Council and democracy

1997 Mid Term Population Survey

Background

The survey was conducted by Hertfordshire County Council in a consortium with the ten district councils at the time of updating the electoral register in September 1997. The results represent an estimate of the household population only – that is, they do not include an estimate of the population of communal establishments. The purpose was to provide an updated view of the county’s household population between the 1991 and 2001 Censuses. Results are not compatible with ONS Mid Year Estimates, and should not be used with them to provide time series data.

Scope of survey

The results were published in June 1999, and comprise:

Estimates of total household population by district and ward;
Estimates of household population for district and ward, disaggregated by age and sex
(Note: the disaggregations by age and sex are not adjusted for response bias, and appear to under-estimate populations in the 0-40 age bands, and to over-estimate populations in the 60-80 age bands);

Estimates of numbers of households by district and ward, disaggregated by household type and household size;
Estimates of mean household size by district and ward;
Changes in the distribution of household type and mean household size compared with the 1991 Census;
Comparisons of population data from various sources at the county and district levels for 1997 (Mid Term Survey, Electoral Register, Family Health Register, ONS Mid Year Estimates).

Format & Cost

The main document comprises:

a county report, giving summary findings for Hertfordshire and the districts, and a brief section on the survey methodology;
ten district reports giving summary information for each district and its constituent wards (as at 1997), including a map of the district wards;
a technical report, giving fuller details of the survey and its methodology.
The individual district reports are available separately, with a brief section on the survey methodology.

The main report and individual district report are now all available free of charge.

Main findings

Population

The survey’s population estimate for the county appears in reasonable accord with the ONS Mid Year Estimate for 1997:

the Mid Term Survey estimates a household population for 1997 of 1,004,600;
ONS Mid Year Estimate for Hertfordshire in 1997 is 1,024,800;
The discrepancy of 20,200 is in fair accord with the likely population of communal establishments (22,400 in the 1991 Census).

Households

The survey estimates that there were 412,000 households in Hertfordshire in 1997 (8% more than in the 1991 Census, when there were 381,000)

Types of household

Watford has the highest proportion of single person households (29%). This is entirely due to a high proportion of single non-pensioner households (17% compared to a county mean of 12.5%).
In Hertfordshire, single parent families constitute 3.4 % of all households. The highest proportion is in Stevenage (4.8%). Of those households which contain children, 13% have a single parent, compared with 23% in the UK.
Households containing only pensioners constitute about 25% of all households in the county - 13% containing a single pensioner, 11% containing multiple pensioners. The highest proportion of pensioner-only households is in Welwyn Hatfield, with relatively high proportions also in Hertsmere and Three Rivers.

Changes in Household Type compared to the 1991 Census

Households with children and two or more adults appear to have decreased by 7%.
Single parent households have increased by 23%.
Single person non-pensioner households have increased by 25%.
Single pensioner households have increased by 9%, but households of two or more pensioners have increased by 31%.
Mean household size is calculated at 2.44 in 1997 (2.53 in 1991). Mean household size is lowest in Welwyn Hatfield and Watford, highest in Broxbourne and East Herts.