The eCensus is the online option for completing a Census Form in the Australian Census of Population and Housing. eCensus provides respondents with a fast, easy and secure alternative to the traditional paper form. The 2011 Census was the second time the online option has been available; it was first offered in 2006.
Respondents were provided with a Census Form Number and an eCensus access code in order to log in and complete their Census Form via the eCensus website. Although Census Night was Tuesday 9 August 2011, the eCensus was open from Thursday 28 July 2011 until Monday 5 September 2011 to allow for a higher response rate. Respondents were able to access the eCensus at any time during this period to complete and submit their form.

e-Census take-up

eCensus take-up refers to the number of households who chose to complete their Census Form using the online eCensus option, rather than returning a traditional paper form. The eCensus take-up rate refers to the proportion of Census Household Forms completed online for occupied private dwellings.

eCensus take-up across Australia for 2011

For the 2011 Census of Population and Housing, 2,706,051 households submitted their form via eCensus, representing a national eCensus take-up rate of 33.07% for all occupied private dwellings (refer to Table 1). This is a large increase from 2006, when the eCensus take-up rate was 10.15%.

As in 2006, the Australian Capital Territory recorded the highest eCensus take-up rate for 2011 (44.96%). This was followed by Western Australia (35.46%) and New South Wales (34.19%) (Table 1).

The regional differences in 2011 eCensus take-up rates for greater capital cities and the rest of state regions are presented in Table 2. All states and territories had higher take-up rates in their greater capital cities compared with their 'rest of state' regions. Excluding the Australian Capital Territory, the highest greater capital city eCensus take-up rates were for Greater Sydney (39.42%), Greater Perth (37.61%) and Greater Brisbane (36.33%). Queensland recorded the highest eCensus take-up rate for the 'rest of state' region, at 29.44%.

Table 1: 2011 eCensus take-up rates for occupied private dwellings by state and territory
State / territory Household eForms
(no.)		 eCensus take-up rate
(%)
New South Wales 888,555 34.19
Victoria 643,514 31.68
Queensland 537,953 32.63
South Australia 192,412 29.88
Western Australia 301,888 35.46
Tasmania 60,667 30.35
Northern Territory 20,274 27.93
Australian Capital Territory 60,707 44.96
Other Territories 81 9.98
Australia 2,706,051 33.07
(a) Other Territories

Table 2: 2011 state and territory eCensus take-up rates for occupied private dwellings by greater capital city and rest of state regions
State/Territory Greater Capital City Rest of state Total
Household eForms (no.) eCensus take-up rate (%) Household eForms (no.) eCensus take-up rate (%) Household eForms (no.) eCensus take-up rate (%)
New South Wales 631,262 39.42 257,298 25.79 888,560 34.19
Victoria 517,817 34.64 125,693 23.43 643,510 31.68
Queensland 277,238 36.33 260,716 29.44 537,954 32.63
South Australia 157,765 32.09 34,647 22.76 192,412 29.88
Western Australia 248,117 37.61 53,768 28.06 301,885 35.46
Tasmania 29,287 34.32 31,377 27.39 60,664 30.35
Northern Territory 14,821 33.15 5,452 19.55 20,273 27.93
Australian Capital Territory 60,708 44.96 .. .. 60,708 44.96
Other Territories 82 10.07 .. .. 82 10.07
Australia 1,937,097 23.67 768,951 9.40 2,706,048 33.07
.. not applicable

Cells in this table have been randomly adjusted to avoid the release of confidential data. Discrepancies may appear between sums of the component items and totals across tables.