Imputation flag for registered marital status (IFMSTP)

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

Definition

This variable indicates if a person's Registered marital status (MSTP) was imputed.

Scope

Applicable to:

  • all responding people aged 15 years and over
  • all imputed people in private dwellings
  • imputed people aged 15 years and over in non-private dwellings and migratory, off-shore, and shipping areas

Categories

CodeCategory
1Marital status not imputed
2Marital status imputed
@Not applicable

Number of categories: 3

Not applicable (@) category comprises:

  • Responding persons aged under 15 years
  • Imputed persons aged under 15 years in non-private dwellings and migratory, off-shore, and shipping areas

Question(s) from the Census form

What is the person’s current marital status?

What is the person’s current marital status?
What is Person 1's current marital status? ‘Married’ refers to registered marriages. More information Never married Widowed Divorced Separated but not divorced Married

More information

Additional information relating to the question on: What is Person 1's current marital status?
What is Person 1's current marital status? ‘Married’ refers to registered marriages. More information If the person is divorced or widowed and has remarried, select ‘Married’. If the person is divorced and has not remarried, select ‘Divorced’, even if the person lives in a de facto relationship. If the person is in a de facto relationship and has not been in a registered marriage, select ‘Never married’.

How this variable is created

Registered marital status imputation is carried out by finding a similar person in a similar responding dwelling based on the variables:

Registered marital status is only imputed for people aged 15 years and over and set to 'Not applicable' for people aged under 15 years.

For further information on imputation see, Registered Marital status (MSTP) and Imputation in the Census Glossary. 

History and changes

No changes have been made for 2021.

Data use considerations

The primary imputation method used for the 2021 Census is known as hotdecking. Other imputation processes use probability methods. In general the hotdecking method involves locating a donor record and copying the relevant responses to the record requiring imputation. The donor record will have similar characteristics and must also have the required variable(s) stated. In addition the donor record will be located geographically as close as possible to the location of the record to be imputed. The match must occur within the same Capital City or Balance of State.

Using the Imputation Flag for Registered Marital Status (IFMSTP), the non-response rate for Registered marital status was 5.5% in 2021. This is a decrease from 6.9% in 2016. For more information on imputation, see 2021 Census Methodology.

Related variables and glossary terms

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