Whether reported using an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander language at home (LNGP)

Latest release
Census of Population and Housing: Census dictionary
Reference period
2021

Definition

This variable indicates whether a person reports using an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander language at home.

Scope

All persons

Categories

CodeCategory
1Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander language used at home
2Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander language not used at home
&Not stated
VOverseas visitor

Number of categories: 4

See Understanding supplementary codes for more information.

Question(s) from the Census form

Does the person use a language other than English at home?

Does the person use a language other than English at home?
Does Person 1 use a language other than English at home? If more than one language other than English, select the one that is used most often. Include use of sign languages (for example, AUSLAN) in the 'please specify' box. Include use of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages in the 'Yes, other (please specify)' box. More information Person's language at home No, English only Yes, Mandarin Yes, Arabic Yes, Cantonese Yes, Vietnamese Yes, Italian Yes, Greek Yes, other (please specify)

Additional options - Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander language

Does the person use a language other than English at home?

Additional options - Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander language

Does Person 2 use a language other than English at home? If more than one language other than English, select the one that is used most often. Include use of sign languages (for example, AUSLAN) in the 'please specify' box. More information Person's language at home No, English only Yes, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander language Yes, Mandarin Yes, Arabic Yes, Cantonese Yes, Vietnamese Yes, Italian Yes, Greek Yes, other (please specify)

Example

Example response to the question: Does the person use a language other than English at home? Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander language response selected.

Example

Does Person 2 use a language other than English at home? If more than one language other than English, select the one that is used most often. Include use of sign languages (for example, AUSLAN) in the 'please specify' box. More information Person's language at home No, English only Yes, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander language (selected response) Please specify (optional)

More information

Additional information relating to the question on: Does the person use a language other than English at home?

More information

Does Person 1 use a language other than English at home? If more than one language other than English, select the one that is used most often. Include use of sign languages (for example, AUSLAN) in the 'please specify' box. Include use of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages in the 'Yes, other (please specify)' box. More information If the person uses only English at home, select ‘No, English only’, even if they can speak another language. If the person lives alone, answer with the language they most commonly use with visitors in their home. The languages listed were the most commonly reported languages spoken at home, other than English in the 2016 Census. For a language not listed, please select the 'Yes, other (please specify)' option and enter the name of the language in the box. For people who cannot speak, or if the person is too young to speak, record 'Not able to speak' in the 'Yes, other (please specify)' box for this question.

How this variable is created

This variable is derived from the Census variable Language used at home (LANP), which is coded using the Australian Standard Classification of Languages (ASCL), 2016.

This variable defines a speaker of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language as a person who reported using a language that was coded to ASCL broad group 8 – Australian Indigenous languages.

History and changes

This variable is new for the 2021 Census. Prior to this, data was obtained manually from the Language used at home (LANP) variable.

Additional instructional text was added to the Census form regarding Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander languages and stated, 'Include use of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander languages in the ‘please specify’ option.

An enhancement to the online form presented a check box for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander language for those respondents who identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander in the Indigenous status question. To improve the data collected on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, these respondents also had the option to provide a specific language in the ‘please specify’ box if they wished.

Additional instructions were added to the Interviewer Household Form question to improve the reporting of specific Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. The Interviewer Household Form is used in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Additional instructions included: 

  • Where possible, write the full name of the language
  • If the person speaks Creole, where possible provide more information. For example: Cape York Creole, Broome Kriol, Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole). 

Data use considerations

The Main language used at home Census question is designed to find out which languages other than English are spoken by people at home. This question only allows for one answer and therefore the number of responses shown in the category ‘Speaker of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language’ is not all persons who speak an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language.

Whether reported using an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander language at home (LNGP) is derived from Language used at home (LANP). The non-response rate for Language used at home (LANP) was 5.7% in 2021. This is a decrease from 6.5% in 2016.

Related variables and glossary terms

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