About the census : The 2019 Census Rehearsal

Thank you to all who took part in the 2019 census rehearsal.

Why we held a rehearsal

The census aims to count everyone in Northern Ireland, which makes it a pretty big task. No other survey gives us as much information about us and our society.

We ran a rehearsal to help us make sure our processes, systems and services are running smoothly. The rehearsal took place in October 2019. It was a practice run so we get things right for the real thing.

Where the rehearsal took place

We chose three particular areas as together they represent a good cross section of our society. The three locations included urban, rural and mixed areas with varying internet coverage, places where there are non-English speakers, students and residents of a variety of backgrounds and ethnicities.

We asked people in the three areas of Northern Ireland to fill in the census rehearsal questionnaire. The areas were:

  • South & East Belfast
  • Craigavon
  • West Fermanagh