Spokesperson Michael Dove, a self-confessed \u201cdemography nerd\u201d, said the census was the \u201cgold standard\u201d of data needed to \u201cinform debate, policy and ultimately funding decisions\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe trust the ABS to deliver us high-quality data that we can rely on and be confident that the right decisions are being made on the basis of the right data,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email<\/a><\/p>\n The campaign website lists a range of surveys<\/a> that have found the no religion cohort to be higher than the census\u2019s 39%.<\/p>\n The religion question has long been a source of contention, and in some cases humour.<\/p>\n In 2001, more than 70,000<\/a> Australians declared themselves Jedi Knights, inspired to Jediism by the Star Wars franchise.<\/p>\n Pastafarians<\/a>, members of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster who use colanders as religious headwear, say they have checked the \u201cno religion\u201d box<\/a> to avoid being counted as Christians.<\/p>\n There has been a steady decline in Christianity over the past 50 years, according to the ABS, but it was still the most common religion at the last census. Of those surveyed, 43.9% listed Christianity as their religion, while 38.9% ticked \u201cno religion\u201d.<\/p>\n The number of people from faiths other than Christianity and of no religion has been consistently rising.<\/p>\n The poll surveyed more than 2,000 people using the existing census question, and another group of more than 2,000 people with the proposed alternative.<\/p>\n In the first group, 43% selected \u201cno religion\u201d, 55% selected a religion and 2% chose not to answer. With the second option, that number flipped: 43% said they did have a religion and more than half (54%) said they did not (4% chose not to answer).<\/p>\n
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