A look at the census being carried out by the Central Statistics Office.
The 1981 census will be the first full census in ten years. Mr Lenihan from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) describes how the questions are formulated. The CSO have received criticism from the Divorce Action Group who are critical that the marital status section takes no account for separated couples.
Separated couples will be classified as married
The census forms will go out to an estimated 905,000 households. The first census which involved sending forms to each household was just before the Irish famine in 1841, when the population was 6.5 million.
Changes to completing the census form include the ticking of boxes in answer to questions to reduce what has to be written.
It's obligatory under law to give the information required and the Central Statistics Office pledges strict confidentiality
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 20 March 1981. The reporter is Brendan O'Brien.
