Ethnic group (9 categories)

Description: The ethnic group that the person completing the census feels they belong to. This could be based on their culture, family background, identity or physical appearance. Respondents could choose one out of 19 tick-box response categories, including write-in response options.

Comparability with 2011: Broadly comparable. The question about the ethnic group people feel they belong to is self-identified and is subjectively meaningful to the person answering the question. This means that how a person chooses to identify can change over time. We have included a new Roma category next to the Gypsy or Irish Traveller tick-box within the White category. We have also added a write-in option for those selecting African within the Black, Caribbean or Black British category. This means that a more specific ethnic background could be recorded.

Household composition (7 categories)

Description: Households according to the relationships between members. One-family households are classified by: - the number of dependent children - family type (married, civil partnership or cohabiting couple family, or lone parent family)

Other households are classified by: - the number of people - the number of dependent children - whether the household consists only of students or only of people aged 66 and over

Quality information: There are quality considerations around consistency of census data on household and family composition and legal partnership status, and changes in the definition of "other household types" since 2011.

Comparability with 2011: Broadly comparable. This is derived from the legal partnership status derived variable. We have made changes to reflect that people can now marry someone of the same-sex and people of the opposite-sex can be in a civil partnership.