LONDON, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Britain's 2011 census, a long form full of detailed questions, could be the last, thanks to drastic budget cuts.
The decennial count, which has been carried out since 1801, will be the first with a checkoff box for same-sex civil partnerships and the second to ask about religion, The Independent reports. But many questions are unchanged after 150 years.
The census will cost more than 250 million pounds ($389 million). The information collected lets the government, and private organizations, direct resources and plan for healthcare and social services, among many other functions.
But as the government examines different and cheaper ways to count the population more regularly, this census, which is to be answered March 27, could be the last of its kind, officials say.
