ASD/Asperger's Question in UK Census 2011

Post Reply New Topic

I have just received my official Scottish Census 2011 form and was quite shocked to read the following question:

If you are in England or Wales do you have this question in your form ? I also find the question odd implying you may have previously had ASD/Asperger's but not currently [or in the 12 months prior to 27th March 2011].

Certainly not in the England census, unless I've missed it. I can't read the wording on the pic because I'm using my phone, does it actually say the words Aspergers/ASD? there is a question about disability in the past 12 months, but that's it.

delic is right, it isn't in the England version. They have Q22 instead that asks:

"Are your day-to-day activities limited because of a health problem or disability which has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 months?
Include problems related to old age."

Answers - Yes limited a lot, Yes limited a little or No.

Guess it's to do with planning of services that the Scottish govt want more details on how the needs breakdown into those categories (unless it's all a sinister plot )
They say "Your personal information is protected by law and will be kept confidential for at least 100 years."

Yeah right...as long as nobody leaves a datastick on the London to Edinburgh sleeper that is !

This is not in the English Census.

The census bugs me, the questions are too restrictive and pretty ignorant at times, I really fail to see how any of this can help anything - it's for public services (yeah, because Tories are going to pay attention to that) but didn't it used to also be about getting a representation of people throughout the country on the whole and seeing the make-up of people that make up the country?

For example you only have options of 'male' or 'female'...what if you're neither? You had Q22 which encompasses too many different things and without doubt has some reflection on the following questions about employment (lazy disabled people!), I also would wonder if we should have Neurodiversity questions like how we have questions on race. You have this question on the Scottish census that implies in a way that AS/ASD is something you maybe did not or will not 'have' at some point, which makes little sense. You of course had 'Pagan' missed off the religion question which has angered many of us who were promised it'd be on if we got X number of pagans on the last census, but which they managed to weasel out of this time round.

Sorry, rambling off-topic.

Thanks for your replies, I think the Scottish government are actively setting up a strategy for meeting the needs of ASD/Asperger's citizens from what I've read so they are probably trying to find out the numbers.

Bloodheart, your right about the gender question which was the first thing I noticed. What if you are intersex - neither male or female.

Advances in one direction but backwards concerning other things.