Census 2021

[brogdale]

A very similar way to every other census. Dealing with elderly people for are a bit deaf and forgetful is not exactly new.

I get that, but the circumstance under which the ONS has decided to proceed with this census are new.
Elderly and vulnerable shielding folk who might have had support from family members in the past are on their own atm and the previous MO of fieldworkers going into houses to act as an amanuensis is inoperable.

 

[belboid]

I am depressed at the lack of empathy for the fact that some people might not be in a position to immediately grasp that a census is happening, let alone just merrily go online to complete it or be happy to look up a phone number and chat on the phone to a stranger about it

There is no lack of empathy with such people. There haven’t been any such people on the thread though.

 

[kabbes]

There is no lack of empathy with such people. There haven’t been any such people on the thread though.

When presented with exactly that, your response has been to strenuously deny it's a problem.

 

[belboid]

When presented with exactly that, your response has been to strenuously deny it's a problem.

No, I’m just not going along with some poster bullshitting reasons to have a pop. Especially when said poster contradicts themselves.

The very isolated are one of the key demographics the census aims to catch, a group who are often left out of other info gathering techniques. I find it a tad disingenuous to use them as an excuse for why the census is shit.

 

[brogdale]

No, I’m just not going along with some poster bullshitting reasons to have a pop. Especially when said poster contradicts themselves.

The very isolated are one of the key demographics the census aims to catch, a group who are often left out of other info gathering techniques. I find it a tad disingenuous to use them as an excuse for why the census is shit.

This is not about the census being shit, it's about the implications of the decision to forge ahead with the primarily digital data collecting exercise during the lockdown of a pandemic.

 

[brogdale]

They’ll be informed that help is available

Sorry, perhaps wasn't clear enough...how will they be identified and contacted?

 

[Orang Utan]

Go on...

Where?

 

[Orang Utan]

I am depressed at the lack of empathy for the fact that some people might not be in a position to immediately grasp that a census is happening, let alone just merrily go online to complete it or be happy to look up a phone number and chat on the phone to a stranger about it

That’s why people are knocking on doors

 

[brogdale]

Where?

Kent.

 

[Orang Utan]

Sorry, perhaps wasn't clear enough...how will they be identified and contacted?

Dunno

 

[brogdale]

That’s why people are knocking on doors

My understanding is that the fieldwork only commences after the census day itself.

 

[brogdale]

Dunno

OK fair enough.
My fear is that there's plenty that will be hard to contact or not even known about.

 

[Orang Utan]

My understanding is that the fieldwork only commences after the census day itself.

Yes, it starts tomorrow but goes on until May

 

[belboid]

Which is exactly why we have a census.

 

[Orang Utan]

OK fair enough.
My fear is that there's plenty that will be hard to contact or not even known about.

I’m sure they’ll at least get to everyone on the electoral rolls. I dunno though - not sure where they get people’s contact details

 

[brogdale]

Yes, it starts tomorrow but goes on until May

The door-knocking commences after March 21st according to this ONS website:

 

[brogdale]

I’m sure they’ll at least get to everyone on the electoral rolls. I dunno though - not sure where they get people’s contact details

Yeah, but none of that seems to avoid the scenario that I foresaw for my confused old parents. If, as I think, they'll miss the whole thing, the first they'll hear from the Adecco recruits is when they're invited to reveal their personal details on the public path outside their front door. I'm not happy about that.

 

[brogdale]

Which is exactly why we have a census.

It isn't; according to the ONS census data is anonymised.

 

[belboid]

It isn't; according to the ONS census data is anonymised.

Eh? Of course it is once it’s collected.

 

[brogdale]

Eh? Of course it is once it’s collected.

You're not making sense.

 

[belboid]

Yeah, but none of that seems to avoid the scenario that I foresaw for my confused old parents. If, as I think, they'll miss the whole thing, the first they'll hear from the Adecco recruits is when they're invited to reveal their personal details on the public path outside their front door. I'm not happy about that.

They won’t be so invited.

 

[brogdale]

They won’t be so invited.

Go on...

 

[belboid]

They’ll be given a reminder, a phone number, or even a contact centre place to visit if/when they can open. Or they’ll be given the form, they might even have been sent one initially.

 

[brogdale]

They’ll be given a reminder, a phone number, or even a contact centre place to visit if/when they can open. Or they’ll be given the form, they might even have been sent one initially.

OK, that's useful to know.
So, they'll be asked to write down a number/accept a card (?) and then make a phone call (they're housebound so they won't be visiting any 'centre'). If they're given a form who will collect it?

 

[belboid]

They can hand it to an enumerator or take it to a post box, with the sae that was included.

 

[Orang Utan]

Go on...

Why don’t you read up on this?

 

[Orang Utan]

OK, that's useful to know.
So, they'll be asked to write down a number/accept a card (?) and then make a phone call (they're housebound so they won't be visiting any 'centre'). If they're given a form who will collect it?

It’s all done over the phone if you need help

 

[kabbes]

That’s why people are knocking on doors

And you see no issue with people knocking on the doors of confused old people in the middle of a pandemic and asking questions about personal information?

ETA: it doesn't have to be asking for personal information. They are asking about personal information, in the sense that they are giving out a form that requests personal information be sent off to some postal address. I am amazed that anybody can't see an issue with this, in a world in which identity theft is so fucking rife that we are being bombarded with adverts telling us not to do the exact thing that is happening here.

 

[brogdale]

They can hand it to an enumerator or take it to a post box, with the sae that was included.

No, they can't get to the postbox. So a collection of the paper return will be arranged?

 

[brogdale]

It’s all done over the phone if you need help

They have call screening BT phones and only answer numbers logged in their memory.