Analysis: Census returns allow government plan public services, but they're also a key source for understanding past lives

Over 2 million forms have been delivered across Ireland in the past month - one per household – in time for census day today. This year, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) added a 'time capsule' section to the form. Unique to the Irish census, this allows a personalised message to be included which, like the rest of your census data, cannot be made public for 100 years.

Census data provides the government with a demographic underpinning for public services planning, but it is also a key source for understanding past lives. Irish censuses have been conducted on a regular basis since 1821. This was initially on a decennial basis, though no census was carried out in 1921 due to the War of Independence. The census was cancelled in 1976 for economic reasons and, most recently, the 2021 census was postponed to 2022 due to the pandemic. Whether issued in 1821 or 2022, the forms are highly structured documents so that the data can be easily analysed.

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From RTÉ Archives, Brendan O'Brien. reports for RTÉ News on the 1981 census

The first censuses were completed by hand, with enumerators following guidelines which, in theory, meant consistency in reporting. By 1981, the system was more automated. Rather than hand-writing responses in full, individuals responded by selecting boxes, meaning that the results could be ‘computer-punched’. Today’s censuses shows further refinement. After collation, the forms are guillotined, scanned and converted into readable data using Optical Character Recognition. The information is coded into a computer system after which it is analysed.

Since 1821, aggregate data from censuses has been compiled into census reports. Historians use this information to understand demographic trends such as population size and structure, levels of literacy and occupational patterns. Though the census reports survive, the only fully extant manuscript censuses prior to Independence are those of 1901 and 1911.

Census questions can reflect changing social attitudes and preoccupations. The 1841 census was the first to include literacy questions (the Irish national school system was established in 1831). In 1851, individuals were first asked whether they spoke Irish, English or both. The 1911 ‘fertility’ census asked women the number of live births that had occurred within their current marriage, and how many children were still living. It also included indelicately expressed questions about disabilities. This year, new questions reflect some of our current preoccupations, such as renewable energy, internet access, ways of working and childcare.

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From RTÉ Archives, Mary Fanning reports for RTÉ News on the launch of the 1986 census

An ongoing problem with having a standardised set of responses to census questions is that some people cannot represent themselves fully. Researcher and activist Karen Sugrue points out that non-binary people cannot record their gender identity on the 2022 census, while historian Hussein Omar sees the list of tick-box responses to the ethnicity question as problematic. Omar notes that Arabic is a language not an ethnicity. Similarly, the ethnicity list includes nationalities and geographical descriptors like ‘African’.

Until the 1981 census, only a husband could be described as head of the household, a reflection on perceived attitudes towards women. ‘Divorce’ was an option for the first time on the 2001 census, following the introduction of legislation in 1996, while 2016 saw the inclusion of registered same-sex civil partnerships.

Despite the constraints of the census form, people have often managed to personalise their returns in some way. Taking the ‘occupation’ category as an example. In 1911, one-year-old Bridget Cronin’s father described her occupation as ‘bold pet’, while infant James Geddes was a ‘nuisance at night’. One father described his toddler’s occupation as ‘child play’ in 1901. These humorous entries provide a glimpse into familial relationships in the past.

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From RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland, Aisling Moloney joins a census enumerator on her rounds in Newbridge, Co. Kildare

The census was used to convey more serious messages too. Unable to vote at the time of the 1911 census, some women expressed their defiance by refusing to complete the census while others like 63-year-old Frances Flynn described themselves as ‘suffragette’. Completing the census in Irish was, in some cases, a political statement. Pádraig Pearse’s 1911 census return was completed in Irish, reflecting his nationalist views. A more recent representation of defiance of Church/State power is the 2,000 individuals in 2016 who declared themselves to be members of the Jedi faith.

The addition of the Time Capsule gives everyone an opportunity to express themselves. I asked the Twittersphere what topics they were thinking of including in the Time Capsule.

One idea is to record what they do on April 3rd as an ordinary day in 2022 will probably be of great interest to social historians of 2122. Genealogists have indicated that they will include a family tree, DNA details or a summary of the complex relationships in their generation.

While ethnic groups such as Mincéir/Irish Travellers are included on the census form, the Time Capsule is an opportunity for them to tell their story, their history and culture having been excluded from areas such as the school curriculum. Mincéir activist Rosemarie Maughan says she will write about ‘the oppression of Irish Travellers, the only indigenous ethnic minority in Ireland, seeing our history was never recorded.’

Others are going to include a potted autobiography, explaining why they made certain decisions in life. Some of those who have been bereaved since the last census will use the time capsule to memorialise a loved one.

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From RTÉ Radio 1's Today With Claire Byrne, what will you write on the census time capsule?

A more macro approach is popular with many, such as a current snapshot of Ireland, describing both the positive aspects of life and current issues like housing and the health system. On a global scale, environmental issues including biodiversity and climate change were frequently mentioned – some want to apologise for our treatment of the earth. Current affairs such as the pandemic or the invasion of the Ukraine are also top of people's minds. Some people have decided not to write anything, which in itself is a form of expression.

Just as the field of history is vast, taking in everything from family history to political history to environmental history, the remarks in the time capsule will equally be varied. But whatever you decide to write, you can be sure a historian 100 years from now will thank you for your contribution.

The author is a postdoctoral researcher on the Irish Research Council-funded Death and Burial Data: Ireland 1864-1922 project.

The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ