Research Article

Underenumeration of the Jewish population in the UK 2001 Census

  1. David Graham*,
  2. Stanley Waterman*

Article first published online: 24 MAR 2005

DOI: 10.1002/psp.362

Issue

Population, Space and Place

Population, Space and Place

Special Issue: Race, Religion and the Census

Volume 11, Issue 2, pages 89–102, March/April 2005

Additional Information

How to Cite

Graham, D. and Waterman, S. (2005), Underenumeration of the Jewish population in the UK 2001 Census. Popul. Space Place, 11: 89–102. doi: 10.1002/psp.362

Author Information

  1. The Institute for Jewish Policy Research, 79 Wimpole Street, London W1G 9RY, UK

*The Institute for Jewish Policy Research, 79 Wimpole Street, London, W1G 9RY, UK.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 24 MAR 2005
  2. Article first published online: 24 MAR 2005
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 22 OCT 2004
  4. Manuscript Revised: 20 OCT 2004
  5. Manuscript Received: 25 FEB 2004

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Keywords:

  • census;
  • question on religion;
  • underenumeration;
  • Jewish;
  • identity;
  • ethnicity

Abstract

The size of the UK Jewish population has always been a source of uncertainty for demographers. Following considerable discussion and testing, a voluntary question on religion was introduced into the 2001 Census, which afforded the first opportunity to provide definitive answers to the socio-demographic make-up of Jews in Britain. However, examination of the 2001 Census figures and data from several large surveys suggests that the census population of 266,740 British Jews by religion is probably a considerable undercount. Jews are increasingly defining themselves in ethnic rather than religious terms, so there is reason to question the efficacy of the data derived from the current format of the census question on religion and identity in general. With growing demands for comprehensive planning of social service needs, the necessity for accurate data is more important than ever. Although much of this can be derived from the Census, there continues to be a key role for community-wide surveys. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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