Jedi and witches get nod from census director

People who want to declare their religion as "Jedi" or call themselves witches will still be able to do so in the 2011 UK census, its director said.

In 2001 - the first time the questionnaire contained a voluntary question about faith - almost 400,000 people claimed they were members of the Star Wars movement.

Glen Watson, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Census Director, said although putting joke responses on the national survey form was "not an acceptable thing to do", it could not be stopped.

"The religion question is the only voluntary question on the whole questionnaire.

"I don't think we would pursue somebody for declaring their religion, for example, as Jedi.

"If people really want to express their religious affiliation in a particular way, they're within their rights to do so."