Welsh language household transmission rates, by sex (Census 2021)
This release provides additional data on the Welsh language transmission rate (the process whereby a language is transferred from generation to generation through the normal familial interactions of parents or guardians and children) by the sex of the parent or partner from Census 2021.
This file may not be fully accessible.
In this page
Introduction
On 8 June 2023, we published a statistical bulletin analysing the Welsh language composition of households in Wales and the intergenerational transmission of Welsh using Census 2021 data.
This headline and supplemental data tables provide additional data on the Welsh language transmission rate (the process whereby a language is transferred from generation to generation through the normal familial interactions of parents or guardians and children) by the sex of the parent or partner.
The data on Welsh language transmission in the household are presented for one-family households with children aged three to four years old. The Welsh language transmission rate is defined as the proportion of three- to four-year-olds within a given family type who are able to speak Welsh.
Main points
- The Welsh language transmission rate for couple households where only one partner was able to speak Welsh was higher where the Welsh speaking partner was a female (45%) rather than a male (34%).
- There was no difference between the Welsh language transmission rate for lone mother and lone father households where the parent was the only Welsh-speaking adult (both 53%).
Welsh language transmission rates for couple households
According to Census 2021, the Welsh language transmission rate for couple households, where only one partner was able to speak Welsh, was higher where the Welsh-speaking partner was female rather than male. This was true for each of the twenty local authorities for which data is available. Data for Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen have been suppressed due to small counts.
For couple households living in Wales (which includes same-sex and opposite-sex couples):
- the Welsh language transmission rate where only one female partner was able to speak Welsh was 45%
- the Welsh language transmission rate where only one male partner was able to speak Welsh was 34%
Welsh language transmission rates for lone parent households
There was no difference between the Welsh language transmission rate for lone mother and lone father households in Wales.
For lone parent households where the parent was the only adult able to speak Welsh:
- the Welsh language transmission rate where a lone mother was able to speak Welsh was 53%
- the Welsh language transmission rate where a lone father was able to speak Welsh was also 53%
Data quality and methodology
Note that the transmission rates by sex quoted in this headline are not directly comparable with the figures reported for Census 2011, or the transmission rates quoted in the previously published statistical bulletin on language transmission from Census 2021.
We calculate the 2021 transmission rates by sex by evaluating the Welsh-speaking ability of the partners (in couple households) or the parent (in lone parent households), as opposed to the Welsh-speaking ability of adults in the household more generally. This involves combining two derived variables related to families and households from Census 2021.
A glossary of data definitions can be found in the previously published statistical bulletin on language transmission.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) applies statistical disclosure control measures to ensure no person or organisation is identifiable from the results of an analysis. The data supplied by the ONS to the Welsh Government for this analysis were disclosure controlled by removing all counts less than 10 and rounding all remaining figures to the nearest five.
Differences in the methods used for statistical disclosure control may result in minor differences in data totals between census products. Figures may differ slightly in future releases because of the impact of removing rounding and applying further statistical processes. As we round all figures individually, table totals may not sum exactly. Transmission rates were calculated using rounded counts.
Information about Welsh language skills in the census is based on a person’s self-assessment of their ability. In some cases, especially for children, Welsh language ability was reported by another person, for example, a parent or guardian.
Census 2021 was held during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, on 21 March 2021. This followed periods of lockdown, remote learning for children and many people were working from home. It is not known if the pandemic may have impacted people’s reported Welsh language ability, or the perception of the Welsh language ability of others. Further information about the quality of Welsh language data from Census 2021 can be found in our first statistical bulletin on the Welsh language in Wales.
