Boater Census Survey 2022

We have 35,000 boats licensed on our 2,000 miles of waterways across England and Wales. The 2022 Census Survey intends to offer a snapshot of life on the waterways in the 21st century, 250 years after the network opened to navigation.

The census data will help inform our work and that of others, such as health service providers and local authorities, to make sure boaters are considered and their needs are met through decision-making, policy and services.

Boaters were asked about the issues and challenges they have experienced due to living on a boat. The results include a large amount of qualitative data, which was analysed section by section. We have now published the Boater Census ‘Issues & Challenges’ report, which highlights the daily challenges faced by boaters who live on their boats.

While preparing the Issues & Challenges report we identified an issue with the base data table. To ensure that a consistent set of results was used across both reports, we checked the original publication and found that some minor amendments were required. The report available for download from this page contains these amendments.

More detailed results and segments of the raw data can be provided to organisations such as local authorities and health service providers.

To find out what's available and make a data request, please contact [email protected].