Plans for online Census confirmed as CSO tests new questions on 20,000 households

Around 20,000 households in six different counties are being asked to participate in a Census Pilot Survey which is being carried out by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

The survey, which will be carried out via an online portal, will take place in 44 locations across the country during September, including Mayo.

Announcing details of the survey, the CSO confirmed that Census 2027 will be the first census in Irish history where the public will have the option to complete their census form online.

The CSO says it is conducting the Census Pilot Survey to test new questions and to see how well this online option works and it is asking every household selected to take part so it can evaluate its online option.

The online form can be completed on a variety of devices such as mobile phones, tablets or laptops. 

Households have been selected from locations in Cork, Dublin, Kilkenny, Louth, Mayo and Offaly as they broadly represent the people living in Ireland and include a mix of urban and rural locations.

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The CSO says letters of invitation have been posted to homes in the selected pilot areas, which explain how to complete the form online.

For the first time also, forms should be completed for where you usually live and can be completed anytime up to the official Census Pilot Survey night of September 22.

Census Support Officers will visit the selected homes from September 16 to inform occupants about the Census Pilot Survey and to encourage them to complete their forms.

The new questions being tested include areas such as where a household's car is parked overnight to gather insights on potential placement of electric chargers, whether your gender is the same or different to the sex recorded at birth, sexual orientation and how a person would self-report their mental health.

Commenting on the launch of the Census Pilot Survey, Jennifer Banim, Director General of the CSO, said it marks a significant milestone in the delivery of an online option for Census 2027.

"We are calling on households selected to take part by completing the form either online or on paper. Your participation will help us test this new, historic phase of census collection in Ireland," she said.

Eileen Murphy, Head of Census Administration, said: “If you receive our letter of invitation for the Census Pilot Survey, please take part. We need your help and we cannot do this without you.  By taking the time to complete the Survey, you will give us essential feedback on the online form, and the new questions. 

"Traditionally, the purpose of a pilot census has been to test new and changed questions for the next census. In the case of this Census Pilot Survey, not only will the Survey help us test new questions, it also has the added importance of testing an online option for the first time in the history of the Irish census."