People in Ireland have been asked to complete their census form on Sunday night, after more than two million documents were delivered to homes over the month of March.
Every individual present in Ireland on Sunday, April 3rd, is legally required to have their information entered on a census form.
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has asked the public to ensure their information is recorded accurately, and to refer to resources on census.ie if help is required.
Special measures are being taken to ensure it will record the thousands of Ukrainians who have come to Ireland since Russia invaded their country.
A census guide in the Ukrainian language has already been produced and additional copies are being distributed, a spokesperson said.
The office is liaising with Government agencies to ensure they know where the refugees are located so that census forms can be delivered.
“The CSO is also in contact with the Ukrainian embassy in Dublin to offer any practical assistance that may be beneficial to its citizens who have recently arrived in Ireland,” the spokesperson said.
Census staff will be visiting hotels and other communal establishments over the weekend and the CSO is in contact with the Department of Children to get information on where Ukrainians are staying.
“The census results will provide figures on the number of every nationality present in Ireland on census night and this includes Ukrainians,” the spokesperson said.
“The census also asks all participants where they usually live, which will allow us to distinguish between individuals living in Ireland permanently and those who are temporarily resident in Ireland.”
Each census form has 11 questions specific to each household and a maximum of 33 questions specific to each individual, according to the head of census administration. For the average family, it is expected to take 20-30 minutes to complete.
About 5 per cent of homes in Ireland had not received their census forms on Friday, and the CSO said thousands would not have it in time for Sunday night, partly due to Covid-19 effects on staff.
However, it said the affected households would receive the forms next week and could fill them in retrospectively.
Several new topics have been added to Census 2022 to inform planning of public policy and services in the years ahead, the CSO said.
The questions cover a range of environmental, employment and lifestyle issues, including the use of renewable energy sources in homes, to help inform policy development in the areas of energy and climate action, and the prevalence of internet access, to understand the availability of and need for internet connections.
Questions also focus on changes in work patterns. These include the trend of working from home and childcare issues, while questions are also asked about the times individuals usually leave work, education or childcare, to help identify and plan for transport pattern needs locally and nationally.
Other topics covered include volunteering and the type of organisations volunteers choose to support, tobacco usage, and the prevalence of smoke alarms in the home.
The head of census administration, Eileen Murphy, said Census 2022 "is a truly unique experience in which the entire country comes together tonight to be counted".
She said: “This will build a detailed account of our collective experience as a society in 2022 and participation in the census should be a source of pride.”
She reminded the public: “Your information must be recorded where you sleep. This includes everyone in places such as hotels, hospitals, prisons, student accommodation and even ships. No matter where you are, you must participate in Census 2022.”
The CSO will be operating a helpline from 11am to 6pm on Sunday which can be reached at 0818 2022 04. Anyone who has not received a form is asked to make contact as soon as possible.
Information about how to complete the Census form including accessibility supports is available on census.ie.
