Northern Ireland Census User Needs Consultation

Overview

The Northern Ireland Census User Needs Consultation is now closed. Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond.

30 June 2026

The Census User Needs Consultation responses are now available to view on the NISRA website. You can search by response ID or organisation name. All responses have been moderated in line with the consultation moderation policy.

Summary tables are also available. They provide an overview of how frequently each question was answered.

We received 140 responses to the consultation: 93 on behalf of organisations and 47 from individuals. Respondents were asked to select the sector that best described their work or area of interest. "Charity / Community / Voluntary" was selected the most (51), followed by "Central government" (36) and "Statutory body (for example, health, education, transport, housing, etc)" (15). We also received responses from other sectors including local government, the private sector and research-related fields.

This release does not provide any evaluation of the responses received. Rather, it gives the public an indication of levels of user engagement with the consultation and emerging views.

What happens next

NISRA is currently reviewing and assessing all responses received. A full report outlining the findings and NISRA’s response to the consultation will be published later in 2026. This will include an overview of the evaluation process, a summary of the results for existing and additional topics, and an updated view on topics.

The assessment process considers a range of evaluation criteria falling under user requirements, operational requirements and feasibility considerations. Section 6 of the Northern Ireland Census User Needs consultation document (PDF, 1 MB) provides a description of each criterion.

The findings from this process will inform NISRA’s recommendations on the topics to be included in the Census 2031 questionnaire. Final decisions on census content will be subject to approval by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Responses to the consultation will also be used to publish a Census 2021 benefits realisation report.

What this consultation was about

On 28 October 2025, NISRA launched the Northern Ireland Census User Needs Consultation asking for your views to help shape the content of Census 2031. We wanted to understand how you used Census 2021 data, what topics you need included in Census 2031, and your views on using alternative data sources alongside the census. The consultation ran for 20 weeks until 18 March 2026.

Supporting documents

The following consultation documents remain available on the NISRA website for reference:

• Full consultation document (available in English, Irish and Ulster-Scots)
• Consultation questionnaire (available in English, Irish, and Ulster-Scots – PDF and/or MS Word)
• Frequently asked questions
• Moderation policy
• Guidance for organisations with multiple respondents
• Privacy notice

Presentation slides from our online information events held on 12 November 2025 and 21 January 2026 are also available.