In the midst of a lockdown, 97% of households in England and Wales completed the 2021 census. Communications combined a top down national broadcast campaign, with micro targeting of 58 harder to reach segments using multiple channels and languages. Messaging used a core proposition, ‘it’s about us, census 2021’ to suggest people could represent their community on the census for that community’s benefit. Analysis shows audiences completed forms ahead of schedule, with 88.9% filing online against a target of 75%saving taxpayers’ money as well as underpinning census data quality.