The Humanist Society has long supported the campaign for a more accurate and inclusive Census question about religion.
The current Census asks: “What is the person’s religion?” This wording assumes that everyone has a religion and can encourage people to answer based on their upbringing or cultural background, rather than their current beliefs. Census 2026: Not religious? Mark ‘No religion’ campaign argues that this contributes to an undercount of Australia’s non-religious population.
This is more than a question of wording. Census data is used by governments, researchers, community organisations and others to understand our population and inform decisions about policy, funding and representation. We need data that accurately reflects Australia as it is today.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics previously proposed changing the question to “Does the person have a religion?”, specifically to support more accurate data collection. However, the existing question has been retained for the 2026 Census.
The Humanist Society continues to support efforts to improve the accuracy of Census data and better reflect Australia’s increasingly non-religious population.
In the meantime, the Census 2026: Not religious? Mark ‘No religion’ campaign is encouraging people who are not religious to mark “No religion” on the 2026 Census and answer according to their current beliefs, rather than their upbringing or past affiliations. Census Night is 11 August 2026.
You can support the call for a better Census question by signing the petition:
And find out more about the ongoing campaign:
Census 2026: Not religious? Mark ‘No religion’