Page 259 - Just another English family (Sep 2019)

decline from 139 using the name of Soothill in the 1961 census to 129 such persons in the 2011 census. Is this a pointer to the possibility that the tribe is beginning to have difficulty in holding its own? A partial answer to this question can be found by probing whether the members of this 2011 census have the same profile in terms of age and gender as in the previous censuses. Table 4.2 probes this question.
Table 4.2 shows the 129 Soothills in the 2011 census split into five-year age groups and by gender. Longevity rather than youthfulness is the characteristic of the display. There are fewer numbers in the younger age groups compared with those in the 1961 census. Whereas well over one-half (57%) were under the age of 20 years in the 1861 census and around one-third (34%) were similarly aged in the 1911 census, the proportion dropped to 28% in the 1961 census, while in the 2011 census this figure fell even further to 15% (in fact, there is no record of anyone aged 0-4 years in the 2011 census). All this contrasts with the proportions in the older age groups. However, while the proportion aged over 60 years seems to have stabilised at around 20% (21.6% in the 1961 census and 20.2% in the 2011 census), this is potentially misleading. In the 1961 census the ages of around one-quarter of the females is currently unknown and this proportion increases to around one-half of female ages being unknown for the 2011 census. In other words, the proportions could significantly increase if I discover the ages of the females where there is currently no information.
Table 4.2: Ages and gender of the Soothills in the 2011 census
Ages (years)
MALES
FEMALES
TOTAL
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
0-4
-
-
-
-
-
-
5-9
3
5.0
2
2.9
5
3.9
10-14
1
1.7
6
8.7
7
5.4
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