First impressions on the 1981 census in Scotland

The past decade was a tumultuous period in Scotland with the discovery of North Sea oil, the rise (and decline) of Scottish Nationalism and the inexorable movement into the deepest economic recession in the post-war period. A number of insights into the pattern of economic and social changes throughout this period is provided by the 'Preliminary Report on the 1981 Census of Population in Scotland'. While complete analysis must await the full details of the Census, this brief paper attempts to draw some tentative conclusions