Fix the Census question on religion so we can all rely on accurate data
The issue
The Australian Census costs taxpayers more than half a billion dollars every five years, but it fails to provide accurate data on the nation’s relationship with religion.
The Census uses a leading question – ‘What is the person’s religion?’.
By presuming every respondent is religious, it leads many people to indicate a religion they had a past connection with – instead of accurately reflecting their current beliefs.
This leads to inflated data that favours religion.
Several robust surveys using better question design suggest the real non-religious population is much higher – by more than 10 percentage points.
And this matters because governments and other important institutions use the Census data to make important decisions about funding, policy, and representation.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics itself wanted to change the question to address the problem. In 2023, it proposed a new question design – ‘Does the person have a religion?’ – in order to “support more accurate data collection”.
Motivated by self interest, the Catholic Church lobbied the Albanese government to intervene and to put a stop to the proposed changes.
In effect, they argued it was more important to compare bad data from the present with bad data from the past, than to have robust and accurate data to support present and future planning.
Having current and accurate Census data about religious affiliation is important for all Australians, not just religious organisations.
All kinds of data users – including governments, agencies, elected representatives, academics and researchers, media, community organisations, and members of the public – need and expect accurate Census data.
But none of those users can be confident that the Census data provides an accurate reflection of religious affiliation and non-religious affiliation in Australia.
For future Censuses, the Australian Bureau of Statistics needs to fix the religion question so that it can provide the real picture of Australia’s relationship with religion.
In the meantime – and as our ‘Census – Not Religious?’ campaign says – people can help deliver more integrity to the data by reflecting honestly on their current beliefs and, if they’re not religious, marking ‘No religion’ on the Census.
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The issue
The Australian Census costs taxpayers more than half a billion dollars every five years, but it fails to provide accurate data on the nation’s relationship with religion.
The Census uses a leading question – ‘What is the person’s religion?’.
By presuming every respondent is religious, it leads many people to indicate a religion they had a past connection with – instead of accurately reflecting their current beliefs.
This leads to inflated data that favours religion.
Several robust surveys using better question design suggest the real non-religious population is much higher – by more than 10 percentage points.
And this matters because governments and other important institutions use the Census data to make important decisions about funding, policy, and representation.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics itself wanted to change the question to address the problem. In 2023, it proposed a new question design – ‘Does the person have a religion?’ – in order to “support more accurate data collection”.
Motivated by self interest, the Catholic Church lobbied the Albanese government to intervene and to put a stop to the proposed changes.
In effect, they argued it was more important to compare bad data from the present with bad data from the past, than to have robust and accurate data to support present and future planning.
Having current and accurate Census data about religious affiliation is important for all Australians, not just religious organisations.
All kinds of data users – including governments, agencies, elected representatives, academics and researchers, media, community organisations, and members of the public – need and expect accurate Census data.
But none of those users can be confident that the Census data provides an accurate reflection of religious affiliation and non-religious affiliation in Australia.
For future Censuses, the Australian Bureau of Statistics needs to fix the religion question so that it can provide the real picture of Australia’s relationship with religion.
In the meantime – and as our ‘Census – Not Religious?’ campaign says – people can help deliver more integrity to the data by reflecting honestly on their current beliefs and, if they’re not religious, marking ‘No religion’ on the Census.
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Petition created on 12 July 2026