A snapshot of the changing face of England and Wales including information on civil partnerships, second homes and recent migration is to be captured for the first time in the census to be conducted next year, the Office for National Statistics said.

A series of new questions including month and year of entry into the UK and how long people intend to stay will be asked in the 2011 census along with categories on languages spoken and civil partnerships.

But there will be no questions on income, sexual orientation or nature of disability, according to the census organisers.

Census day has been designated on March 27 and will employ 35,000 field staff as advisers, coordinators, enumerators and census collectors gathering information from an estimated 26 million households.

The ONS said the 2011 census will be the biggest so far in England and Wales. Between the 1801 and 2001 census, it said, households have more than halved in size but the number of households has massively increased from two million to 26 million.

The census is confidential and is carried out every 10 years with the statistics used to help calculate funding for services such as education, transport and health.

Deputy 2011 census director Pete Benton said: “Census provides a fascinating snapshot of how we all live and how that changes over time.

“Census statistics are used for really practical purposes – like planning the right number of school places for all the children in a family.”

A census spokesman said there had been “considerable” consultation about the questions included in the census.

“We went out to considerable consultation on the questions, some of which have been debated by Parliament as well,” he said.

The 2011 census will also make use of technology and will invite respondents to complete their census forms online for the first time.