Treffie
01-07-2009, 09:38 AM
PLANS for the 2011 Census will allow Welsh people living in Scotland to describe themselves as ethnically Welsh, while those living in Wales will not have the same option.
The anomaly has been made possible because while the Newport-based Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for organising the Census in England and Wales, the Scottish Census is run by the Scottish Government.
John Humphries, a leading organiser of the Census boycott campaign in 2001 when that year’s Census did not include any opportunity for people to describe themselves as Welsh, said such a discrepancy was untenable.
“It is ludicrous that the concept of being ethnically Welsh is accepted in Scotland, but not so far as the ONS is concerned,” he said.
“There is still time to put this right before the final Census form to be used in Wales is drawn up.”
Next time, provision has been made for people living in Wales to give their national identity as Welsh – but not their ethnicity.
As things stand, White Welsh people will only be able to tick a single box encompassing Welsh/ English/ Scottish/ Northern Irish/ British.
For people living in Scotland, however, the equivalent ethnicity question allows people from European backgrounds to describe themselves as Scottish, British, English, Northern Irish, Welsh, Irish or Other.
An unknown number of people refused to complete Census forms in 2001 in protest at the lack of a “Welsh” tick box. None of them were prosecuted.
A spokesman for the ONS said: “The national identity and ethnic group questions are part of a suite of questions (ethnic group, language, religion, national identity and citizenship) which, when taken together, provide a detailed and rich picture of the ethnic and cultural mix within society.
“The national identity question contained within the 2009 Census rehearsal questionnaire for England and Wales will have a tick box response category for Welsh (and separately for the other constituent countries of the UK) with a write-in option for those who wish to record their national identity in some other way. The ethnic group question for England and Wales includes a broad tick box category covering English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish and British within the White ethnic group, as well as a write-in option.
“By contrast, in the 2009 Census Rehearsal questionnaire for Scotland, the national identity question does not contain a separate tick box category for Welsh. Welsh is however included as a separate category in the ethnic group question, as a subset of the White ethnic group.
“The questions proposed for the England and Wales Census will allow results to be produced that cross tabulate Welsh as a national identity with the full range of ethnic groups included, providing a rich picture of the make up of the population of Wales.
“The development of the ethnic group questions for the Census tends to be more complex than the development of most other Census questions since the UK’s ethnic profile and the terminology used shift over time.
A spokeswoman for the General Register Office for Scotland said: “The 2009 rehearsal questionnaire only provides one specific ‘Welsh’ tick box. We are keen for people to identify themselves as Welsh – but there is no need for them to do so twice.”
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/01/07/scots-can-describe-themselves-as-welsh-91466-22623198/
The anomaly has been made possible because while the Newport-based Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for organising the Census in England and Wales, the Scottish Census is run by the Scottish Government.
John Humphries, a leading organiser of the Census boycott campaign in 2001 when that year’s Census did not include any opportunity for people to describe themselves as Welsh, said such a discrepancy was untenable.
“It is ludicrous that the concept of being ethnically Welsh is accepted in Scotland, but not so far as the ONS is concerned,” he said.
“There is still time to put this right before the final Census form to be used in Wales is drawn up.”
Next time, provision has been made for people living in Wales to give their national identity as Welsh – but not their ethnicity.
As things stand, White Welsh people will only be able to tick a single box encompassing Welsh/ English/ Scottish/ Northern Irish/ British.
For people living in Scotland, however, the equivalent ethnicity question allows people from European backgrounds to describe themselves as Scottish, British, English, Northern Irish, Welsh, Irish or Other.
An unknown number of people refused to complete Census forms in 2001 in protest at the lack of a “Welsh” tick box. None of them were prosecuted.
A spokesman for the ONS said: “The national identity and ethnic group questions are part of a suite of questions (ethnic group, language, religion, national identity and citizenship) which, when taken together, provide a detailed and rich picture of the ethnic and cultural mix within society.
“The national identity question contained within the 2009 Census rehearsal questionnaire for England and Wales will have a tick box response category for Welsh (and separately for the other constituent countries of the UK) with a write-in option for those who wish to record their national identity in some other way. The ethnic group question for England and Wales includes a broad tick box category covering English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish and British within the White ethnic group, as well as a write-in option.
“By contrast, in the 2009 Census Rehearsal questionnaire for Scotland, the national identity question does not contain a separate tick box category for Welsh. Welsh is however included as a separate category in the ethnic group question, as a subset of the White ethnic group.
“The questions proposed for the England and Wales Census will allow results to be produced that cross tabulate Welsh as a national identity with the full range of ethnic groups included, providing a rich picture of the make up of the population of Wales.
“The development of the ethnic group questions for the Census tends to be more complex than the development of most other Census questions since the UK’s ethnic profile and the terminology used shift over time.
A spokeswoman for the General Register Office for Scotland said: “The 2009 rehearsal questionnaire only provides one specific ‘Welsh’ tick box. We are keen for people to identify themselves as Welsh – but there is no need for them to do so twice.”
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2009/01/07/scots-can-describe-themselves-as-welsh-91466-22623198/