Data use considerations
This variable captures complex family structures such as blended families or multiple generations of families within a household. 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.
The categories 'step child' and 'foster child' are not necessarily pure counts as a parent may report such a child as being a child of Person 1 and Person 2. In this case the child would be classified as a 'natural child'.
Cross classification of Child type (CTPP) with Family composition (FMCF) allows analysis of different family types.
An overcount of step children and an undercount of natural or adopted children for couple families has been identified for Western Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory and Other Territories. Victoria was partially affected. South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory remain unaffected. Only step children in couple families where the spouse was temporarily absent were impacted. These children have been incorrectly categorised to the step child of male parent or female parent categories for both Child type (CTPP) and Child type (including grandchildren) (CTGP) variables. These children have also been incorrectly categorised to step child under 15, student step child or non-dependent step child for both Relationship in household (RLHP) and Relationship in household (including grandchildren) (RLGP) variables. This also means these families have been incorrectly categorised as step families in the Family blending (FBLF) variable.
This variable does not have a non-response rate as it is created during Census processing by using responses from more than one question on the Census form.
