Data matters. Good data matters more. At a cost of £1bn, it is hard to think of a larger or more important data-collecting exercise than the census. Its seriousness is reflected in the £1,000 maximum fine and criminal record for those who provide false information or refuse to answer questions.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS), which carries out this once-in-a-decade exercise, describes it as “vital to the government and many other public sector organisations”; it gives them the information they need to develop policy, plan and run schools, health services, roads and libraries, and to decide how to allocate funds. So when the accuracy of that information is called into question, it really matters. And should worry us all.
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