2011 Census: Cornish identity
Last updated: 18/02/2013
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73,200, or 14% of the total population, stated in the 2011
Census that they have Cornish national identity
Information on the Cornish National Identiy is included in
Census; An overview of the headline figures for
Background to Cornish and the Census
The Census in 2001 was the first to enable people to identify
themselves as Cornish under the White: British category, by writing
in the word Cornish. In 2001, some 37,000 people recorded their
ethnicity as Cornish.
There was no specific tick-box category for Cornish in either
the ethnic group or in the national identity questions in the 2011
Census, however, as in the 2001 Census, there were write-in options
which provided the opportunity for people to describe themselves as
Cornish, if they wished to do so. Statistics from the 2011 Census
will include analysis of written-in responses.
Anyone who recorded their national
identity as Cornish using the write-in option will be coded,
alongside anyone who recorded themselves as both British and
Cornish (the national identity question allows for multiple
The main language question, available for the
first time in the 2011 Census, also enabled Cornish people to
record their language for the first time, and will therefore
provide important statistics on the prevalence of the language in
In the 2011 Census the three questions that apply to
15. What is your national identity?
16. What is your ethnic group?
18 What is your main language ?
During the Census period the Council put together a poster
containing information on how people could complete their forms
with 'Cornish' should they wish to do so.
Call yourself Cornish? 2011 Census Poster
Cornish Census Release Update
Anyone who recorded themselves as Cornish
using the write-in option will be coded and for the first time, the
Census (ONS) will be publishing Cornish statistics as part of the
standard Census tables within the general release calendar.
There will be 4 releases of Census data between
16 July 2012 and October 2013 and the first release of data
on Cornish will be between November 2012 and February
2013. This will include those who identified themselves as
Cornish under both ethnic group and national identity down to the
lowest level of census geography, specifically:
- Key Statistics Table: National identity
- Quick Statistics Table: Ethnic (write-in)
groups (England and Wales)
ONS have also announced that they will be
producing a range of products designed around small
population groups. These will explore the characteristics
of some small population groups, and it has been confirmed that
Cornish is one of these groups, subject to meeting ONS determined
population thresholds. Small population data (Cornish) will only be
produced if there are 50 or more qualifying people in the given
middle layer super output area geography. The implication of this
is that possibly less information will be available for certain
geographies if this threshold is not met. Separate sets of outputs
are being developed for areas where there are 100 or more, and 200
or more, people from the same small population group.
More information on these products will be
made available at a later date, but data is unlikely to be
available before July 2013.
The Council will undertake analysis of these
figures once released. There may be a requirement for the Council
to commission tables from the Census (ONS), however, until the
details of the small population group data is made available it is
not possible to take a view as to what additional information is