Census Reveals Aussies Are Losing Touch With Religion

"No religion" most popular


Article heading image for Census Reveals Aussies Are Losing Touch With Religion

After crunching the numbers from last year's bungled Census, the Bureau of Statistics has revealed Australians are becoming more culturally diverse, and losing touch with religion. 

In 2016, 30% of people identified as having 'no religion', compared with 25% in 2011. 

Some of the other big takeaways from the data are:

  • The number of Australians speaking only English at home fell from almost 77% in 2011 to almost 73% in 2016. 
  • Nearly half of the population are either first or second generation Australians - either being born overseas or with a parent born overseas.
  • Of the more than six million born overseas, almost 20 per cent have arrived since 2012.
  • England and New Zealand are still the most common countries of birth after Australia but a growing number are born in China and India.
  • More than 300 languages are being spoken in Australian homes. After English, the most common languages are Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese and Vietnamese. 
  • Two-thirds of the population now live in capital cities, with five million in Sydney and four-and-a-half million in Melbourne.
  • More Australians are identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, with 2.8 per cent in 2016 compared with 2.5 per cent in 2011.
  • The figures revealed the median age among the indigenous community was 23, compared with 38 for the non-indigenous population.

 

Claire Sherwood

27 June 2017

Article by:

Claire Sherwood




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