Australia adds optional gender identity and sexual orientation questions to census

[IwantToRetire]

Australians for the first time can reveal their sexual orientation and whether they identify as a different gender than the one recorded at birth — contentious debut questions in the latest census that occurs every five years.

The 66-question census, held on Tuesday, Aug. 11, is the first under a center-left Labor Party government since 2011. The current Labor government backflipped to allow the questions after having dropped them temporarily two years ago as "divisive." Both questions are open to members of households 16 years of age and older.

The answer options for sexual orientation are straight, gay or lesbian, bisexual, don't know, prefer not to answer or a term of the respondent's choice that can be written in a designated blank space.

The options for the gender that the respondent currently identifies with that differs from that registered at birth are man, woman, nonbinary, prefer not to answer or another term that the respondent can provide.

The gender and sexual orientation questions are optional, along with a question on religion that has been included since the first census in 1911.

Labor had promised such questions about sexuality and gender would be included in the next census while campaigning ahead of the 2022 elections that brought the party to power after nine years out of government.

Full article https://uk.news.yahoo.com/australia-adds-optional-gender-identity-003544754.html

More information in census sounds helpful

Well they sound better questions than the UK census, and I agree, data is always helpful - as long as it's accurate.

I think information on the number of trans-identified people is useful. What is important is that the question is clear and easy to interpret, including for people with learning disabilities or who speak English as a second language. Otherwise you get overinflation of figures as we did in the UK census.

I just filled in that census form. There was no indication that the gender ID questions were optional.
In the space for feedback at the end of the form I said the questions indicate that Gender ID appears to be the state religion, and that reduces my faith in the intelligence and even the sanity of our leaders and bureaucrats.

The article doesn't make it clear whether there is to begin with a straightforward question about sex.

The UK census had that.

And then the question about identity. If they didn't ask about sex that is really bad.

There was a question about sex first.

That seems a weird comment to make

Good on you. My father has just filled it out and he wrote that if people are confused they should look down their knickers and the authorities should stop pandering to this nonsense. I told him he might end up being 'spoken to' but he's well out of fucks to give when it comes to the Albanese government.

I answered the gender question by writing "atheist".

Yes, but IIRC it was "sex assigned at birth"

Perfect.

England and Wales 2021

'....there was a strong correlation between those who seemingly identified as having a different gender identity in the census, and those whose first language was not English.
The census data suggests that only 0.4% of those who spoke English as their main language were transgender, compared with 2.2% of those did not speak English well. '
...
'Those who did not speak English well were 10 times more likely to fall into the category of 'unspecified gender', than those who spoke English as their main language.
Only 10% of all adults did not speak English as their main language, but according to the census they contributed 29% of the total number of transgender adults.
The article also suggests that the gender identity question may have been confusing to individuals who lacked familiarity with the concept. Adults with no formal qualification were three times as likely to be categorised under 'unspecified gender' as university graduates.
The paper also notes that data on religion and ethnicity is worth scrutinising. According to the census, 61% of trans people were religious. Muslims were almost three times more likely to be transgender than people adhering to no religion.
Additionally, census results suggest 1.6% of black adults were transgender and 1% of Asian adults - but only 0.4% of white adults.
These ethnic and religious disparities are the reverse of those found in referrals to gender clinics. In referrals from 2016 to 2021, white children and adolescents were overrepresented compared with the population of the same age. '
https://www.sociology.ox.ac.uk/article/flawed-census-question-leads-to-inaccurate-data-on-gender-identity

https://blog.ons.gov.uk/2024/09/12/better-understanding-the-strengths-and-limitations-of-gender-identity-statistics/

'...we have written to the OSR to request a change to the designation of Census 2021 gender identity statistics from accredited official statistics to official statistics in development to better reflect the innovative nature of the estimates and the evolving understanding of measuring gender identity.'

Statistics Hovering In The Ether.

There are powerful arguments for keeping the census as succinct as possible.

The only reason for asking about 'gender identity' is that the government intends to make it a factor in the development and provision of services. As a gender critical woman I think that's a retrograde step that can only divert resources away from other groups.

Worse, it is unlikely that Australia will manage to collect reliable data, so there's a risk policies and legislation are based on inaccurate, unreliable information.

I have a friend who has been involved in administering the census in the past, but he hasn't mentioned it recently, so probably not this time. I'll be asking what he and his mum make of it and whether/how they answer the optional questions...