2021 Census topics and data release plan

Long-term health conditions is a new topic for the 2021 Census. Stakeholders expressed a need to have data on people with selected long-term health conditions at lower geographic levels and for smaller population groups.

This question presents a list of long-term health conditions from which the respondent can select one or many. The listed health conditions were determined in consultation with key stakeholders based on conditions that are most prevalent in Australia, identified data priorities and consistency with existing ABS health collections.

There is high demand for data on long-term health conditions at the local level for health service planning, to monitor change under the National Health Reform Agreement, and various other reporting frameworks and local level initiatives. The ABS National Health Survey provides high quality estimates on the numbers of health conditions at the national level. This Census question will provide estimates at finer geographies and sub-populations that will enable users to:

• inform health policy
• plan for local health and community services
• target programs and resources to assist in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease
• combine health information with other Census information including demographics and cultural diversity information
• report on frameworks and initiatives at the local level.

This question was extensively tested with respondents and performed well. Qualitative testing demonstrated little sensitivity or concerns with answering this question.

Stakeholders identified veterans as a vulnerable group with potential to experience homelessness and to have specific health and care needs.

A range of published health studies show that veterans have distinct characteristics and health needs (e.g. muscular, skeletal, mental health and access to services) that require special consideration due to their military training, service and deployments. Recent public attention has also focused on well-being issues, such as employment outcomes post-separation, homelessness and the challenges faced by families of veterans.

While records exist for current Australian Defence Force service, they are not maintained for previous service and limited historical data on service personnel is available. Census data will provide information to enable better delivery of services and support for veterans. Information from the Census will enable government, non-government groups and medical providers to target the supply of health and financial support services to geographic areas where it is most needed.

The topic will consist of a single question with a closed set of response options covering regular and reserve service. The question will only apply to people aged 15 years and over and has the option for more than one response.

This question was tested with a broad range of respondents, including people who are currently serving or have previously served in the Australian Defence Force. The question performed well and was easily understood. There were no sensitivities associated with answering the question. Quantitative testing confirmed that the question is likely to provide accurate data.

Questions about the age and sex of the population are essential in assisting the ABS to meet its legislative requirement to estimate the size, age and sex profile of the population across Australia. Many critical decisions are made by governments, businesses and local community groups that depend on knowing the sex and age of the population located in each part of Australia.

Alongside this information, the ABS requests names to help people answer the right question for each person in the household, and to help process the form correctly. Females are also asked a question about the number of children given birth to. This helps better understand fertility levels in Australia’s population.

Sex is a critical statistical variable of national and international importance and is used in generating population estimates which are then used as the basis for a wide range of reporting and analysis. A question on sex has been included in every Australian Census since the first national Census in 1911.

The term ‘sex’ is defined as referring to a person’s biological characteristics. A person may have male characteristics, female characteristics, or a variation in sex characteristics which may also be described as intersex. It is possible for a person to have a variation that means neither the male or female categories apply, and this may include having a legal status that is neither male nor female.

The 2021 Census paper form and online form both include three response options: male; female; and non-binary sex. The online form also includes an optional write in response when non-binary sex is selected.

The intent of adding a third response option to the sex question is to improve the ability for the whole population to be able to answer the question accurately. The requirement for change comes from the Australian Government Guidelines on the Recognition of Sex and Gender, which were established by the Attorney General’s Department to complement changes to the Sex Discrimination Act 1984.

Testing was performed on proposed changes to the sex question with a broad range of respondents, including groups with lower levels of English proficiency. This testing demonstrated that including a third response option would have little impact on the quality of the male and female estimates and was generally accepted by respondents.

For data releases, the ABS will continue to report sex with the binary options of male and female in most outputs. Analysis of non-binary sex responses will be reported in a feature article.

Questions on name, date of birth, age, and number of children given birth to are unchanged. The questions are available on the household form in the Downloads section. Further information from the ABS topic review process can be found here: Population.

Information about people in a household and their relationship to each other provides a picture of the composition of Australian families. This is used for planning support services and infrastructure, such as educational institutions, hospitals and social services. It is also useful for understanding the adequacy and availability of housing.

Information about household and family relationships and marital status helps establish whether there is a family unit living in a household and the structure of that family unit (for example, a couple family with dependent children or a single parent family). We can also identify whether there are unrelated individuals living in the household (a group household) or where there is more than one family living in the dwelling. This provides insight into the different service needs of extended family structures or shared houses.

Not everyone who usually lives in a household will be there on Census night. To generate accurate estimates of the usual population in an area, questions are asked about people who are temporarily away.

Census questions on household and family relationships, registered marital status and persons temporarily absent on Census night are unchanged. The questions are available on the household form in the Downloads section. Further information from the ABS topic review process can be found here: Households and Families.

The Census provides information for small geographic areas and small population groups across the country. 

This information is used to:

• provide a count of people living and working in geographic areas
• measure geographic movements of people between Censuses which helps governments, businesses and communities determine and plan for future growth in different areas
• plan for emergency response and improvement of infrastructure.

Where an individual does not have a current usual address, they are instructed to write ‘none’ rather than an address. This information helps estimate the number of people ’couch surfing’ or temporarily staying in another household. Instructional text was added to aid people without a fixed or return address by including examples ‘due to family conflict’ or ‘eviction’.

The addition of a ‘No usual residence’ response option was ruled out due to concern that it would risk data quality.

Questions on address on Census night, internal migration and address of workplace attended are unchanged. The questions are available on the household form in the Downloads section. Further information from the ABS topic review process can be found here: Location.

The Census provides important data for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is a key source of information for communities, businesses and government and is used to support decision making on education, employment, health, infrastructure and community programs. Information from the Census is used to:

• estimate and project Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population and, together with information on death rates, provide a measure of Indigenous life expectancy
• plan what services are needed
• better understand Indigenous health status (when combined with the health question)
• guide the allocation of government funding and planning both nationally and for targeted services and programs
• strengthen business cases to secure financial support
• reflect changes within the community such as increases in educational attainment.

The question on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status is unchanged and is available on the household form in the Downloads section. Further information from the ABS topic review process can be found here: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Changes will be made to existing topics on the main language spoken at home and ancestry to be more relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. These changes are described in the Cultural Diversity section.

Questions in the Census about citizenship, country of birth, ancestry and language provide insights into the nature of our society and supports policy development and service delivery. Combined, these topics tell a story of the cultural diversity of the people who call Australia home, both those arrived from overseas and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The information is used to:

• plan for English language programs and translation/interpreter services through knowing which languages are spoken and how well they are spoken
• understand the need for and location of religious based schools, hospitals, community services and homes for the elderly.

Country of birth information is used to:

• maintain accuracy of the estimated resident population by birthplace series

• target assistance to migrants by Government and non-government agencies
• examine characteristics of first-generation Australians.

The response categories order has been changed to reflect the most common answers from the 2016 Census.

This topic asks separate questions on where a person’s mother and father were born. Stakeholders recommended using non-gendered language such as parent 1 and parent 2. However, further engagement with data users revealed that it is important to distinguish between the male and female parent.

Instructions have been added to these questions to provide guidance on situations where the birth parent is unknown and there is a second parent or the person has same-sex parents.

Several changes were tested on this topic to be more inclusive of respondents.

The question has been modified to include the term ‘use’ rather than ‘speak’ to better accommodate members of the community who use sign language. This change was tested extensively with respondents from a variety of culturally diverse communities and the wording was well understood. Specific instructions about the use of sign languages have been added.

This question is now more relevant for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. An enhancement to the online form presents a check box for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander language for those respondents who identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander in the Indigenous status question (question 11). To improve the data collected on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, the person will also have the option of providing a specific language if they wish. As in previous years, the paper form instructions advise the respondent to write their language in the ‘please specify’ option.

The response categories order has changed based on the most common answers from the 2016 Census.

Ancestry was identified as another existing topic that could be enhanced to be more relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Response categories of ‘Aboriginal’ and ‘Torres Strait Islander’ have been added. For people completing the Census online and who identify as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person, these new response categories will be displayed at the top of the list. 

The ‘other ancestries’ provided as examples in the instructional text have been updated. The order of the response categories has also been updated based on 2016 Census results.

The Census collects information on religious affiliation rather than religious involvement and will continue to do so in 2021. This is consistent with international Census practice and aligns with delivery and planning needs for religious organisations.

The response order has been changed based on common answers from the 2016 Census.

Changes have been made to the ‘other’ examples given in the question instructions.

Questions on Australian citizenship, year of arrival in Australia and proficiency in spoken English are unchanged. The questions are available on the household form in the Downloads section. Further information from the ABS topic review process can be found here: Cultural diversity.

Census topics on a person's need for assistance and care given to others provide data on the needs of some of the most vulnerable populations across Australia.

This information is used to:

• help service providers and governments plan what local facilities, services and support are required, such as in-home support, respite care and support to carers
• provide an understanding of the assistance needed and support being provided by informal or unpaid carers.

Testing explored more outputs on reasons for needing assistance, and expanding the output categories for questions 24 to 26 to include the use of aids or equipment. Due to the desire from data users to maintain the time series, no changes to the response categories have been implemented.

The question on providing unpaid care, help or assistance to another person remains unchanged. The questions are available on the household form in the Downloads section. Further information from the ABS topic review process can be found here: Disability and carers.

Information on education and training are used at federal, state/territory and community levels to:

• inform the allocation of education services, such as new schools, across Australia
• understand the employment outcomes for people based on their level and field of education
• understand the characteristics, such as the income of households that have members attending an educational institution.

Key users of Census data have raised concerns about the under-estimation of people attending preschool and vocational education and training. Several minor changes have been made to the instructional text and the response categories to give more clarity to these educational institution types. In addition, to emphasise that respondents should include attendance at preschool, the question wording in the online form has changed for people in the household under the age of six. The question asks ‘Is the person attending a preschool, school or other education institution?’.

Information on the highest non-school qualification topic is collected over four questions. There are minor instructional changes to the main field of study question to provide guidance for people with double degrees.

A suggestion received during the consultation process was for question 36 to be amended to capture the year the qualification was completed, rather than just before or after 1998. Testing revealed people had difficulty recalling the year they completed their qualification and that there could be an impact on data quality. There is no change to this question in the 2021 Census.

The highest year of schooling topic is unchanged. The questions are available on the household form in the Downloads section. Further information from the ABS topic review process can be found here: Education and training.

Questions on the Census about income and work provide insight into Australian society and the performance of the economy. The information is used to:

• provide an indication of living standards within various household types
• highlight how many people are working or looking for work at a local level
• plan education and other services.

The income question is asked of all people aged 15 years and over in the household on Census night. Family and household income are then calculated by adding the individual incomes of people in a family or household. This question includes minor changes for the 2021 Census including:

• ‘Newstart allowance’ has changed to ‘JobSeeker Payment’ in the instructional text
• an additional income range for ‘$3,500 or more per week/$182,000 or more per year’ has been included.

A write-in response for people to enter their income was tested. Testing identified that this would have significant impacts on data quality, processing costs and burden on people completing the form. This will not be included in the 2021 Census.

The labour force status, status in employment, hours worked, number of employees, occupation and main tasks and industry of employment topics are unchanged. The questions are available on the household form in the Downloads section. Further information from the ABS topic review process can be found here: Income and work.

Questions on unpaid work and care collect information about people’s responsibilities at home such as family and community commitments. These questions are only asked of respondents aged 15 years and over. This information provides insight into how individuals and families balance unpaid work and education with other aspects of their lives.

The information is used to:

• plan local facilities and services such as childcare and support for carers
• measure how we contribute to society, such as an indication of social connection within communities.

Submissions through public consultation noted that children (aged less than 15 years old) often provide care, help or assistance to another person but are excluded from reflecting this on the Census due to the age cut off applied to the question. The removal of the age restriction from this question was tested, including whether there is an impact on other data collected. Testing revealed some sensitivity with asking young people this question as well as increased operational complexity. Therefore, there is no change to the age cut off for this question.

The unpaid work - domestic activities, unpaid work - voluntary work and unpaid care of children topics are unchanged. The questions are available on the household form in the Downloads section. Further information from the ABS topic review process can be found here: Unpaid work and care.

Information collected in the Census about housing provides an indication of the number and types of homes around Australia as well as information on ownership, renting and costs in terms of rent or mortgage payments.

Housing information is used to:

• inform planning for community housing
• plan for future housing needs with demographic information and other data sources
• provide insights to the extent of overcrowding in parts of Australia
• estimate the number of people experiencing homelessness.

Dwelling information aids in the development and maintenance of the ABS Address Register, which is critical to how the Census is conducted. This information is also used as a quality measure to ensure that everyone is included in the Census across Australia.

Homelessness itself is not a characteristic that is directly collected in the Census. Estimates of the homeless population are derived from the Census using analysis based on both the characteristics observed in the Census and assumptions about the way people respond to Census questions.

Key stakeholders provided feedback that they would like to see improvement in the capture of ‘couch surfing’ (staying temporarily in other households without a usual residence), family homelessness, and transitions to and from homelessness. Minor changes were made to the usual address question under the location topic to provide instructions for respondents who are ‘couch surfing’.

Stakeholders supported a need to measure the number and growth of housing purchased under affordable housing schemes or rented through affordable rental programs. There were also suggestions to improve the accuracy of information on the prevalence of different types of social housing (i.e. public and community housing). Testing found that capturing affordable rental options made the questions too complex and there were concerns regarding the overall quality impact.

The ‘Housing co-operative, community or church group’ response category from the 2016 Census has been changed to ‘Community housing provider’. Additional instructional text has been added for this category and the response category order changed to place this category closer to the top.

An instruction has been added to the tenure type question to better explain what shared equity schemes are.

The questions on number of bedrooms, housing costs, other non-private dwelling information are unchanged. The questions are available on the household form in the Downloads section. Further information from the ABS topic review process can be found here: Housing.

Information about where people work, how they get to work, and the number of registered motor vehicles garaged at their dwelling helps to:

• inform planning of road infrastructure and public transportation
• ensure public services are available where people are most likely to access them during the day

Response categories for the mode of travel to work question for 2021 have changed to include more contemporary transport methods. The response category ‘Taxi’ is expanded to include ride-share services.

The ABS considered removing the number of motor vehicles question from the 2021 Census as there are potential administrative sources for this data. However, consultation revealed strong support to retain this question. This reflected a lack of certainty in the way that the administrative data could replicate the information gathered in the Census. This question will be retained in the 2021 Census. We will continue to work with stakeholders to investigate how administrative sources could be used to help understand motor vehicle ownership in conjunction with other demographic information collected in the Census.

The instructional text for the question has been changed to exclude heavy vehicles.

Questions on name and address of workplace attended are unchanged. The questions are available on the household form in the Downloads section. Further information from the ABS topic review process can be found here: Transport.

This topic was suggested through public consultation to increase the relevance of the Census to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and possibly increase participation in the Census. Cultural identity was described as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander group, or groups, a person identifies with or feels that they belong to. Examples of such groups were described as mob, clan, nation, or language group.

Options for questions were tested with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups. While some of the questions did test well, the terminology caused confusion among respondents, resulting in low confidence that including the question in the Census would produce quality data. Subsequent discussions with key stakeholders suggested that revising response categories for existing topics could improve the relevance of the Census to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

While a new topic on cultural identity will not be included in the 2021 Census, changes to existing topics on the main language spoken at home and ancestry have been successfully tested to be more inclusive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (see Cultural Diversity topic section).

Travel for education makes up a significant portion of peak hour travel and combined with journey to work data would improve understanding of traffic flows and transport patterns. However, testing a question on the mode of travel to an education institution revealed difficulties collecting and processing this data and this topic will not be included in the 2021 Census.

Details of the educational institution attended could improve the quality of data collected on the type of educational institution attended and transport patterns. Testing revealed some challenges in collecting this data including:

• burden of response
• difficulty recalling the address of an educational institution
• difficulty answering questions when an educational institution has multiple campuses
• time and significant resources for the development, processing, and analysis of the topic.

A topic of interest raised through public consultation was children who live across multiple households as part of shared care arrangements. Collection of this data would require changes to existing questions, addition of a new question and significant development of processing systems and will not be included in the 2021 Census.

Public consultation submissions indicated that more data on complex family and household structures would assist in policy development and service delivery, particularly in targeting payments and support services to vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. The complex families identified included multigenerational family households, blended families, kinship care arrangements, and LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or intersex) households.

We found that to make these changes significant development of processing systems and testing would be required with a substantial investment of resources. Due to this, no changes are to be implemented for the 2021 Census.

There was significant interest expressed during public consultation that the Census collect gender identity either instead of, or in addition to, sex. While sex refers to a person’s biological characteristics, gender refers to the way a person chooses to identify, and may be different to their sex at birth.

This topic was tested extensively using qualitative methods with a broad range of respondents. It generally performed well, although some respondents expressed confusion that they were being asked about their sex twice. Engagement with the community also identified that there are sensitivities associated with this topic that could pose a risk to the Census.

While stakeholders identified the value of collecting gender identity on the Census, we assessed that there was not sufficient confidence in the quality of the data that would be obtained, and will not be included in the 2021 Census.

The public consultation process identified the value of collecting information on sexual orientation on the Census. Information on this topic would be used to inform the development of policy, allocation of resources and delivery of services to people from the LGBTI community. Members from the LGBTI community often have higher levels of vulnerability including experiences of discrimination, abuse and mental health issues that require targeted support.

The topic was tested with a single question, with a pre-defined list of response options and a free text option. The question was tested extensively including with respondents who identified an orientation of lesbian, gay or bisexual. Testing revealed a range of sensitivities including privacy concerns, discomfort, or a lack of comprehension of the question. Additionally, concerns were expressed about answering this question with other members of the household.

Smoking is a key contributor to chronic diseases in Australia. Stakeholders indicated that data on smoking behaviours would be beneficial to plan policies and services to help people quit smoking.

The smoking status topic was tested.  There is a limited capacity to add questions to the Census and new questions are assessed based on priority. This question was assessed as being of lower priority than other proposed new topics and will not be included in the 2021 Census.

The 2016 Census included a question which asked whether any member of the household accessed the internet from the dwelling. Consultation suggested that with the growth in internet access outside of the home on mobile and other devices and the fast pace of technological change, the collection of data on household internet access in the Census now has less relevance.