Census night is on Tuesday 10 August 2021. The Census is a comprehensive snapshot of the Australian population. It provides information on the number and key characteristics of people in Australia, including:
- where we live
- how old we are
- our ethnicity
- religion
- education
- and our living and housing arrangements.
Census data is used to plan services that impact on our lives, from schools, healthcare, transport and infrastructure to local support for individuals, families and communities.
Couch surfing youth can be particularly hard to capture - and capture accurately.
Only by capturing an accurate number of couch surfing youth can governments and other service providers adequately provide services and support for this population.
How can you help?
The Australia Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is seeking your help to relay to any students who you know (or suspect) to be couch surfing or temporarily staying with family and friends, that they need to be counted in Census.
They can report their current housing situation accurately and safely on the Census form:
- Young people do not need to return home to be included in the Census, particularly if it’s unsafe for them to do so.
- They can be included on the household form where they are staying/couch surfing but in order to be captured correctly they need to write ‘NONE’ in the suburb field of the ‘usual address’ question if they can’t return home due to family dispute or feeling unsafe.
- Students can complete a 'personal' Census form (linked to the household in which they are staying) if desired so that their information is not shared with the household.
The ABS encourage schools to talk about the Census with all students, parents and educators.
You can download materials from www.census.abs.gov.au/supporters/resources
Further information about the 2021 Census can be found at https://www.census.abs.gov.au/.