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Name of variable

4. The name of the variable is Religious Affiliation.

5. This variable has been previously referred to using the title 'Religious Denomination'. The term 'Religious Affiliation' is seen as more neutral and in keeping with a multicultural society, since the term 'denomination' is sometimes regarded as applying particularly to Christian religions.


Definition of variable

Nominal definition

6. The variable Religious Affiliation is defined as the religious beliefs and practices to which a person adheres or the religious group to which a person belongs.

7. Religious Affiliation is an attribute of the counting unit 'person'.

Operational definition

8. Operationally, Religious Affiliation is self-assessed and, therefore, measures the religion to which a person declares they have an affiliation. This includes an option for people who consider they do not belong to any religious group.


Discussion of conceptual issues

9. As Religious Affiliation is self-assessed, the data cannot give an objective measure of the strength of a person's affiliation with a religion and is subject to the respondent's interpretation of the question.

10. As it is considered a sensitive topic, answering a question about religious affiliation is optional in Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) censuses and surveys and care should be exercised when interpreting estimates based on this question. Non-response rates in the 1996 Census for this question were of the order of 8.7%.