The Cookham Plan
People and Places Group
Population and Demographics
| MAIN REPORT INDEX | PEOPLE AND PLACES INDEX |
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The Cookham Plan People and Places Group Population and Demographics |
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According to the 2001 Census, The Cookhams have a combined population of 5519, in 2288 households. There is a widely held perception that this population is an elderly, professional and affluent one, but this is only partly borne out by the statistics. Whilst it is undoubtedly true that there are high levels of affluence in the area, there is, in fact, a very wide range of ages, occupations and disposable income within the population. This makes for a very diverse population, which gives rise to the need for a wide range of services and support, perhaps more diverse than might at first be imagined.
The Census statistics show that compared to the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM), to the South East region of England and Wales, and to England itself, The Cookhams has a higher proportion of elderly residents, as the figures below demonstrate.
| The Cookhams | RBWM | SE England | England | |
| Over 65(M) or 60(F) | 19.0% | 15.4% | 16.4% | 15.9% |
There are, however, a significantly higher proportion of people in or retired from "professional" occupations. This makes for a more proactive, resourceful, discerning and capable population, which is probably one of the drivers of the high level of organised and cultural activity that manifests itself in many ways across a whole range of activities from charity fund-raising to artistic and musical events of a very high standard.
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The Cookhams |
RBWM |
GB |
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| Professional/Managerial as % of employed | 61% | 55% | 40% |
Again, contrary to popular perception, the number of young people in The Cookhams is only marginally below the surrounding region averages.
| The Cookhams | RBWM | SE England | England | |
| Under 16 | 18.6% | 19.8% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
These statistics are taken from the 2001 Census; see Appendix II.
Questionnaire Responses
The questionnaire which went to all households yielded 644 responses, a response rate of 28% in terms of households, and 27% in terms of population. The age profile of the responses compared to the 2001 Census data is shown below. As can be seen the responses were biased towards the older population, but the two profiles do correlate. The conclusions from the questionnaire, both in the and in the other reports should therefore be interpreted with this in mind.
Other information from the Village Questionnaire is shown in Appendix I.
Findings
The population of The Cookhams is more biased towards the elderly.
Younger population is only marginally below the average for other regions.
There is wider spread of demographics than popularly held, giving rise to a wide range of service requirements.
The significantly higher proportion of those employed or retired as professionals gives The Cookhams its characteristic of relative affluence and cultural and organisational drive.
ACTION PLAN
Ensure that the infrastructure and housing available continues to attract the kind of people that gives The Cookhams its drive, energy and resources.
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