British Library - Census & Society: why everyone counts

"The 21st census in Britain will be held on 27 March 2011. It is now one of the most widely-used sources of data in planning, policy development and research. Census & Society: why everyone counts (7 March – 29 May 2011) is a new British Library exhibition that explores how the census has influenced our view of society and how it has in turn been shaped by the values and priorities surrounding its implementation. Each section of the exhibition (families and households, health, employment and migration) includes examples of data from censuses alongside materials which illustrate how life in Britain is changing, and the issues of most concern. Visitors will be able to see photographs, maps, public information broadcasts and cartoons, alongside insights from the census data itself. From the first modern attempt to introduce a census to England in 1753, the idea has generated interest and strong emotion. The census has always been an occasion for satire, subversion and resistance. The exhibition looks at some of the controversies and some of the ways in which the census has been used as an opportunity in wider political campaigns"