Every ten years since 1801 the British government has conducted a census, counting every man, woman and child. Is this elaborate and costly exercise still necessary? The most recent census, conducted in 2011, cost £48om ($77om)-a 35％ increase in real terms over the 2001 census. On September 23rd the Office for National Statistics (ons) began a three-month public consultation to evaluate two new ways to count the population. Unlike surveys based on random sampling, the census provides extremely accurate and fine-grained data. Researchers can look up the results for a single street. Counting everybody is also the most reliable way to determine the size of the total population: the 2011 census revealed that there were 500,000 more people in England and Wales than statisticians had thought. But this accuracy is expensive and short-lived.
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