Child type (CTPP)

This variable identifies different parent-child relationships within families.

All children

This variable is derived from the Relationship in household question on the Census form.

Children are classified as:

• A ‘child’ if the person is aged under 15 years of age
• 'Otherwise related child' when they live with another adult relative (e.g. older sibling, aunt, uncle) and no natural, adoptive, step-, foster-, or grand- parent is identified
• 'Unrelated child' when no relative is identified within the same dwelling.

Persons aged over 15 years and over are classified as:

• ‘Children’ if they are living with a natural, adoptive, step, foster or grandparent
• 'Not applicable’ if they are a boarder and/or lodger aged 15 years and over

In some cases, children are listed on the Census form as Person 2. In this case, if both parents are usual residents, the response 'Child of both Person 1 and Person 2' is not available in the relationship question for Person 2. Coders attempt to establish whether the child was a step child or child of both parents using other information such as surname.

A question on the relationships between members of a household has been asked in all censuses since 1911. This variable has been output since 1991.

No changes have been made for 2021.

This variable captures complex family structures such as blended families or multiple generations of families within a household. The quality of family data in the Census is partly dependent on people’s ability to describe these relationships within the constraints of the generalised questionnaire format required by a Census.

The categories 'step child' and 'foster child' are not necessarily pure counts as a parent may report such a child as being a child of Person 1 and Person 2. In this case the child would be classified as a 'natural child'.

Cross classification of Child type (CTPP) with Family composition (FMCF) allows analysis of different family types.

This variable does not have a non-response rate as it is created during Census processing by using responses from more than one question on the Census form.

• Child type (including grandchildren) (CTGP)
• Family composition (FMCF)
• Relationship in household (RLHP)
• Adopted child
• Child
• Foster child
• Step child

• People
• Household and families: Census