2901.0 - Census of Population and Housing: Census Dictionary, 2016  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 23/08/2016   
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2016 Census Dictionary >> Glossary >> Proficiency in Spoken English (ENGP)


Proficiency in Spoken English (ENGP)

For each person who speaks a language other than English at home, this variable classifies their self-assessed proficiency in spoken English.

Responses to the question on proficiency in English are subjective. For example, one respondent may consider that a response of 'Well' is appropriate if they can communicate well enough to do the shopping while another respondent may consider such a response appropriate only for people who can hold a social conversation. Proficiency in spoken English should be regarded as an indicator of a person's ability to speak English rather than a definitive measure of his/her ability and should be interpreted with care.

Nevertheless, it is a useful indicator of the ethnicity of the population and for the planning and provision of multilingual services.

See also Language Spoken at Home (LANP).






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