important to users to enable targeting of services. Many users rely on census health data despite the existence of alternative sources of data. NRS intends to continue to collect information about general health, and information required about the extent of limitation of activities by long-term health conditions or illnesses in the 2021 Census will be reviewed in the light of the definition of disability introduced by the Equality Act (2010).

The 2011 Census also collected information for the first time on the nature of long-term health conditions, following very strong user demand for the data in consultation. Users were particularly keen to have this information collected in census because of the additional insight that would be afforded by cross-analysis with other census variables. However, the question caused considerable difficulty for respondents. The high number of write-in responses to the question (around 350,000) and subsequent back-coding, indicates that people had difficulty in deciding which response option they should select. The question also had the second lowest agreement rate of all questions in the CQS (78.7 per cent) and the highest non-response rate (15.2 per cent).

The detail of the information to be collected in 2021 for this topic will therefore be reviewed to ensure that it meets user needs in terms of outputs and quality. NRS require further information on user requirements for data on long term health conditions to ensure the correct approach to gathering the information in 2021; specifically to consider whether a question based on an impairment-based model of health might provide a more useful framework for data collection.

In the 2011 Census a person was defined as a provider of unpaid care if they looked after or gave any help or support to family members, friends, neighbours or others because of long-term physical or mental ill health or disability, or problems related to old age.

In consultation prior to 2011, respondents indicated many broad uses for the data, including policy formulation, planning formal care needs, and resource allocation. Carers are regarded as a vulnerable group, and a fast-growing one, particularly the population providing the greatest amount of care (50 or more hours in the 2011 Census).

NRS intends to continue to collect information regarding the provision of unpaid care, including the number of hours a week for which care is provided.

3.9 Educational attainment

Sub-topic	Initial view	Collected in 2011?	Comment
Qualifications held	Collect	Yes	There is a strong user need for this data to derive highest level of qualification. This is used for developing policy, service planning and resource allocation.

Information on qualifications has been gathered in the census since 1961. In 2011, data were collected on academic, vocational and professional qualifications held. Highest level of qualification is derived from this data. Uses of the highest level of qualifications data include government resource allocation and evidence-based policy making in relation to disadvantaged population groups; to help target employment and training schemes; and to improve the quality of the coding of occupation.

Due to the known user requirement, the initial view of NRS is that we will to continue to collect data on academic, vocational and professional qualifications held in 2021.

The qualifications question was very poorly answered in 2001. Although revisions were made for 2011, testing showed that some respondents were still unsure how qualifications not listed fitted into the options given, were reluctant to guess the nearest equivalent, and forgot qualifications and grades. Despite a substantial improvement in the reported CQS gross agreement rate, from 60.6 per cent in 2001 to 77.8 per cent in 2011, the question clearly still causes difficulties for respondents. This is also reflected in a high (6.5 per cent) non-response rate. A proxy measure was derived in the CQS for highest level of qualifications, which showed an agreement rate of 88.8 per cent; still a relatively poor score. The detail of the information to be collected in 2021 for this topic will therefore be reviewed to ensure that it meets user needs in terms of outputs and quality.

The initial view of NRS is that information on qualifications will be collected in 2021, but specific user requirements need to be fully understood to ensure the correct information is gathered.

3.10 Labour force and socio-economic classification

Sub-topic	Initial view	Collected in 2011?	Comment
Economic activity	Collect	Yes	There is a user need for information about economic activity for central and local government resource allocation, planning and implementing policy, monitoring local economic performance, and analysing local labour supply.
Occupation	Collect	Yes	There is a user need for information about occupation for central and local government resource allocation, understanding local economic performance and analysing local labour markets.
National Statistics socio-economic classification (NS-SeC)	Collect	Yes	NS-SeC provides a measure of advantage. It is an important tool for exploring inequalities. It is also used to assess local labour markets and the mix of skills.
Industry	Collect	Yes	There is a user need for industry information to understand local economic performance, local labour force, land use and planning needs. It is also used operationally to improve the coding of occupation.
Year last worked	Further information required - existing topic/question	Yes	Primarily used operationally to improve the coding of NS-SeC. Further information is required to better understand user need for 2021.
Supervisory status	Further information required - existing topic/question	Yes	Primarily used operationally to improve the coding of NS-SeC. Further information is required to better understand user need for 2021.
Hours worked	Further information required - existing topic/question	Yes	Primarily used operationally to improve the coding of NS-SeC. Also useful for labour force analysis. Further information is required to better understand user need for 2021.
Voluntary and unpaid work	Further information required - asked elsewhere in the UK in 2011	No	Please see section 4.7 for commentary.

Labour force information is used in a variety of census outputs, showing how different sections of the population participate in various forms of work. The 2011 Census collected information about economic activity, occupation, industry, year last worked and supervisory status. This information was also used to derive NS-SeC.

Information about economic activity and occupation is used for:

• central and local government resource allocation
• planning and implementing policy
• monitoring local economic performance
• analysing local labour markets
• land use and planning needs

NRS intends to collect information about occupation and economic activity in Scotland's Census 2021.

National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SeC) provides an indication of socio-economic position based on occupation and is used for understanding inequalities, particularly in relation to health. Data from questions on industry, year last worked, supervisory status and hours worked are primarily used in the classification and coding of occupation and NS-SeC. Previous consultation has shown strong support for retaining the questions on industry and hours worked, with users concerned about any drop in the quality of coding for NS-SeC and occupation, particularly if industry were excluded. Industry is also used to analyse local economic performance, local labour markets and land use and planning requirements. Information on hours worked was thought useful for labour force monitoring and understanding changing working patterns.

The initial view of NRS is that information on industry will be collected in 2021. The user need for supervisory status, hours worked and year last worked data requires clarification, hence NRS require further information to better understand requirements for 2021.