This publication presents results from the 2001 to 2021 Census of Population and Housing (Census), the 2016 Census of Population and Housing: Estimating Homelessness, the 2008 and 2014-15 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS) and the 2012-13 and 2018-19 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS).
For the respective Methodologies, refer to the following:
Census
Census: Estimating Homelessness
NATSISS
- Explanatory notes, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, 2008
- Explanatory notes, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, 2014-15
NATSIHS
| Census of Population and Housing (Census) | National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS) | National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS) | Census Estimates of Homelessness | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Scope | All people in Australia on Census night in private and non-private dwellings. Excludes foreign diplomats and their families. | A sample of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of all ages living in private dwellings in non-remote and remote areas of Australia, including discrete Indigenous communities. | A sample of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of all ages living in private dwellings in non-remote and remote areas of Australia, including discrete Indigenous communities. | All people in Australia on Census night in private and non-private dwellings. Excludes foreign diplomats and their families, overseas visitors, people in offshore, shipping or migratory regions, people in an overnight journey by train or bus and people in ‘Other Territories’. |
Sample | Not applicable. | The most recent 2018-19 NATSIHS had a sample of 10,579 fully responding people/6,388 households (see Methodology for more information). | The most recent 2014-15 NATSISS had a sample of 11,178 fully responding people/6,611 households (see User Guide for more information). | Not applicable. |
Collection Methodology | An online or paper form self-completed by households or completed with interviewer assistance in some situations (e.g., Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities). See Census Methodology for more information | Computer-assisted personal interview. | Computer-assisted personal interview. | The Homelessness Enumeration Strategy targets the enumeration of 'rough sleepers', 'couch surfers' and persons in supported accommodation for the homeless with the support of service providers. See the Census of Population and Housing: Estimating Homelessness methodology for more information on collection methodologies. |
Response rates and undercoverage | For the 2021 Census: Item non-response to the Indigenous Status question: 4.9%. Net Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander undercount (from the 2021 Census Post Enumeration Survey): 17.4%. | For the 2018-19 NATSIHS: Household response rate: 73.4%. Undercoverage: 67% of the in-scope Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. See Methodology for more information. | For the 2014-15 NATSISS: Household response rate: 80.3%. Undercoverage: 62% of the in-scope Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. See User Guide for more information. | For the 2021 Census: Item non-response to the Indigenous Status question: 4.9%. Net Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander undercount (from the 2021 Census Post Enumeration Survey): 17.4%. |
Comparability of Census and Survey Data
Data collected from the Census and surveys are not comparable due to the differences in their scope and design.
In the Census, all people present on Census night are approached to participate so there is no weighting required, and no sampling error involved.
In the ABS Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander surveys, only part of the total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is approached to participate. Responses are weighted to make inferences about the whole population. As a result, surveys are subject to a degree of sampling error. The ABS publishes measures of sampling error for survey data that provide an indication of the accuracy of survey data. Further information about measures of error in sample surveys is available Errors in Statistical Data.
Further information about the differences between the Census and surveys, and the advantages and disadvantages of each is available Samples and Censuses.