Comas is Cleachdadh Cànain sa Choimhearsnachd, agus an Cunntas-Sluaigh 2011

This research had three aims: to gain an understanding of how respondents with Gaelic ability understood and answered the Gaelic questions in the Census; to gain an understanding through empirical data of the implications of the statistical data on Gaelic recorded in Scotland’s Census 2011; and to gain an understanding of the difference in Gaelic ability and use to be expected from various types of user and community.
The research shows that if ‘ability’ in the census questions correlate to the top four levels of ability in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale, that the census results are reliable. The research also shows that if only the top three levels of fluency used in the self-assessment section (ie the CEFR scale) are counted, the proportion of respondents at level four is quite large (able to have a basic conversation on daily subjects); this would reduce the numbers of speakers of Gaelic shown in the census results.Also, the research showed that the wording used in the census regarding Gaelic use in the home is too open to interpretation to be sure of what responses mean in terms of frequency of use (of Gaelic).We suggest that more reflection is given to the words used and interpretation guidelines for Gaelic questions in the census, so that it is clearer for Scottish residents what is being asked, in terms of what ability means, and in terms of what use in the home means.