You draw the charts: 60 years of change

24 October 2017
By

Feature image showing a digital radio with Today 60 on it

In October 1957 BBC Radio 4’s Today programme went on the air for the first time. A lot has changed in the last 60 years: we are living much longer; attitudes to sex and marriage have become more relaxed; house prices have risen and the demographics of the country have changed. But do you know […]

What is the census for?

11 August 2015
By ONS Digital

Census statistics are a way of tracking how our society changes; it paints a picture of how we live, and offers a detailed snapshot of the population and its characteristics. It provides statistics on topics such as housing , language, health and education, which informs the spending decisions of local authorities in providing public services.

Transition from a manufacturing to service led labour market over past 170 years

6 August 2015
By Rob Fry

The 2011 Census gave a unique perspective on the changing labour market in England and Wales. Over the past century, we’ve seen a dramatic change from a manufacturing led economy to a service led economy. Even the past decade has seen substantial change in the labour market structure.

1 in 7 people in England and Wales in 2011 were born outside of the UK

30 July 2015
By Rob Fry

Migration is an important, though often controversial, driver of population change. The potential cost and benefit of immigration is hard to assess because its impact is often not fully realised for many years.

Increase in single population over the last decade

24 July 2015
By Rob Fry

Families and households shape and define our society. The decade 2001 to 2011 saw significant social change in England and Wales- the number of single (never married) people increased as the population has increased, as did the number of people cohabiting or living alone

Nearly one in five people had some form of disability in England and Wales

13 July 2015
By Rob Fry

Disabilities can make it harder for people to carry out daily activities which are often taken for granted. Disability statistics help us work out how much health and social care is needed, and create policies to help lower the barriers that disabled people may face. 10 million people in England and Wales had some form […]

People who cannot speak English well are more likely to be in poor health

9 July 2015
By Rob Fry

proportion of people who don't speak good english

Language is an important defining characteristic of people’s identity. Main language and proficiency in English was asked for the first time in the 2011 Census.

8 in 10 people have good or very good health in England and Wales

2 July 2015
By Rob Fry

The 2011 Census highlighted the substantial inequalities in health by: gender, ethnicity, socio-economic position, and area. Our general health is important to our sense of wellbeing and quality of life.

People identifying as ‘Other White’ has increased by over a million since 2001

26 June 2015
By Rob Fry

Ethnicity and national identity are important defining characteristics of our population. The 2011 Census highlighted the increasing diversity of England and Wales, and for the first time introduced a question on national identity.

Home ownership down and renting up for first time in a century

19 June 2015
By Rob Fry

The decade 2001 to 2011 saw substantial changes in longstanding trends in home ownership and renting.