Here are ten practical things to know about the 2026 census, including fines if you lie or ignore it, what happens to your data and how to ask for help.
- Demographer, POLIS Centre for Social Policy Research, Australian National University
Rather than an exploding overpopulation bomb, the world faces an economic and social implosion due to lacking supports to help raise much-wanted children.
Grandparents can play a fundamental role in families, yet they have often been overlooked in Australian history.
Greater longevity of marriages has been heralded as a sign of more successful relationships, but the reality is far more nuanced.
Census testing begins next month ahead of the 2026 official headcount. National census are under threat overseas, threatening the collection of quality data.
Demography is about more than just people. It’s about the foundation of society, culture, and economy – and it’s deeply fraught.
Australia’s latest population projection figures have just come out. This is what they show about our demographics and where the country is heading in the future.
Census 2021 is no ordinary population survey – it will lay the foundation for Australia’s post-pandemic future.
Recent commentary has suggested transport, age, jobs, migrant population and other factors among the reasons that may help explain the difference. What does the data say?
Reliance on paper-based birth certificates is becoming less practical. They also make it harder for all babies to be officially recognised.
Despite the hype about a “coronial” baby boom, the pandemic is likely to see many Australians delay or not have children at all.
Population growth in Australia is a problem mainly because of the lack of a coherent national policy to manage it. The focus needs to be on maintaining quality of life through sustainable growth.
Many people think a population policy is about control – like the one-child policy in China, for instance. But modern population policies are about population-well-being.
Politicians across the spectrum have at some point targeted immigration as a contributor to out-of-control population growth. But would reducing, or banning, immigration take pressure off cities?
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said Australia is “the highest-growing country in the world”, with population growth “double than a lot of other countries”. Is that right?
In a South Australian leaders’ debate, Jay Weatherill and Nick Xenophon disagreed over the extent to which young people are leaving the state in search of better opportunities. We asked the experts.
Use our calculator to work out whether you’re an “average” Australian where you live.
The same-sex marriage postal survey gave Australians a chance to create data for social change. And that’s rare.
Do Muslim couples in Australia have ‘on average 4.5 children’ while other couples have ‘1.5 children’? Could Australia have a ‘Muslim majority’ in ‘a couple’ of generations? Let’s check the evidence.
Considering all the aspects of life in Australia that are affected by population, it’s remarkable that the nation doesn’t have a national policy on it.
The Australian Census has been taken since 1911. But is it still necessary in today’s world of mass digital data collection?
Privacy fears over longer retention of names and addresses in Census 2016 are understandable, but are also misinformed and exaggerated.
AUSTRALIA BY NUMBERS: The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released the first batch of its census data. We’ve asked some of the country’s top demographers and statisticians to crunch the numbers on…
AUSTRALIA BY NUMBERS: Today, the Australian Bureau of Statistics has released the first batch of its 2011 census data. We’ve asked some of the country’s top demographers and statisticians to crunch the…
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