The inclusion of the question enabled the Jedi census phenomenon to take place in the United Kingdom.

(See: Jedi census phenomenon).

In the same census, Brighton and Hove had the highest percentage of citizens Jedi census phenomenon as Jediism among all principal areas of England and Wales).

Jediism became accepted as a religion following the Jedi census phenomenon in 2001 and the preceding email campaign to put "Jedi" as an answer to the census religion classification question.

This Jedi census phenomenon followed an internet campaign that stated, incorrectly, that the Jedi belief system would receive official government recognition as a religion if it received enough support in the census.

Examples cited by Possamai include the Church of All Worlds, the Church of Satan, and Jedi religion (Jediism, see also Jedi census phenomenon).

Although the United Kingdom Census 2001 also recorded 390,000 Jedi census phenomenons, making Jedi the fourth-largest "religion" in the UK, this does not confer them any official recognition.

The Jedi Census phenomenon attracted the attention of sociologist of religion Adam Possamai who discusses it in his book Religion and Popular Culture: A Hyper-Real Testament.

One of the enduring influences the Star Wars saga has had in popular culture is the idea of the fictional Jedi values being interpreted as a modern philosophical path or religion, spawning various movements such as the controversial Jediism (religious) and the Jedi census phenomenon.

Gigwise.com reported on 18 January 2010 that Byford was launching a campaign to have Britons declare heavy metal as their religion in the United Kingdom Census 2011, inspired by the Jedi census phenomenon (where 2001 Census results suggested that Jediism was the UK's fourth most popular religion).