Providing for a census for Great Britain (or any subsidiary part of it), on a date to be fixed by Order in Council, it remains the primary legislation for the provision of the UK census in England, Scotland, and Wales.

The Schedule to the Act lists the 'Matters in respect of which particulars may be required'.

They are: Religion was added at 5A in the Schedule by the Census (Amendment) Act 2000 (c. 24) in England and Wales, and the Census (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2000 in Scotland.

The 2000 amendment also added a clause in Section 8 of the 1920 Act to make the provision of religion optional:

This legislation in the United Kingdom, or its constituent jurisdictions, article is a stub.