Synthetic census data now available for research

These synthetic datasets, which are based on Scotland’s 2001 and 2011 censuses, have been created using the metadata of the original datasets. They do not contain real data. Instead, a set of variables has been created as those most likely to be of interest for research.  

While these synthetic datasets cannot be used to perform meaningful analysis, they can be valuable to researchers at the beginning of a project. Researchers can investigate if the real data will include information that is relevant for their project. While researchers are awaiting permissions to access real datasets, synthetic versions of the data can be used to start the process of developing code for later analysis.  

Synthetic data can also be valuable for training and teaching, allowing users to explore datasets while ensuring that real people’s privacy is not affected.   

Roger Halliday, CEO of Research Data Scotland, said:  

“We’re excited to host these synthetic datasets from NRS, as part of our wider work on making synthetic datasets available for research. We know that synthetic data can be incredibly useful for researchers in the early stages of projects, and improving access to datasets like these is an important part of our mission to develop the ways data is used for research in Scotland.”  

Researchers can apply to access the NRS synthetic census datasets in the metadata catalogue. Once an application for a synthetic dataset has been submitted, a member of our team will be in touch. Use of synthetic datasets will be recorded as part of our Data Use Register.  Researchers can apply to access the NRS synthetic census datasets in the metadata catalogue

Want to find out more about synthetic data? Read our handy introduction here or watch our video explainer.