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| Seven interesting things we learned from the Australian census | Seven interesting things we learned from the Australian census |
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| More people have no religion than are Catholic, men spend fewer hours a week than women on domestic work, and the ‘traditional’ family unit is largely unchanged despite an increase in same-sex couples | |
| Elle Hunt | |
| Tue 27 Jun 2017 19.00 BST | |
| Last modified on Wed 28 Jun 2017 01.08 BST | |
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| 2. The “traditional” family unit is largely unchanged since 2011 – despite an increase of about 42% in same-sex couples. The 2016 census counted more than six million families in Australia on census night – about 45% couples with children, 38% childless couples, and 16% single-parent families, about exactly the same as in 2011. The same was true of marital status: of all the people in Australia aged 15 years and over, 48.1% were married (down from 48.7% in 2011) and 11.7% were either divorced or separated (8.5% and 3.2% respectively), largely stable since 2011 (11.4%). There had, however, been a slight increase in the number of people who had never been married, from 34.3% in 2011 to 35% in 2016. | 2. The “traditional” family unit is largely unchanged since 2011 – despite an increase of about 42% in same-sex couples. The 2016 census counted more than six million families in Australia on census night – about 45% couples with children, 38% childless couples, and 16% single-parent families, about exactly the same as in 2011. The same was true of marital status: of all the people in Australia aged 15 years and over, 48.1% were married (down from 48.7% in 2011) and 11.7% were either divorced or separated (8.5% and 3.2% respectively), largely stable since 2011 (11.4%). There had, however, been a slight increase in the number of people who had never been married, from 34.3% in 2011 to 35% in 2016. |
| 3. The largest population growth of all Australian states and territories has been in the Australian Capital Territory, which recorded an increase of 11.2% in five years. The typical ACT resident was younger than Australians nationally, with a median weekly income of $998, about $300 per week more than Australians nationally – but they also spent more on their mortgages. The district of Gungahlin, about 10km north of the Canberra city centre, was the second-fastest growing region of the entire country, with 71,000 residents, up from 47,000 in 2011. | 3. The largest population growth of all Australian states and territories has been in the Australian Capital Territory, which recorded an increase of 11.2% in five years. The typical ACT resident was younger than Australians nationally, with a median weekly income of $998, about $300 per week more than Australians nationally – but they also spent more on their mortgages. The district of Gungahlin, about 10km north of the Canberra city centre, was the second-fastest growing region of the entire country, with 71,000 residents, up from 47,000 in 2011. |
| 4. Islam is only technically Australia’s “second-biggest” religion, as reported by the Daily Mail. Its headline said the Muslim population in Australia had “soared” by 77% “in just a decade”. While technically accurate, it’s disingenuous as it bunches together all the Christian denominations – including Catholic, the single-biggest group, with a 22.6% share of the total population. Second would be “other Christian” with 16.3%, then Anglican at 13.3% – and then there’s Islam, with just 2.6%. 7 News Australia was also documented to have made the same leap, changing its Facebook post from “Islam is soaring” to “Islam is on the rise”. | 4. Islam is only technically Australia’s “second-biggest” religion, as reported by the Daily Mail. Its headline said the Muslim population in Australia had “soared” by 77% “in just a decade”. While technically accurate, it’s disingenuous as it bunches together all the Christian denominations – including Catholic, the single-biggest group, with a 22.6% share of the total population. Second would be “other Christian” with 16.3%, then Anglican at 13.3% – and then there’s Islam, with just 2.6%. 7 News Australia was also documented to have made the same leap, changing its Facebook post from “Islam is soaring” to “Islam is on the rise”. |
| 5. Relatedly, more people identified as being without religion this year than they did Catholic for the first time in the census’s history. Nearly a third of the total population (30.1%) said they had “no religion”, bigger than any religious group – but it doesn’t have to factor in lists such as the Daily Mail’s, because it’s not technically an affiliation. | 5. Relatedly, more people identified as being without religion this year than they did Catholic for the first time in the census’s history. Nearly a third of the total population (30.1%) said they had “no religion”, bigger than any religious group – but it doesn’t have to factor in lists such as the Daily Mail’s, because it’s not technically an affiliation. |
| 6. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the biggest difference between Australian males and females is hours spent on domestic work: the “typical” (quotes the ABS) male spends fewer than five hours a week on domestic work, compared with between five and 14 hours a week by women. The question, as it appeared on the census household paper form, specified housework, food and drink preparation and cleanup, laundry, gardening, home maintenance and repairs, and household shopping and finance management. | 6. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the biggest difference between Australian males and females is hours spent on domestic work: the “typical” (quotes the ABS) male spends fewer than five hours a week on domestic work, compared with between five and 14 hours a week by women. The question, as it appeared on the census household paper form, specified housework, food and drink preparation and cleanup, laundry, gardening, home maintenance and repairs, and household shopping and finance management. |
| 7. “Outback” is an actual area of Australia, and it’s dominated by men. It’s in north-western South Australia, and it has seen its total population decline from 2,924 to 2,635 since 2011, and its median age increase – its population now is also nearly 62.5% male. The above-average proportion of males in Outback is similar to a number of other remote regions – in East Pilbara, for example, men make up 73.75% of the population, one of the highest percentages of Australia outside of prison areas. | 7. “Outback” is an actual area of Australia, and it’s dominated by men. It’s in north-western South Australia, and it has seen its total population decline from 2,924 to 2,635 since 2011, and its median age increase – its population now is also nearly 62.5% male. The above-average proportion of males in Outback is similar to a number of other remote regions – in East Pilbara, for example, men make up 73.75% of the population, one of the highest percentages of Australia outside of prison areas. |
| Census | |
| Australian Capital Territory (ACT) | |
| Religion | |
| Catholicism | |
| Islam | |
| Rural Australia | |
| analysis | |
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