Experts fear that public services in Scotland’s poorest areas could be harmed by a widespread abstention from this year’s census in urban areas.
Public policy specialists and opposition parties are alarmed after it was learned that only 86% of households across the country had filled it on Monday, well below the 94% target, despite a four-week extension until May 31.
The Scottish government delayed the census until April, although it was held in the rest of the UK last year. Putting it online by default for the first time at a cost of £ 150 million is expected to lose all of its key targets.
One goal described by National Records of Scotland as a “critical success factor” was to achieve a minimum response rate of 85% in Scotland’s 32 local authorities.
On Thursday last week, 25 municipal areas had exceeded that threshold. In the areas with the highest deprivation rates in Scotland it was around 80%. In Glasgow it was 79%, West Dunbartonshire 80%, Inverclyde and Dundee 82%, and North Lanarkshire 83%.
Philip Whyte, director of IPPR Scotland’s public policy think tank, said the low response rates were significant as the census provided “vital” data that helped sustain policies and spending on health, education and social services.
“It is very worrying that areas with some of the highest levels of deprivation in Scotland, such as Glasgow and West Dunbartonshire, have not yet seen an 80% census response rate,” he said.
“Scotland has very welcome ambitions to ensure a more inclusive economy, but poor quality data will make this task more difficult. Policy makers need to ensure that public services in areas with high levels of deprivation do not see any negative impact as as a result of potentially skewed census results “.
The census deadline was extended to the end of April after Angus Robertson, the Scottish Secretary of the Constitution, said 23% of Scots had not yet responded. He warned landlords that they risked a fine or even a prison sentence for not completing it.
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National Records of Scotland said its census field teams and advertising campaigns will close on Wednesday. Paul Lowe, its chief executive, urged people to fill out their forms before the deadline.
“The big decisions about our local communities and our nation as a whole are based on census data. Everyone’s circumstances need to be captured to ensure the best decisions are made, so please complete now.” , he said.
Sarah Boyack, spokeswoman for the Scottish Labor Constitution, said: “It has been a [Scottish National party] it collapses after another recently, but this mess will take years to clean up.
“Without action, this will lead to a decade of injustice in Scotland, as the most disadvantaged communities are paying the price for the failure of the SNP. The SNP must establish how to ensure that this wrong census does not leave the poorer areas discovered “.
Nicola Sturgeon, the prime minister, said 10 days ago that there were questions about the credibility of the census. “We will work to ensure that the exercise has been credible and that the information gathered is reliable. It will be appropriate to receive expert advice in this regard, “he told MSP.