Every five years, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) asks every household to fill out a census form at exactly the same time to get a snapshot of the nation as a whole. Census night is Tuesday, August 10. They ask questions including where we live, what our households look like, do we live alone or in multi-generational families and how much do we earn. But there is one question that is more contentious than the others, and it is about our religious beliefs.
Why does the Census collect Religion?
A person’s religion is asked as part of a suite of questions on cultural diversity and has been collected since the first national Census in 1911. This is the only optional question on the Census. Information gathered is used by religious organisations and government agencies to plan service delivery and encompass religious practices within community services, such as education, hospitals and aged care facilities.
What did the ABS hear about religion in the last Census?
During the 2016 Census topic review process, many submissions recommended changes to the religion topic. The issues raised in the submissions were very similar with most commenting that the current question wording assumes everybody has a religion. Suggestions made and investigated for 2016 included using two part filter questions, changes or additions to wording, and placing the ‘no religion’ response as first in the list of options. The suggestions were considered via user consultation, testing and review of the approaches taken in other countries. For 2016, the ABS responded to feedback by moving ‘no religion’ to be the first response category in the question, which was consistent with the approach already taken in a number of other countries.
What to Do?
If you follow a religious practice, then mark it. The question gives 9 religions (including No religion) and there is space to mark other faiths, such as Lutheran, Salvation Army, Judaism, Taoism, Latter Day Saints, Atheist and so forth. If you are a spiritual person adhering to no particular faith, but seek the goals that religion points to, then you might think about putting something like “spiritual” or ‘personal spirituality”.
The Census – while legally binding on persons in households and other residences – is only used for future development and planning of services for all those who live in Australia.
This web page is offered as advice only and does not reflect the objectives, policies nor opinions of World Conference on Religion and Peace trading as Religions for Peace Australia.
