The census aims to include everyone. As well as those in ordinary households, the census includes those in nursing homes, boarding schools, houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs), hospitals, the armed forces, prison, student halls, royal households, embassies, commercial shipping, rough sleepers, refugees and asylum seekers, gypsies and travellers and those in circuses and fairs. The census makes a special effort to try and include some of these groups because they have traditionally been under-represented in census returns.
The geographic boundaries of census areas are another important consideration and an Overview Unit on Census Geography is provided.
For further information on who is included in the census see the Overview
Unit on Coverage.