The relationship question had a new format.
In previous censuses, persons present in the household on Census Night were asked for their relationship only to the person listed as 'Person 1'. This question was expanded for Census 2006 to ascertain the relationships of all persons present in the household to each of the persons listed as 'Persons 1 to 4'. This will provide a relationship matrix with additional detailed statistical data on household composition and family structures. There is a growing demand for information on the number of second families within households and on atypical family types. The relationship matrix will be particularly valuable in identifying these families.
Fertility is a key component of population growth. Data on fertility are used to improve the understanding of demographic change and the quality of population projections. The inclusion of a question in the census will enable detailed analyses to be prepared that cannot be obtained from other sources. This question is, for example, the only source of comprehensive information on women who have had no children, which is an area of increasing policy interest.
A version of the question, which related to children born alive to the present marriage, was asked in the 1961, 1971 and 1981 censuses. The version included in 2006 covers all live births.
The results of the pilot survey indicated that there was a high level of acceptance of the question from the public. The categories included in the question were developed in consultation with the Equality Authority, the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism and Pavee Point along with relevant departments.
There is considerable interest in voluntary activities within the community and the figures will provide a benchmark from which to monitor changes over time. The question asked if, in the four weeks preceding census date, an individual had helped or done voluntary unpaid work with any of the following: 'social or charitable organisation'; 'religious group or church'; 'sporting organisation'; 'political or cultural organisation'; ' any other voluntary activity' or 'no voluntary activity'.