Several recent robust surveys reveal that the leading nature of the Census religion question produces a significant undercount of non-religious people in Australia.
The most recent of these surveys – a 2026 survey commissioned by our campaign – shows that the undercount of the non-religious in Australia is more than 10 percentage points. Other robust public surveys, using different question designs (some better than others), also indicate that the non-religious population is likely much higher than the Census figure.
The religion question that is used in the Census – ‘What is the person’s religion?’ – assumes every respondent has a religion.
As a result, many people respond based on their upbringing or culture rather than their current relationship with religion. In 2021, 38.9% of Australians – almost 10 million people – marked ‘No Religion’.
This survey, commissioned by our campaign, was conducted early in 2026 by polling group Essential Research. It tested the same question design that the Australian Bureau of Statistics had proposed using for the 2026 Census (“Do you have a religion?”) versus the leading question (“What is your religion?”) that it ultimately opted to re-use. When asked “Do you have a religion?”, 53.7 per cent of respondents picked ‘no’. When asked the question being used for this year’s Census, 43.3 per cent of respondents selected ‘No religion’.
This survey, conducted by the Australian Consortium for Social and Political Research at the Australian National University, asked respondents whether they ‘belong to a religion’ and, if yes, which one. It found that ‘no religion’ was at 44.5 per cent.
This survey, conducted by the international group Pew Research Center in 2023-24, asked questions comparing childhood religion with current religion (or lack thereof). It found that ‘no religion’ in Australia was at 51 per cent.
This survey, by the Scanlon Foundation and collected in July 2023, asked respondents the leading question ‘What is your religion, even if you are not currently practicing?’ It found that ‘no religion’ was at 51 per cent.
A survey conducted during July 2021 by polling group Essential Research measured the Census religion question (‘What is the person’s religion?’) and alternative non-leading question design (‘Do you currently have a religion?’). The headline result was that 52 per cent of people who answered the alternative question said they were not religious. Of those who answered the Census design, 41% said they were not religious.
This survey, conducted by National Church Life Survey Research found that 49 per cent of people identified as not religious.
The current question in the Census – “What is the person’s religion?” – is a ‘leading’ question that assumes everyone has a religion. This presumptuous wording leads to biased results and inaccurate data. People ‘acquiesce’ to the question and provide an answer – usually based on family history or the school they attended rather than their current relationship with religion. This is wrong because the purpose of a Census is to capture an accurate snapshot of current data, not past data. So, the number of non-religious people in Australia is significantly understated.
It’s not just our view: the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) itself agrees! The ABS was on track to test and implement an updated question for 2026 but following government delays and pro-religious lobbyists, did not implement this change.
The Census is run every five years to provide accurate and current data about Australian society. Governments at all levels, public institutions, researchers, and others rely on data from the Census to inform debate, policy creation, the use of public funding, and share of voice in media and lobbying activity. It is the ‘gold standard’ of data evidence. Accurate and current data will deliver greater fairness for all Australians.