Number of Persons Usually Resident in Dwelling (NPRD)
This variable counts the number of persons usually resident in an occupied private dwelling. It includes up to three residents who were temporarily absent from the household on Census night. This variable is applicable to all occupied private dwellings.
How this variable is created
This variable combines the variables for Relationship in Household and Count of Persons Temporarily Absent from Household to determine the number of persons usually resident in an occupied private dwelling. These counts are then combined to determine a total number of usual residents. Images of the questions used to derive this variable are provided below.
Variable history
This variable was first used during the 2011 Census. No changes were made for 2016.
Non-response rate
Number of Persons Usually Resident in a Dwelling does not have a non-response rate as it is a derived value created during Census processing for applicable households. Non-response rate only applies to data items that directly reflect responses to individual Census form questions. For more information, refer to Understanding Census data quality.
Data usage notes
For many households, identifying relationships to assist the coding of family or household structures for a dwelling is quite straightforward. However, across the community, a wide variety of living arrangements exists and family structures can be complex and dynamic in nature. The quality of family data in the Census is partly dependent on people’s ability to describe these relationships within the constraints of the generalised questionnaire format required by a Census. Reporting relationships in respect of Person 1 only, can make it difficult to establish all the relationships which exist in a household, or to identify whether more than one family is living in the dwelling.
This classification is used to calculate the average number of persons per bedroom in the QuickStats and Community Profiles products. There has been a change in methodology used to calculate the average number of persons per bedroom between the 2011 and 2016 Censuses. More information on this can change can be found in this publication on the Comparing the average number of persons per bedroom over time page.
Further information
A definition of Number of Persons Usually Resident in Dwelling is available in the 2016 Census Dictionary.
Household form question image
Questions 5 and 53 as they appeared on the 2016 Census Household Paper Form:
A text only version of the online Census Household form is available from the Downloads tab.
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