Press Statement Census Pilot Survey 2024 Cork

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) is today (09 September 2024) asking households in parts of Cork to complete the Census Pilot Survey. The Survey is a crucial part of preparations for Ireland’s next census in 2027. This will be the first census in Irish history where the public will have the option to complete their census form online. The Census Pilot Survey will test new questions and the online option.

Cork is one of the counties chosen for the Census Pilot Survey which is taking place in 44 locations across a total of six counties.

Participating areas in Cork include parts of:

• Ballincollig
• Bishopstown/Curaheen
• Douglas Road
• Magazine Road
• Turners Cross
• Wilton

A more detailed list and maps of the six areas in Cork selected to take part are available to view on censuspilot.ie. The areas were selected to broadly represent the people living in Ireland and are a mix of urban and rural locations.

Letters of invitation have been posted to homes in the selected pilot areas, which explain how to complete the form online. They also explain how to get a paper form. Also, for the first time, forms should be completed for where you usually live and can be completed anytime between now and the official Census Pilot Survey night of 22 September 2024.

We are asking every household selected for this Survey to take part so we can evaluate our online option across a variety of devices such as mobile phones, tablets, or laptops. Both online and paper forms are available in Irish and English.

Census Field Support Officers (formerly known as enumerators) will be calling to homes in the selected areas in the coming weeks to tell people about the Census Pilot Survey and encourage them to take part. They will be wearing a yellow high-viz vest clearly branded as Census and will be carrying official CSO ID cards which you should ask to see.

About the Census Pilot Survey

As with all previous Census Pilot Surveys, the CSO will test new and changed questions ahead of Census 2027. This is to ensure the census accurately reflects our changing society. New questions on this Census Pilot Survey include:

• where a household’s car/s is/are 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
• how you would self-report your mental health.

These new questions, as well as updates to existing census questions, are the result of a public consultation on the potential content of the Census 2027 form. Once the responses are analysed, they will be used to guide the final recommendations of the Census Advisory Group. The final content of the Census 2027 form will be subject to Government approval.

The Census Pilot Survey is part funded by the European Union under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP).