Glasgow has fallen behind other Scottish local authority areas in completing the census.
The latest figures from the National Record of Scotland (NRS) showed only two council areas had a return rate above 90 per cent as the once-in-a-decade survey enters its final week.
However, the minimum targeted uptake for the whole of Scotland has been put at 94 per cent to ensure the study's quality.
The survey, which is a legal requirement and could see Scots fined up to £1,000, was extended by four weeks after 600,000 households had not completed it by April 28.
Now as the extended deadline on May 31 approaches, the return rate in Glasgow is the lowest in Scotland with 77.8 per cent of households completing it by 4am on Monday, May 23.
Aberdeenshire and the Western Isles have both now exceeded 90 per cent and a total of 19 council areas have reached 85 per cent.
It had already previously been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic which pushed up costs to carry out the once-in-a-decade survey by more than £20m. Censuses in other parts of the UK went ahead as planned in March 2021.
Census uptake rates in the rest of the UK reached 97 per cent last year, but the latest Scottish census completion rate stood at 84.8 per cent.
Angus Robertson, secretary for the constitution, external affairs and culture said: “Thousands of households are continuing to submit their returns before the deadline.
"It’s great that we are seeing this increase in census response rates right across Scotland, but it is vital that we secure as high a rate as possible so that the census can be effective in delivering its many benefits for future public services.
"Census data informs how and where public money is spent on vital services, from the building of new schools and hospitals to improving transport links and understanding health needs.
The MSP urged households yet to complete the census "to do so immediately".
The chief executive at the NRS also urged for more people to "step forward and complete" the survey.
Paul Lowe said: “I want to say a huge thank you to everyone across Scotland who has already done their bit and completed their return.
"We are making good progress but we need more in our communities to step forward and complete, to help achieve the important and long lasting benefits of the census."
You can complete the census online at census.gov.scot. If you need one you can get a new internet access code from the website via text, email or letter or via the call centre on 0800 030 8308. You can also complete on a paper form which can be ordered from the free helpline or online.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel