Research and Testing Services for the 2016 Census Cycle

Australia's sixteenth national Census of Population and Housing was held on 9 August 2011. The Census is the largest statistical collection undertaken by the ABS and one of the most important.

There are two broad objectives that underpin the Census. The first is to accurately measure the number and key characteristics of people in Australia on Census Night and the dwellings in which they live. The second is to provide timely, high quality, and relevant data for small geographic areas and small population groups, to complement the rich but broad level data provided by ABS surveys.

Development has now commenced on the seventeenth national Census of Population and Housing to be held in August 2016. The scale of changes proposed for the 2016 Census is much greater than that considered for previous censuses. Large scale changes are needed in many areas to overcome the challenges in recruiting field staff, to take advantage of new technologies and become even more efficient. It is aimed to:

a) Optimise the coverage of the population overall, including at the small area level and for small population groups.
b) Increase the efficiency and effectiveness of operations, streamlining the end-to-end process of census-taking.
c) Maximise the relevance of the census to both respondents and users through embracing technological advancements, ensuring appropriate content and data quality, and enabling earlier output of data.
d) Establish a sustainable foundation for continuing development and innovation.

In light of the magnitude of the changes proposed for the 2016 Census and to ensure that the best value is obtained, the 2016 Census will have a comprehensive development and testing program initiated early and consequently extending over a longer time frame than in previous censuses. A program of targeted research and testing will be undertaken to ensure that optimum value is obtained. This research and testing will complement other forms of testing used to refine the development of Census content and procedures.

The design and content of various Census forms, public contact information and material, general Census information, the Census form, field procedures, training and communication/PR products and material, and data products and services are part of this development.