Why the census question about religion is crucial for the Jewish community

Ahead of next week’s census, RAN PORAT examines demographic and political implications of how to accurately count the number of Jews in Australia

THE 2021 AUSTRALIAN Population Census opened a few days ago. Conducted every five years, this project is a vital and powerful tool for in-depth demographic trend analysis and long-term planning for policy makers at all levels. Its importance cannot be understated.

I have already filled in mine.

Most Australians are expected to fill in this census online. Five years ago, the prestige and credibility of the census suffered a major hit after a technical issue took down the census website for hours (#censusfail). This year, the technical security problems have reportedly been fixed.

Yet other problems have persisted or emerged since then. For instance, critics point to the lack of representation for LGBTQI+ community. One can only respond to the “what is your sex” question with “Male” or “Female”, omitting a “Non-binary” option.

More ‘no religion’ and less Jews? Not necessarily
Nothing is more significant for the Jewish community than the hotly debated question about religion. While religious organisations, including Jewish bodies, call on their constituents to list their religion in the census, secular groups and public figures engage in the #NoReligion counter campaign, encouraging respondents to choose the “No religion” option. The latter reflect a growing trend toward secularism and atheism in countries affiliated with the Western (or Judeo-Christian) culture.