Who do we think we are? Well, it is going to cost £65m to find out

AN ARMY of nearly 7,000 people has been drafted in to help carry out the biggest population survey in Scotland.

More than 2.5 million households are set to receive Census forms over the next few weeks, asking questions on areas such as work, education and ethnic background.

For the first time, national identity will be among the areas to be investigated, with respondents being asked whether they feel Scottish or British - or both.

People will have a choice between Scottish, English, Northern Irish, Welsh, British and "other". They can tick all those that apply to them.

Questions about people's command of English will feature for the first time, as will one about the date of their arrival in the UK for those born abroad.

The 2011 Census will take place on Sunday, 27 March, and a campaign to raise awareness of the study, which will cost taxpayers about 65 million, was launched yesterday.

Organisers said the Census was a vital tool to help the government and local authorities best target billions of pounds of public money. Registrar General for Scotland Duncan Macniven said: "The Census takes place just once every ten years. So we need to inform people what the Census is and why it matters.

"For many young people - and new communities that have made Scotland their home - 2011 will be the first time that they have been responsible for filling in a Census questionnaire. The results will help provide the evidence of what Scotland and its people need from the UK Treasury, the Scottish Government and local authorities."

The survey includes questions about the kind of house respondents live in and how many people live there, as well as information about marital status and same-sex civil partnerships.

Respondents will be asked about their country of birth, how they travel to work, the number of hours they work and the nature of their employment, although plans to ask about household incomes for the first time have been dropped.

Organisers say it should only take ten minutes to complete. Anyone failing to fill in the Census form, either on paper or, for the first time, online, will face a 1,000 fine.

The information gathered is kept confidential for 100 years and the statistics are used to work out what services are needed for Scotland.

There are 13 questions about the household and up to 35 about individuals.

People who stay in managed residential accommodation other than a family home will be asked to fill in an individual questionnaire.Facts and figures behind this portrait of a nation

• More than 6,000 temporary staff have been drafted in to work on the 2011 Census

• The Census is 28 pages long, with 13 questions about the household and up to 35 questions for individuals.

• Respondents will be able to choose gypsy/traveller or Polish for the first time under the ethnic grouping.

• The ethnic group category will also include Arab for the first time.

• New questions about national identity, the respondent's command of English, and the nature of any long-term health condition have been included this year.

• Census day has been earmarked as 27 March.

• Censuses have been held every ten years since 1801, with the exception of 1941.

• The census will go out to 2.5 million homes across Scotland.

• It will cost about 65 million to run.

• Organisers expect it to take about 10 minutes for each person, with the average household taking about 20 minutes in total.