Dear all,
I have just read an article detailing (http://www.totalwales.co.uk/) the
fact there is no provision for people to state that they are Welsh in next
years census. However, provision has been made for Scots and Irish to
indicate their ethnic origin.
Firstly i must state that I'm Welsh and that my writing this note is
influenced by my personal feelings on the subject. However i also think that
any results from the census could be questionable as:
1) people may choose to ignore the census as they may feel somewhat let down
as they cannot state their ethnic background sufficiently. This could
contribute to a lowering of the response rate to the census within Wales and
results could therefore be bias as those individuals responding could be
very 'different' to non-responders;
2) that research using census data could be misleading as cultural factors
will be ignored as the Welsh and English populations may simply be grouped
together (this may be a gross simplification i admit).
I would be very grateful to anyone who could provide me with informed
opinions on 1) and 2) and would respectfully request that they be sent
directly to myself and not the list.
I have tried to contact the ONS but the e-mail address listed in the article
may be incorrect as my message has been bounced back.
I believe that this is an important issue and that as the census is based on
statistical principles this is a valid forum for airing my concerns.
Diolch yn fawr (thank you very much),
Simon Williams
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