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© Wilson et al. 2021. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial licence 3.0 Australia (CC BY-NC 
3.0 AU). Journal website: www.australianpopulationstudies.org 

Editorial 

Introduction to the census questions 
special issue 

Tom Wilson*  The University of Melbourne 

Elin Charles-Edwards  The University of Queensland 

Jonathan Corcoran  The University of Queensland 

Julia Loginova  The University of Queensland 

Kirsten Martinus  The University of Western Australia 

* Corresponding author. Email: wilson.t1@unimelb.edu.au. Address: Melbourne School of 

Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, 207 Bouverie St, Melbourne, Vic 3010, 

Australia. 

Published on 31 May 2021 

 

In June 2020, the Australian Bureau of Statistics announced which new questions would be included 

in the 2021 Census of Population and Housing, as well as which existing questions would be dropped 

(ABS 2020). There will be new questions about defence force service and long-term health 

conditions, while the internet access question will no longer be asked given how widespread internet 

access has become. 

The process of adding questions to the census questionnaire is, understandably, a lengthy one. 

Proposed new topics and questions require careful consideration and debate. There needs to be a 

compelling case for asking the question, insufficient data on the topic from existing data sources, 

clear public acceptability of the question, limited respondent burden, an ability for the question to be 

easily interpretable, and a strong likelihood of it yielding accurate data, among other considerations 

(ABS 2018a). Any potential new question needs to be balanced against the competing demands of 

both existing as well as other proposed new questions, as well as the value of consistency across 

censuses for time series analyses. All potential new questions require stakeholder consultation (ABS 

2018b), detailed ABS assessment, and extensive testing. Any new questions which successfully make 

it through this rigorous assessment process into the final ABS assessment are then recommended to 

Parliament to be included in the next census. 

Given we are currently in a census year, Australian Population Studies sought to place a spotlight on 

all things census and put out a special call for short commentary papers on proposed new census 

topics and questions. This special issue draws together a select number of papers that answered this 

call. The aim was to broaden the conversation and stimulate useful discussion about potential new 

topics and questions that might be considered for the 2026 Census. Contained in this special issue 

are commentary pieces that cover a range of topics, including (1) measuring multi-locational living; 

(2) highly mobile populations; (3) long-distance commuting; (4) commuting to places of education; 

 

http://www.australianpopulationstudies.org/
mailto:wilson.t1@unimelb.edu.au


2 Editorial: Wilson et al. Australian Population Studies 5 (1) 2021 

(5) financial wellbeing; (6) gender identity and sexual orientation; and (7) ethnicity and ancestry. 

Together we hope readers find the collection of papers thought-provoking and seek to draw on in 

this special issue as a new consolidated resource for scholars and practitioners interested in the 

census. We note that some papers did not quite make the timing to appear in this special issue of 

Australian Population Studies and will instead be published in a special section in the forthcoming 

November issue of the journal. 

Finally, we would like to thank each of the contributing authors who submitted these interesting 

commentary pieces, and to the referees who gave their time and provided useful comments on the 

submitted papers. 

References 

ABS (2018a) Census of Population and Housing: Topic Directions, 2021. 

https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2007.0.55.001main+features12021. 

Accessed 2 May 2021. 

ABS (2018b) Census of Population and Housing: Consultation on Topics, 2021. 

https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2007.0Main+Features12021?OpenDocum

ent. Accessed 2 May 2021. 

ABS (2020) 2021 Census questions and date announced. 

https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mediareleasesbyReleaseDate/9A2C37E441CE868E

CA25858B0019A7F0?OpenDocument. Accessed 2 May 2021. 

 

https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2007.0.55.001main+features12021
https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2007.0Main+Features12021?OpenDocument
https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2007.0Main+Features12021?OpenDocument
https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mediareleasesbyReleaseDate/9A2C37E441CE868ECA25858B0019A7F0?OpenDocument
https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mediareleasesbyReleaseDate/9A2C37E441CE868ECA25858B0019A7F0?OpenDocument

