Microsoft Word - ~6243431.doc

Consultation questionnaire on ethnic group, national identity, religion
and language for the 2011 Census in England and Wales
Please fill in this questionnaire by checking the
boxes with your mouse or typing
in the shaded sections. The shaded sections expand as you type so your answer can
be as long or short as you wish. Save this document when you have finished and
email it back to ethnicity&[email address]. (If you have any questions please
contact us at ethnicity&[email address].)

Your comments will help to inform the development of the 2011 Census. Your
answers may be made public and attributed to you/your organisation.

Please leave blank any sections that are not relevant to you/your organisation.

About you/your organisation
Name

Organisation
The Board of Deputies of British Jews
Address

Postcode

Telephone number

Email address


Q1.
In which of these topics do you or your organisation have an interest? Tick all that
apply.
1. Ethnic group

2. National identity

3. Religion

4. Language

5.  None of these

Q2.
What roles or responsibilities does your organisation have with respect to the areas
you have ticked above (at Q1)? Please describe.
The Board of Deputies is the sole, democratically elected body representing British
Jewry. It is responsible for collating data on the Jewish community and reporting on
those data on a regular basis. This is to assist myriad communal organisations
directly or indirectly responsible for education in Jewish schools, interfaith relations,
care provision for the elderly, support for the financially distressed, defence of the
community from antisemitism, and many a plethora of charitable organisations.
Since Jews within our community define themselves in a many different ways, not
just by religion the responsibilities of the Board go well beyond simply representing
the interests of a religious group. Of key importance is the ethnic identity to which
many British Jews subscribe. For many this is their only form of Jewish identification.
The Board also has responsibilities regarding the different languages spoken by
1

Consultation questionnaire on ethnic group, national identity, religion
and language for the 2011 Census in England and Wales
Jews. For example, though most do speak English, at home many families speak a
different language. It would enormously improve our understanding of the makeup of
the community and our ability to cater for their needs if we knew what languages
were spoken at home and produce material for such households. For example,
strictly-Orthodox Jews speak Yiddish, and Israelis speak Hebrew. There are also
many thousands of Jews from European and FSU countries who also do not speak
English at home.

Q6.
Which of the following sources of information on ethnic group, national identity,
language and/or religion do you use? Tick all that apply.
1. Census

2.  Government social surveys

(such as the Labour Force Survey
or British Crime Survey)
3.  Surveys or information collected
Please describe: The Board of
by/on behalf of your own
Deputies has for several decades been
organisation
to sole collator of statistics relating to
Jewish births, marriages, divorces and
deaths in Britain. It also collects
statistics related to Jewish schooling
and Jewish school-aged children, and
synagogue membership. However none
of these however tells us about Jewish
ethnicity or languages.
4.  Information collected by other
Please describe:
public authorities (e.g. NHS, Local
Authorities)
5.  Other information on these topics
Please describe: The only source of

data on Jewish ethnicity and languages
are from surveys. In the past these have
been carried out by the independent
Institute for Jewish Policy Research
(JPR) however as sample surveys they
are limited in their ability to provide
adequate information on these topics.

Q7.
For which UK countries/geographies do you need this information? Tick all that
apply.
1. England

2

Consultation questionnaire on ethnic group, national identity, religion
and language for the 2011 Census in England and Wales
2. Wales

3. Scotland

4. Northern Ireland

5. Great Britain

6. United Kingdom

7. Other
Please describe:

Your views on ethnicity
A question on ethnic group has been included in previous censuses (1991 and
2001). This provides information on the self-identified ethnic group of the population.

The 2007 Census Test questionnaire contains some new ethnic group categories.
But there may not be space to include these in the 2011 Census. Alternative options
include repeating the 2001 ethnic group question or having a multiple-response
question for ethnic group.

Q8.
Do you need ethnic group information from the 2011 Census?
1. Yes
   go to next question
2. No
   go to Q20

Q9.
Which of these do you require? Tick all that apply.
1.  General information on the ethnic

composition of the population
2.  Information on specific ethnic groups
Please describe: People who
define themselves as 'Jewish by
ethnicity'.
3.  Information on combinations of ethnic
Please describe:
groups (e.g. the total ethnic minority
population; the Asian population; etc)
4.  Other information on ethnic groups
Please describe:

Q10.  For what purposes do you/your organisation need this information? Please describe.
The Board of Deputies supports a multitude of communal organisations within civil
society directly and indirectly related to Jews. In addition, it speaks on behalf of the
Jewish community on matters as varied as antisemitism and kosher food provision. It
regularly consults with the Community Security Trust (CST) who are responsible for
liaising with the police on matters of Jewish communal protection and security. Local
councils contact the Board of Deputies for advice regarding welfare provision to Jews
in need of finical support. We are also instrumental in providing the national political
bodies with advice and support regarding Jewish day schools.
3

Consultation questionnaire on ethnic group, national identity, religion
and language for the 2011 Census in England and Wales
In all of these matters we represent a body of people who do not define themselves in
solely religious terms. That they feel they belong not only to a religious group but
also and ethnic group. Indeed there is substantial evidence (outlined below) which
suggests that many thousands of Jews in Britain define themselves ONLY in ethnic
terms. As a democratically elected body we are responsible for represent all Jews
however they choose to define themselves.


Q12.  Do you require information on any of the following concepts? (See the accompanying
consultation document for definitions.) Tick all that apply.
1.  Visible minority population

2. Non-White population

3. Ancestry

4. Race

5.  Any other concepts related to
Please describe:
ethnic group

Q13.  For what purposes do you/your organisation need this information? Please describe.



If the question proposed for the 2007 Census Test questionnaire was used in 2011, it
would provide information for the following categories:

Single ethnic group categories: Combined ethnic group categories:
1.  White English (in England)
1.  White (categories 1 to 4)
2.  White Welsh (in Wales)
2.  Mixed (categories 5 to 9)
3.  Other White British
3.  Asian or Asian British (categories
4. White Irish
10 to 14)
5.  Other White background
4.  Black or Black British (categories
6.  Mixed: White and Black
15 to 17)
Caribbean
5.  Other ethnic groups (categories
7.  Mixed: White and Black African
18 to 20)
8.  Mixed: White and Asian

9.  Mixed: Other Mixed background
10. Indian
11. Pakistani
12. Bangladeshi
13. Chinese
14. Other Asian background
15. Black Caribbean
4

Consultation questionnaire on ethnic group, national identity, religion
and language for the 2011 Census in England and Wales
Single ethnic group categories: Combined ethnic group categories:
16. Black African
17. Other Black background
18. Arab
19. Gypsy/Romany/Irish Traveller
20. Other Ethnic Group
(Note: information on the ‘other’ ethnic categories, based on respondents’ written
answers, is likely to be available in a limited number of tables but not in standard
outputs.)

Q14.  Would the categories for single ethnic groups listed above provide the information
you require?
1. Yes
   go to Q12
2. No
   go to next question
3. Partially
   go to next question

Q15.  If no or partially, please state why, describing what additional information you need
and the reasons you need it.
Reasons why: The categories strongly suggest that ethnicity is only a matter of race
and nationality. But for Jews, normative ethnicity is related to ancestry and
peoplehood.
Additional information needed: A category 'Jewish' (by ethnicity)
Reasons needed: Anecdotal and survey evidence suggests that a great many Jews see
their identity in ethnic rather than religious terms. Many are neither members of
religious institutions such as synagogues, nor 'religious' in any normative meaning of
the word. Moreover they see their Jewish identity in ancestral and cultural terms
only. The Board of Deputies is particularly concerned that ethnic-only were not
enumerated in the 2001 Census question on religion. Empirical evidence from
Scottish Census data explain why. There were 6,448 people recorded as currently
Jewish by religion in Scotland. Also 7,446 people were recorded as having had a
Jewish (by religion) upbringing. In all, 1,785 people in Scotland reported that they
had had a Jewish upbringing but did not consider themselves to be currently ‘Jewish
by religion’. These 1,785 people amounted to 28 per cent of the total size of the
(currently) Jewish by religion population in Scotland. It is likely that a majority of
these people would consider themselves ethnically but NOT religiously Jewish—a
label that in the eyes of many Jews relates to religious practice and not belonging.
Given that there are over 40 times more Jews in England & Wales than in Scotland,
we feel that the Census in England & Wales could be failing to report on an entire
section of our community.
5

Consultation questionnaire on ethnic group, national identity, religion
and language for the 2011 Census in England and Wales
Additional empirical evidence comes from data on Jews in England & Wales who,
despite the wording if the ethnicity question in 2001, did choose to write-in ‘Jewish’.
Crucially these limited data suggested that Jews by ethnicity-only exhibit rather
different characteristics to Jews by religion. For example, ethnic-only Jews were
much more likely to be younger and to be male—precisely the group most at risk
from antisemitic attacks.

Q16. Would
the
combined ethnic group categories (White; Mixed; Asian or Asian British;
Black or Black British; or Other ethnic groups) provide the information you require?
1. Yes
   go to Q14
2. No
   go to next question
3. Partially
   go to next question

Q17.  If no or partially, please state why, describing what additional information you need
and the reasons you need it.
Reasons why: These do not allow Jews to be identified as an ethnic group (See
previous response).
Additional information needed: A category 'Jewish' (by ethnicity)
Reasons needed: see above

Q18.  Will you need to compare the information on single ethnic groups in 2011 with the
information from the 2001 Census?
1. Yes
   go to next question
2. No
   go to Q16

Q19.  If yes, please state for what purposes.


Q20.  Will you need to compare the information on combined ethnic groups in 2011 with
the information from the 2001 Census?
1. Yes
   go to next question
2. No
   go to Q18

Q21.  If yes, please state for what purposes.


6

Consultation questionnaire on ethnic group, national identity, religion
and language for the 2011 Census in England and Wales
Comparability over time and across the UK
Q22.  Any changes to the ethnic group categories in 2011 may reduce the comparability
with information collected in 2001. The degree to which comparability is reduced will
depend on the extent of any changes.

Changes may also affect comparability across the UK. The ethnic group
classifications in Scotland and Northern Ireland in 2001 were different from that in
England and Wales, due to differences in the ethnic minority populations in each
country. The Registrars General of the respective countries are committed to working
towards consistent UK Census outputs, but it is possible that the differences between
the ethnic group classifications in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
may increase if there are different needs for information in each area.

What would be the effect of a small loss of comparability on your use of ethnic group
information? (For example if a few of the single ethnic group categories are not
comparable, but comparisons between the combined categories White, Mixed, Asian
or Asian British, Black or Black British and Other ethnic group could still be made.)
Please describe for each aspect of comparability.
Comparability with 2001: No effect since neither 'Jewish' nor any similar category was
used in 2001
Comparability across UK or GB: Though it is unfortunate that the data will not be
geographically comparable (as they were not regarding the religion question in 2001)
this problem is limited given that 98% of Jews in Britain live in England & Wales.

Q23.  What would be the effect of a large loss of comparability on your use of ethnic group
information? (For example if a majority of the single ethnic group categories and the
combined categories White, Mixed, Asian or Asian British, Black or Black British and
Other ethnic group are not fully comparable.)
Please describe for each aspect of comparability.
Comparability with 2001: No effect since neither 'Jewish' nor any similar category was
used in 2001
Comparability across UK or GB: Minimal effects.

Your views on the acceptability of ethnic group terms
Q24.  Ethnic identity and the terms used to describe it can change over time. Sometimes
terms that were initially perceived as acceptable come to be seen as unacceptable
(for example out-of-date or derogatory), and vice versa. ONS aims to use
terminology that is clear, understandable and acceptable to respondents and we
welcome comments on the terminology used.
7

Consultation questionnaire on ethnic group, national identity, religion
and language for the 2011 Census in England and Wales

For each of the following terms, do you find them acceptable for use in an ethnic
group question? Tick ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for each term.

Yes No
1. White

2. Mixed

3.  Black or Black British

4.  Asian or Asian British

5.  Other ethnic groups

Q25.  Please give reasons for your answers to Q20.
In our experience none of these terms is likely to be seen as unacceptable or offensive
to Jews though they are certainly inadequate. For example many people in the Jewish
community come from the Middle East and Asia. The resulting description 'Asian' or
'Middle Eastern' would not accurately describe these people's ethnicity. Also, 96% of
Jews in Britain described their ethnicity as White in 2001 but this was surely for the
lack of alternative options.

Q26.  What alternatives or improvements (if any) would you like to see to any of the terms
listed in Q20?
The inclusion of 'Jewish' as a category.

Q27.  Do you find any of the names used to describe the single ethnic group categories
unacceptable for use in an ethnic group question? (The single ethnic group category
names are listed after Q9.)
1. Yes
Please describe:
2. No

Q28.  Please give reasons for your answer to Q23.
See previous response

Q29.  What alternatives or improvements (if any) would you like to see to any of the ethnic
group category names? (The ethnic group category names are listed after Q9.)
N/A

Your views on multiple response ethnic group information
8

Consultation questionnaire on ethnic group, national identity, religion
and language for the 2011 Census in England and Wales
Ethnic group information from previous UK censuses has been based on asking
people to tick one box only. Specific categories were introduced in 2001 to record
people with mixed ethnicity (see list after Q9, categories 6 to 9). As the proportion of
people with mixed ethnicity is likely to increase, ONS proposes to test whether a
multiple-response ethnic group question, based on asking people to tick all
categories that apply, would allow people to record their ethnic group more
efficiently/accurately. (Note that in the 2001 Census in England and Wales around 2
per cent of respondents ticked more than one answer to the ethnic group question,
despite the instruction to tick only one box. They were re-allocated to a single ethnic
category during the data processing stage.)

The information from a multiple response ethnic group question would be reported in
two different ways.
•  A count of all individuals (with people who tick a single response recorded
as being of this ethnic group and people who tick more than one response
recorded as ‘Mixed: X and Y’ according to the combination of their responses)
•  A count of all responses (e.g. the total number of people who ticked each
ethnic group, whether singly or in combination with other responses)
The majority of outputs and reporting would use a count of all individuals. This would
contain the ethnic group categories listed in the question, with additional ‘Mixed’
categories for the most common multiple responses.

Since 2000 several other countries, including USA, Canada, Australia and New
Zealand, have provided multiple-response information on ethnicity or related topics in
their censuses. However, changing to multiple-response ethnic categories will reduce
the comparability with the single-response information from previous UK censuses.

Q30.  What would be the effect of changing to multiple-response ethnic group on your use
of the information? Please describe.
There would be no effect since 'Jewish' was not a category in the 2001 Census.

Q31.  What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of multiple-response ethnic
group information?
Advantages
The Board of Deputies fully supports the multiple-response
Please describe
format. This is because it affords far superior descriptive
accuracy. Currently 96% of Jews are ‘White’ though each
has a complex ethnic makeup in addition to their Jewish
ethnic status.

9

Consultation questionnaire on ethnic group, national identity, religion
and language for the 2011 Census in England and Wales
Disadvantages
None
Please describe

Comparison with Scottish test categories
The 2006 Census Test in Scotland used a different ethnic group classification to the
one proposed for the 2007 Census Test in England and Wales. The main difference
is that it replaces the term ‘White’ with ‘European’ and the term ‘Black’ with ‘African or
Caribbean’. It also contains a larger number of tick-box categories. If the 2006
Scottish ethnic group question was used in 2011 it would provide information for the
following categories:

Single ethnic group categories:
Combined ethnic group categories:
1. Scottish
1.  European (categories 1 to 7)
2. English
2.  Multiple ethnic groups (category
3. Welsh
8)
4. British
3.  Asian (categories 9 to 14)
5. Northern Irish
4.  Arab (categories 15 to 17)
6. Irish
5.  African or Caribbean (categories
7. Other European
18 to 24)
8.  Multiple ethnic groups
6.  Other ethnic groups (categories
9. Pakistani
25 to 27)
10. Indian

11. Sikh
12. Chinese
13. Bangladeshi
14. Other Asian
15. Middle East
16. North African Arab
17. Other Arab
18. North African
19. East African
20. Southern African
21. West African
22. Central African
23. Caribbean
24. Other African or Caribbean
25. Gypsy/Traveller
26. Jewish
27. Other ethnic group

More information on the 2006 Census Test in Scotland is available here:
10

Consultation questionnaire on ethnic group, national identity, religion
and language for the 2011 Census in England and Wales
www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/census/censushm2011/index.html

Q32.  What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of the Scottish 2006 test
classification (above) compared with the England and Wales 2007 test classification
(shown after Q9)?
Advantages
By including the category 'Jewish' (as well as Sikh), the
Please describe
Scottish Test Census makes it clear that 'ethnicity' has,
conceptually, a broader meaning than race and nationally.
The main advantage of this presentation is that it affords
greater accuracy in the instrument's ability to record ethnic
belongings of its citizens.

Disadvantages
None
Please describe

Other comments on ethnicity
Q33.  If you have any other comments on ethnic group in the census please record below.
1.Jewish by Ethnicity

The Board of Deputies of British Jews is concerned that many thousands of people
who consider themselves to be Jewish by ethnicity ONLY were not enumerated in the
2001 Census. This was the result of that question lacking a category ‘Jewish’ and the
options presented implying that ‘Jewish’ would be an inappropriate response.
It should from the outset that Jewish ethnicity is has been acknowledged in Case Law
since 1980 (Seide v Gillette Industries Ltd) in which Mr Justice Slynn decided in
favour of an appellant based on him being ‘of Jewish ethnic origin’, and not because
he was of the Jewish faith.
Empirical evidence as to why the Board feels that a religion question alone is an
insufficient proxy for enumerating the Jewish population is as follows:
As noted in a response earlier in this questionnaire, Scottish Census data show that the
equivalent of 28% of the total size of the (currently) Jewish by religion population in
Scotland did not report they were currently Jewish. They did however report a Jewish
upbringing and it is likely that a majority of these people would consider themselves
ethnically but NOT religiously Jewish—a label that in the eyes of many Jews relates
to religious practice but not necessarily belonging.
In the 2001 Census, 97 per cent of Jews by religion in England & Wales recorded
‘White’ in the ethnicity question. Of these 32,164 people recorded ‘White – Other
White’ this being the simplest way to express the fact that ‘White’ was not a sufficient
description of their ethnicity whilst also providing an answer consistent with the
11

Consultation questionnaire on ethnic group, national identity, religion
and language for the 2011 Census in England and Wales
general thrust of the question’s wording. But this response is clearly an inadequate
description for ethnically identifying Jews.
Specially commissioned output revealed that several thousand people did enter
‘Jewish’ into the ethnicity question in 2001 many of which were only identifiable as
Jews through this response. Though a non representative sample, these Jews by
ethnicity only exhibited many demographic and socio-economic characteristics which
differed from the population of Jews by religion such as a bias towards being male
and being young—precisely the group most at risk of suffering antisemitic abuse.
This group could not be inferred from the Census data in any other way.
Empirical evidence for the importance of the ethnic dimension to Jewish identity has
also been noted in other countries. Work carried out by Professor Barry Kosmin in
North America in the early 1990s showed that in the Canadian Census of 1991, a total
of 87,885 people were recorded as Jewish by ethnicity but NOT Jewish by religion.
Given that 318,070 people in Canada were recorded as Jewish by religion that year
(compared with 266,740 in England & Wales in 2001) this amounts to the equivalent
of 28% of the Jewish by religion population—the same proportion in fact that was
Jewish by upbringing only in Scotland.
Data from the 2001 Canadian Census were not currently available to the Board in
such detail but there is no reason to believe the situation has changed substantially.
For example, in 2001 a total of 329,995 people were recorded as Jewish by religion
and 348,605 people as Jewish by ethnicity. Though we do not have the breakdowns
for Jews by ethnicity-only, we do know that 47% of the ethnic Jewish responses were
part of multiple ethnicities—a result stressing the importance of a multiple-response
format to the ethnicity question here.
Further evidence of ethnic-only Jews was seen in the results of the 1990 National
Jewish Population Survey (NJPS) carried out by Professor Kosmin in the United
States. This found that (the equivalent of) 2.45 million people were recorded as
Jewish by ethnicity but NOT Jewish by Religion. Given that 4.4 million people were
recorded as Jewish by religion in that survey, this amounts to 56% of the Jewish by
religion group. More recently Professor Leonard Saxe has noted that in a similar
survey carried out in 2001 up to 2 million Americans considered themselves Jewish,
but NOT by religion.
Empirical evidence has shown that people who consider themselves Jewish but not by
religion form an active and important component of the Jewish community. For
example, in 2001 the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR) found that the
majority of its respondents (58%; N=2,867) in London reported their outlook as
‘Secular or Somewhat Secular’ rather than ‘Religious or Somewhat Religious’. In
addition, less than a tenth of the sample regarded their outlook as ‘Religious only’
12

Consultation questionnaire on ethnic group, national identity, religion
and language for the 2011 Census in England and Wales
(8.5%). Importantly, the study also found that whereas 88% of respondents definitely
answered ‘Jewish’ to the religion question in the 2001 Census, only 77% of those
with a secular outlook did so.
The Board of Deputies feels strongly that taken together, these empirical sources
support our community’s need for the inclusion of a category ‘Jewish’ in the census’s
ethnicity question in addition to the Jewish category in the religion question. The risk
that many thousands of ethnic-only Jewish people may be missing from the 2001
Census data is evidently very high. Whilst we are gratified to note that the General
Register Office for Scotland is in agreement with us on this matter, shown by its
inclusion of ‘Jewish’ as a category in its Test Census, it is disappointing that ONS has
not yet been convinced of its importance. This is despite the population of England &
Wales being considerably larger and more diverse than that in Scotland; in fact 98%
of British Jews live in England & Wales. The Board is unclear as to why 'Jewish'
should be included as a named category north of the border (reflecting the
sociological reality that many Jews see themselves in solely ethnic terms) but not in
England & Wales. In conclusion therefore, to avoid the a further underenumeration
of the Jewish community, the Board of Deputies strongly urges ONS to include in
addition to the question on religion, a category ‘Jewish’ in the 2011 Census of
England & Wales, preferably in a multiple-choice format.

2.Usefulness to Public Authorities:
a. Policing and Security Concerns

The All Parliamentary Inquiry into Antisemitism (September 2006), Community
Security Trust and Metropolitan police have all highlighted their concerns on the
enormous rise in racially-motivated anti-Semitic attacks in the last five years.
The Parliamentary Inquiry was concerned that while:
“some police forces have taken the issue of antisemitism seriously, we believe that
overall there is a lack of consistency in the approach of the police and have identified
serious deficiencies in the recording and prosecuting of antisemitic incidents”
(Parliamentary Inquiry into Antisemitism, p.44)
Furthermore they recommended that the Home Office and DCLG need to work
together to tackle this issue.
The Board has consulted with both the Community Security Trust (who work closely
with the Metropolitan Police and many other police forces) and Greater Manchester
Jewish Police Association on this issue. They have confirmed our concerns that
isolated Jewish people who susceptible to attacks are more likely to be secular Jews
13

Consultation questionnaire on ethnic group, national identity, religion
and language for the 2011 Census in England and Wales
and are not included by the religion category.
The Home Office, DCLG and Police forces are being urged by the Parliamentary
Inquiry to tackle rising levels of anti-Semitic hate crimes. This can only be achieved
with proper ward data on Jewish populations. More secularised Jewish populations
exist (sometimes in isolation and other times in clusters) in areas where there are no
synagogues.

Police forces may be unaware of their presence and these groups are less likely to
identify as Jewish by religion but still likely to face anti-Semitic attacks.
This can be best achieved by proper census profiling of this group by ethnicity as well
as religion. We have enclosed evidence of this nature.

The Greater Manchester Jewish Police Association (GMJPA) has claimed that it is
difficult to police the rising levels of antisemitic hate crime. There is a need to have
more accurate data and to identify isolated Jews who often do not show up in ward
data.

They have provided the Board with evidence that Greater Manchester (with the
second largest Jewish community) find the non-inclusion of 'Jewish' as an ethnic
census category as a problem and explained that neighbouring police forces find it
difficult to identify Jewish communities. In areas such as Cheshire, where Jewish
communities exist without more secularised Jews apparently live in clusters. They
still face antisemitism. A change to the ethnic category on the census would be useful
in helping the police to plan in terms of recording and preventing antisemitic hate
crime.
Concerns were also raised by the GMJPA that hate crime is often not reported
accurately. The police utilise the Home Office 16+1 category in monitoring rising
levels of hate crime. This utilises census categories. Senior police officers within the
Greater Manchester area have described the current system unfit for purpose. The
board were told that the census does not pick up secularJews who are more isolated
from the community and increasingly likely to be targeted. There is a need for better
ward data on Jewish communities as an ethnic group to overcome this gap in planning
provision in order to combat hate crimes targetted towards Jews increases. The
GMJPA provided the Board with evidence that hate crime against Jews was rising at a
faster rate in Greater Manchester than in the Metropolitan Police areas and colleagues
in neighbouring force have confirmed similar patterns.

b. Provision of culturally relevant public services
14

Consultation questionnaire on ethnic group, national identity, religion
and language for the 2011 Census in England and Wales

Whilst Jews have been defined by the courts as an ethnic group under the Race
Relations Act most public authorities utilise the census categories and census data
when carrying out both race impact assessments and ethnic monitoring.
This results in many public authorities not including Jewish groups in terms of race
impact assessments and thereby risking breach of breaching the public duty under s71
of the Race Relations Act.
Furthermore, many public authorities cannot quantify the size of the local Jewish
community as many members of the community only define themselves by ethnicity
and not by religion. This makes the provision of culturally-relevant services in terms
of local authority services, care services and other public services difficult.
The census would give a more accurate picture of the population and enable public
authorities to produce provision for culturally relevant services.
In addition, many public authorities utilise census categories in producing ethnic
monitoring forms. This means that the Jewish community is not properly considered
in employment surveys or surveys concerning culturally-relevant services.

Your views on national identity
A question on national identity has not been included in previous censuses, though it
has been asked in surveys such as the Labour Force Survey since 2001. National
identity is subjective and self-perceived, unlike objective information such as country
of citizenship. It records (for example) English, Welsh and Scottish national identities
separately from an overall British identity and independently from ethnic group. It also
allows recording of national identities from outside the UK. Testing of the national
identity question showed that British-born people from ethnic minority groups
preferred answering the ethnic group question if they were asked to record their
national identity first.

Q46.  Do you need national identity information from the 2011 Census?
1. Yes
   go to next question
2. No
   go to Q34

Q47.  For what purposes do you/your organisation need this information? Please describe.


If the question proposed for the 2007 Census Test questionnaire was used in 2011, it
would provide information for the following national identity categories:
15

Consultation questionnaire on ethnic group, national identity, religion
and language for the 2011 Census in England and Wales
1. English
2. Welsh
3. Scottish
4. Northern Irish
5. British
6. Irish
7.  Other national identities

National identity is a multiple response question, so it would also provide information
for different combinations of national identities. (Note: information on the ‘other’
national identity categories, based on respondents’ written answers, is likely to be
available in a limited number of tables but not in standard outputs.)

Q48.  Would the proposed categories for national identity provide the information you
require?
1. Yes
   go to Q34
2. No
   go to next question
3. Partially
   go to next question

Q49.  If no or partially, please state why, describing what additional information you need
and the reasons you need it.
Reasons why:
Additional information needed:
Reasons needed:

Q50.  If you have any other comments on national identity in the census please record
below.
It would be helpful from an analytical point of view to make a clear distinction
between 'ethnicity' and 'national identity' which were confused categories under the
2001 ethnicity question wording.

Your views on religion
A voluntary question on religion was asked for the first time in England and Wales in
2001. The question in England and Wales gathers information on religious identity or
affiliation, rather than observance or practice. It differs from the religion questions
used in the Scottish and Northern Irish censuses.

Q51.  Do you need religion information from the 2011 Census?
16

Consultation questionnaire on ethnic group, national identity, religion
and language for the 2011 Census in England and Wales
1. Yes
   go to next question
2. No
   go to Q41

Q52.  For what purposes do you/your organisation need this information? Please describe.
These data are used by the Board in its work to assist myriad communal organisations
directly or indirectly responsible for education in Jewish schools, interfaith relations,
care provision for the elderly, support for the financially distressed, defence of the
community from antisemitism, and many a plethora of charitable organisations.

If the question proposed for the 2007 Census Test questionnaire was used in 2011, it
would provide information for the following religion categories in England and Wales:
1. No religion
2. Christian
3. Buddhist
4. Hindu
5. Jewish
6. Muslim
7. Sikh
8. Other religions

(Note: information on the ‘other’ religious categories, based on respondents’ written
answers, is likely to be available in a limited number of tables but not in standard
outputs.)

Q53.  Would the proposed categories for religion provide the information you require?
1. Yes
   go to Q41
2. No
   go to next question
3. Partially
   go to next question

Q54.  If no or partially, please state why, describing what additional information you need
and the reasons you need it.
Reasons why:
Additional information needed:
Reasons needed:

Q55.  Will you need to compare the information on religion in 2011 with the information
from the 2001 Census?
3. Yes
   go to next question
17

Consultation questionnaire on ethnic group, national identity, religion
and language for the 2011 Census in England and Wales
4. No
   go to Q41

Q56.  If yes, please state for what purposes.
To chart demographic and socio-economic change within the 'Jewish by religion'
population.

Q57.  If you have any other comments on religion in the census please record below.
From comparability reasons it is important the wording and format used in 2011 is the
same as it was in 2001.

Your views on language
A question on Welsh language proficiency has been included in previous censuses in
Wales. ONS proposes to continue to measure Welsh language proficiency in Wales
in 2011.

Proficiency in other languages has not been recorded in previous censuses in
England or Wales, and will only be included in 2011 if there is space for four pages of
individual questions per person. But we are aiming to get a better understanding of
users’ requirements for language information. If there is a strong requirement for
language information it may be possible to collect it using another survey, subject to
funding.

Language ability can be difficult to measure using a self-completion form, and there
are many different aspects of language. Please use the section below to record your
requirements on this topic.

Q58.  Do you need language information?
1. Yes
   go to next question
2. No
   go to Q50

Q59.  Which languages are you particularly interested in, if any? Please write in.
Hebrew, French, German, Spanish, Yiddish, Arabic, Russian

Q60.  For what purposes do you/your organisation need language information?
The British Jewish community is made up of substantial numbers of Jews from Israel,
EU and FSU countries as well as Yiddish speakers (especially strictly-Orthodox Jews)
who tend not to speak English at home. In its work the Board is responsible for
18

Consultation questionnaire on ethnic group, national identity, religion
and language for the 2011 Census in England and Wales
representing the needs and assisting in the welfare of all these groups. It would
enormously improve our understanding of the makeup of the community and our
ability to cater for their needs if we knew what languages were spoken at home and
produce material for such households.

If the question proposed for the 2007 Census Test questionnaire was used in 2011, it
would provide information for the following new aspects of language ability in
England and Wales:
1.  Ability to understand spoken English
2.  Ability to speak English
3.  Ability to read English
4.  Ability to write in English
5.  Ability to understand spoken Welsh (new for population in England)
6.  Ability to speak Welsh (new for population in England)
7.  Ability to read Welsh (new for population in England)
8.  Ability to write in Welsh (new for population in England)
9.  Ability to understand British Sign Language (BSL)
10. Ability to sign in BSL
11. Other languages understood
12. Other languages spoken/signed
13. Other languages read
14. Other languages written

Q61.  Would the proposed categories for language ability provide the information you
require?
1. Yes
   go to Q47
2. No
   go to next question
3. Partially
   go to next question

Q62.  If no or partially, please state why, describing what additional information you need
and the reasons you need it.
Reasons why:
Additional information needed:
Reasons needed:

Q63.  To what extent would information on the number of people who do not speak English,
and the languages spoken by those who do not, be useful to you?
1.  Very useful

19

Consultation questionnaire on ethnic group, national identity, religion
and language for the 2011 Census in England and Wales
2. Useful

3. Not useful


Q64.  There are many aspects of language ability. Which of the following aspects of
language ability do you need to know about, and to what extent? Tick the relevant
box in each row.
Very
Quite
Do not
important
important
need
1.  Ability to understand spoken English

2.  Ability to speak English

3.  Ability to read English

4.  Ability to write in English

5.  Which languages are understood, other than

English
6.  Which languages are spoken, other than English

7.  Which languages are read, other than English

8.  Which languages are written, other than English

9.  Ability to understand spoken Welsh (among

population in England)
10. Ability to speak Welsh (among population in

England)
11. Ability to read Welsh (among population in

England)
12. Ability to write in Welsh (among population in

England)
13. Frequency of speaking Welsh

14. Frequency of speaking other languages

15. Mother tongue or first language

16. Main language(s) spoken at home

17. Preferred spoken language for communicating

with public authorities
18. Preferred written language for communicating

with public authorities
19. Other aspects of language ability, please specify

N/A

Q65. If
only
one piece of language information could be collected, what would be the most
useful to you/your organisation?
Choose one aspect from Q48 above and write in the number below, or describe in
your own words.
Piece of information required
#16. Languages spoken at home
20

Consultation questionnaire on ethnic group, national identity, religion
and language for the 2011 Census in England and Wales
Specific language (if applicable)
N/A

Q66.  If you have any other comments on language please record below.
None

Prioritising your requirements
The eventual questions used in 2011 will have to balance the requirements for
information with the constraints on questionnaire length.

Q67.  Please rank these four topics in order, based on how important each piece of
information is to you/your organisation.
Number each topic from 1 to 4, where 1 is the most important topic and 4 is the least
important.
Ethnic group
2
National identity
4
Religion 1
Language 3

Q68.  Of all the requirements you have mentioned in this questionnaire, which are the most
important to you/your organisation? List up to three.
1. That 'Jewish' is listed as a category in the question on ethnicty
2. That the question on religion maintains the wording and format used in 2001
3. That the ethnicity question is presented in a multiple-choice format

GENERAL COMMENTS
Q69.  Use the space below for any other comments you want to add.
None

Thank you for contributing your views. Please return this form to:
ethnicity&[email address]

Emailed forms are preferred. We can also be contacted at:
Ethnicity and Identity Branch
Room D201, Office for National Statistics
1 Drummond Gate
London SW1V 2QQ
Tel: 020 7533 5741

21