Ringing Census – 16th-22nd November 2026
Helping shape the future of ringing
How many active bellringers are there today? How often do we ring? Who is joining the exercise? Where are we succeeding, and where do we need to do more?
Surprisingly, we do not know the answers with any confidence.
The Ringing Census 2026 will provide the most comprehensive picture of bell ringing for nearly forty years. It is a key initiative supporting the ambitions of Ringing2030, helping us to understand the current state of our community and providing the evidence needed to support recruitment, retention, training and long-term planning. Rather than relying on estimates or anecdote, the census will give us a robust evidence base to help shape the future of ringing.
Building on previous surveys
The census builds on the valuable work of previous ringing surveys, including the landmark 1988 Ringing Survey and more recent pilot studies. Over the past few months, a small project team has reviewed what has worked well in the past, learned from previous experience and designed a modern, fully digital census that can be repeated in future years. By repeating the census at regular intervals, we will be able to measure changes in participation over time and understand the impact of initiatives such as Ringing2030.
How the census works
The census will take place during a single week, from 16–22 November 2026. Participants will be asked to complete a short online questionnaire describing their ringing activity during that week. The survey should take no more than around ten minutes to complete.
Participation is entirely voluntary, but every response counts. The more people who take part, the more accurate and representative the picture of ringing will be. Whether you ring every week, only occasionally, or are just beginning your ringing journey, we hope you will take part.
Find out more about the https://cccbr.org.uk/census/design/
Your privacy
Protecting your personal information is fundamental to the project. The census has been designed in accordance with UK data protection legislation and follows recognised good practice for research projects. Personal information will be used only for the purposes of the census and will be handled securely. Results will normally be published only in aggregated form so that individuals cannot be identified. Further information about how your data will be collected, used and protected will be available in our Privacy Notice before the census opens.
How you can help
Delivering a successful census will depend on volunteers across the ringing community.
Census Enumerators
Enumerators will play an important role in helping us build an accurate picture of ringing across the country.
Each Enumerator will be allocated a small group of towers from our target sample and, after Census Week has ended, will:
- contact the Tower Captain or nominated tower contact
- encourage completion of the Tower Headcount Survey
- answer straightforward questions and provide practical support
- follow up where a return has not been received
- establish and record the status of towers unable to provide a return.
Our aim is for every tower in the target sample to be accounted for – whether it is active and completes the survey, has no active band, is currently inactive, or is unable to take part.
This follow-up is particularly important because it will help us understand non-response and produce a more reliable estimate of the total number of ringers and active towers.
Most Enumerator activity will take place in the second half of November 2026, after Census Week. Full guidance, templates and an online briefing will be provided.
There will be a number of briefing sessions for Enumerators to go through what is required and when. You will need to book on to one of them via these links, timings are UK:
Mon 21st Sept at 6pm: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1997441978728?aff=oddtdtcreator
Sun 4 Oct at 12.30pm: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1997442158265?aff=oddtdtcreator
Thu 15 Oct at 8pm: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1997442289658?aff=oddtdtcreator
Sat 24 Oct at 10am: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1997442390961?aff=oddtdtcreator
Fri 6 Nov at 7.30pm: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1997442452144?aff=oddtdtcreator
Sun 15 Nov at 8pm: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1997442513327?aff=oddtdtcreator
Data analysts
We are also keen to hear from volunteers with experience in statistics, data science or survey analysis who would like to contribute to the design, analysis or interpretation of the results.
Data protection and governance
We are looking for one or two people with expertise in data protection, information governance or privacy to help ensure that the census meets the highest standards of fairness, transparency and security.
Interested in getting involved?
If you would like to support the Ringing Census 2026—as an Enumerator, data analyst, data protection adviser or in another capacity—we would be delighted to hear from you.
Please complete the volunteer registration form at https://cccbr.org.uk/census/
At a glance
Survey week: 16–22 November 2026
Who can take part? Bellringers of all ages worldwide
Time to complete: Approximately 15 minutes
Participation: Entirely voluntary
Results: Published in aggregated form to inform the future development of ringing
