In France... (And in french :-) )

Décret n° 2003-485 du 5 juin 2003
relatif au recensement de la population

Article 38
I - Les informations individuelles utilisées durant la phase de collecte sont :

• 1. Des données de localisation des immeubles ;
  
• 2. Des données portant sur les personnes physiques et concernant le nom et les prénoms, la date et le lieu de naissance, le sexe, la nationalité, la situation familiale, le niveau et la nature de la formation, les études, les activités professionnelles, le lieu de résidence, le lieu d'étude ou de travail, la résidence antérieure, les moyens de transport,
  

les conditions de logement et l'équipement en véhicules automobiles. Le nom et le prénom ne sont pas enregistrés dans le fichier de saisie informatique utilisé pour les besoins du recensement ;

• 3. Des données portant sur les logements et concernant les caractéristiques de confort et d'occupation ;
  
• 4. Des données portant sur les immeubles bâtis et concernant leur année de construction et leurs caractéristiques d'équipement.

http://www.insee.fr/fr/ppp/sommaire/imeths01v.pdf for more informations...

Mostly about the addresses and the buildings (house, etc.).
For physical persons : Name; surname, birth date, birth place, sex, nationality, family status (married single windowed, etc. - no same sex couple-),  studies level, studies branch, profession, residency place, work or study place, precedent residency place, means of transportation, housing conditions and car property...

No religion, no ethnicity, no sexual preferences, no revenues levels...
Confidentiality for a 100 years, with heavy penalties !

The French Nation is one and indivisible... < start anthem here>

"What can I do, What can I write, Against the fall of Night". A.E. Housman

I believe the US census (past ones -they are always changing) asks ethnic and race related questions but not sexual pref.  Yes, here is a reference for the 2000 one.

http://www.census.gov/dmd/www/content.htm

won't wonders never cease? _ Snuffy Smith

I think that while the collection of statistical data about LGBT people on the next census would certainly be useful, I fear that it would be potentially very inaccurate. The census is taken on the basis of households, and so disclosure may be a difficult issue for some LGB people, and possibly not even an option for a lot of the T. The question would therefore have to be optional, but that would mean that a sampling bias could occur, with LGBT people proportionally more likely to answer the question, as issues regarding sexuality is of interest to them, while straight people would skip the question as 'irrelevant' (hey, they're the default, don't you know?).

I would be interested to know how they currently go about estimating the number of LGBT people. I can't think of that many situations where people are both asked and expected to answer a question on their sexuality/gender identity, which a large portion of the population. I suppose GUM clinics are one place where sexuality is regularly disclosed and recorded, and the NHS must have statistics about how many trans people they have seen. But in neither case would it give a true reflection, as LGB are more exposed to safe sex messages and more likely to attend GUM clinics (supposedly, I mean, the NHS and NGOs keep pushing them), and not all trans people go through the NHS.

Hmm, no answers, sorry. I just think that it would be something worthwhile collecting, at least once, but not easy to do so. I suppose that while society has prejudice against LGBT people, it will be difficult to get proper information. Plus, some folk would shriek at the idea of the 'state' asking about our sex lives...

Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.