Census

• Question 7

Where do you usually live?

The purpose of Questions 5 to 9 is to study migration patterns, both short-term and long-term. The resulting information will give us a picture of where people are moving to and from and their characteristics in terms of age, sex, education, occupation, etc.

Comparing a person's place of birth (Question 5) and his or her current place of usual residence (Question 7) gives an indication of the extent of longer-term migration. Likewise, if a person lived outside the country for a continuous period of one year or more (Question 9) it is possible to determine the person's country of origin and the period he or she took up residence in Ireland.

Location (Question 7) is a key characteristic that is used with other data to build an accurate picture of our population. It is the basis for the annual population estimates and for population projections. It is also key in determining changes to electoral boundaries.

By comparing a person's usual residence one year before the census (Question 8) and their residence at census time (Question 7) we get an indication of the extent to which people change residence. The responses to this question are particularly useful in monitoring internal migration within the State.