Australian 2011 Census - Expanding household size | .id blog
Household size (that is, the average number of people counted in the Census in private dwellings in Australia) has been declining for the last 100 years. In 1911, the average household size for Australia was 4.5. By 2006, it had fallen...
Has the tide turned on coastal growth?
There is no doubt that Australians love the coast – we’re either on holiday there, socialising there and increasing numbers of us are living there. There is a strong sense in the community that coastal regions...
NZ local government deja-vu
Local government in New Zealand is on the verge of reform … again. The recent Better Local Government proposals are poised to potentially transform the role and shape of councils. But change is not a new thing...
Evidence vs conformity
At .id, we advocate the use of our demographic and economic tools to make evidence based decisions. It’s important to remember that often, this evidence may fly in the face of established “myths” and commonly...
Population milestones – or millstones?
A few years ago the ABS estimated the population of the Shire of Melton to be 100,000. Not 100,001 or 99,999 – exactly 100,000. Now of course it was a preliminary estimate which has since been changed, but it...
profile.id 2011 Census update is here!
Today profile.id was re-released with the 2011 Census data analysed and presented in tables and charts, ready for you to incorporate into your planning and reports. Not only will you find the 2011 Census data,...
Census 2011 - The geographic distribution of religion
In my final blog on religion in the Census, I will focus on how particular religious affiliations are distributed around Australia. Religion is strongly associated with cultural background, and the breakdown of...
Census 2011 – the pyramids of age
One of the most important indicators of the demand for services is the age structure of the population. Australia has an ageing population as evidenced by the increasing number and proportion of persons in the...
2011 Australian Census – fastest growing religions
As well as people’s beliefs and affiliations, religions are also a measure of the cultural diversity in the nation. The fastest growing religious groups represent communities which have had a lot of migration...
Adelaide’s population 2011 – growth and change since 2006
South Australia is one of the slower growing states in Australia and this is also true of its capital, Adelaide. Once Australia’s fourth largest city, Adelaide dropped to fifth in 1984 when it was overtaken by...
2011 Australian Census – Christian religions
Though Christianity as a whole declined as a proportion of the population in 2011 (from 63.9% in 2006 to 61.1% in 2011), there were substantial differences between Christian groups. In general, the large...
The future of the Census in New Zealand – a history of Census taking
The tradition of census records is almost as old as recorded history itself. There is evidence that China compiled lists of inhabitants for tax and military purposes as early as 2300 BC and for similar reasons,...
Australia’s earliest Local Government
Australia currently has 564 local councils, although with amalgamation on the agenda that number is likely to change.
Population revision – where have all the people gone?
On July 31st, the ABS released the first 2011-Census based population estimates for Local Government Areas and smaller areas. These are based on the 2011Census results which are adjusted for the under count and...
Sydney’s population in 2011 – growth and change in the last five years
In late July, the ABS released what we demographers call the rebased population estimates (new Estimated Resident Population – ERP), including revisions of the annual estimates back to 2007. This data can be...
Hobsons Bay – steady growth, diverse community
From a demographic perspective, the very mention of Melbourne’s western suburbs conjures up images of rapid urban expansion and strong population growth. While this is certainly the case in growth area councils...
2011 Census – Where are the most multicultural communities?
In an earlier article, I looked at the rise of India, Nepal and Malaysian communities, with falls in older European migration, and spectacular increases in some of the smaller sources of immigrants, like Bhutan...
2011 Australian Census – How have our religions changed?
The old adage, not to discuss sex, politics or religion at a dinner party can be sound advice for avoiding arguments. While nothing about politics is collected in the Census, and sex is limited to “male” and...
Pitfalls in presenting Census data
With the array of data visualisation tools available these days, it may seem pretty easy to present Census data for small areas and draw conclusions from it. Since the release of data on June 21st, quite a few...
Census 2011 – where do retiring baby boomers live?
In one of our previous Census blogs, we drew attention to the fact that 60-64 year olds were the fastest growing five year age cohort between the 2006 and 2011 Censuses, due mainly to the baby boomer generation...
Latest population figures – Australia’s Capital Cities
On July 31st, 2012, the ABS quietly released the official population estimates (Estimated Resident Population, or ERP) for small areas in Australia. These are the first official population figures available for...
