Census 2021: Here’s what you need to know

Abstract

Census night is on August 10, when Australia’s largest survey will go live on the Australian Bureau of Statistics website.
The census survey is conducted every five years and involves around 10 million households and over 25 million people, according to the ABS.
Census provides the government with a snapshot of the population to help state and federal authorities direct billions of dollars in public funding, including health care, education and infrastructure.

1.1 The Census of Population and Housing (the Census), undertaken by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), is Australia’s largest data collection exercise. The purpose of the Census is to accurately measure the number and key characteristics of all people in Australia, Norfolk Island, and the Territories of Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island on Census night every five years.

1.2 Census data includes information on the size of the population, the number of dwellings and other characteristics (Box 1). Data is collected about both individuals and dwellings on a household basis. The 2016 Census counted almost 10 million dwellings and 23.4 million people across Australia. The Census includes people on board vessels in or between Australian ports, or on long-distance trains, buses or aircraft, people entering Australia from overseas before midnight on Census night, and Australian residents in Antarctica.