The Case for a 2026 Emergency Census in England

December 16, 2025

This paper presents the case for an emergency census in England for 2026 on three grounds:

The unprecedented level of immigration-driven population growth which has taken place since the March 2021 England & Wales Census.
The degree to which the last census, held during the Covid-19 pandemic, was affected by Covid-related employment and health data distortions.
The extent to which the last census was affected by methodological flaws – especially the question and response framing for national identity.

Modelled on the 1966 mid-decade Census, which was held as a matter of urgency due to concerns over the scale of Commonwealth international migration and internal movement from the northern regions to southern England, this emergency 2026 census for England would be based on a national sample of 10% along with full censuses in five ‘special study areas’ which provide a reasonable regional spread:

Preston, Lancashire, North West England
Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, North East England
Leicester, Leicestershire, East Midlands
Luton, Bedfordshire, Eastern England
Bournemouth, Dorset, South West England

Along with the central recommendation of holding an emergency census in 2026 for England, the new Policy Exchange report makes proposals such as:

Inserting denominational categories such as Catholic, Protestant, Sunni, and Shia for the Census question on religious affiliation.
Reframing the question on national identity so respondents are given the opportunity to report the relative strength of their British and English identities.
Removing the 2021 Census questions on gender self-identification and sexual orientation (which were first introduced in the last edition with limited success).
Adding a new question on how long one has been living at their current home and where they lived before, to develop a richer understanding of internal migration.
Encouraging the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to work more closely with private marketing firms, polling companies, and reputable civic associations in the delivery of the Census.

While it is proposed that this emergency census is for England, the report recommends the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland should have the choice to ‘opt in’ and commit to an emergency national census for their respective nations. Due to their smaller national populations, these could be held at a larger sample size than the recommended 10% for England.

The launch of this report was covered by: