Overview
This section brings together key documents that explain how the 2011 Census was conducted, how to interpret the results, and how they compare with previous censuses.
Understanding the Census
Get to know how the 2011 Census was planned, conducted, and processed.
- general report – a comprehensive overview of the census operation
- methodology overview – details on data collection, processing, and quality assurance
- definitions and output classifications – clear explanations of census terms and categories
Comparing census years
Learn how to compare data between the 2001 and 2011 Censuses.
- questionnaire comparability – highlights changes in questions and classifications
- outputs comparability – highlights points to consider when comparing census outputs
- geographic comparability – discusses issues around the similarity or otherwise of the geographic units used
Help and guidance
A series of notes that help users understand and interpret census results.
- combined grid square product
- background to the religion and religion brought up in questions in the census and their analysis in 2001 and 2011
- census outputs for Settlement (2015)
- census outputs for the new 11 districts (LGD2014)
- postcode based output
- comparison of census outputs from the 2001 and 2011 Censuses for geographic areas within Northern Ireland
Why it matters
These documents support clear and consistent use of census statistics. They:
- help users interpret census data accurately
- support comparisons across time and geography
- provide transparency on how statistics were developed