General Social Survey

Use the 'Complete your survey' button below and/or log in using your ABS survey account and access your survey.

This survey asks important questions about the social characteristics and well-being of people living in Australia. The results are used by government agencies, researchers, and other organisations in your community to:

• make decisions about health and community services in your area
• understand who volunteers and provides help to others, and why
• understand how individuals and families interact and feel in their day-to-day lives.

Results of the survey are available free of charge on the ABS website.

We value your time participating in this survey. It is only with the support of people like you that we can continue to produce the statistics that inform Australia's important decisions.

The Household Special Surveys Collection Notice explains how we collect personal information for the General Social Survey (GSS) in compliance with the Australian Privacy Principle 5 (Privacy Act, 1988).

Each year we collect information about all aspects of life from thousands of households across Australia to better understand our population and future needs. To do this, we use a fair statistical method to randomly select households from all over Australia so that the information we collect is representative of all communities, backgrounds and situations.

Everyone has an equal chance of selection for this important national survey. Once we have selected a household, we cannot substitute another household in its place, as this could mean some parts of the community are under or overrepresented.

Choose someone from your household, over the age of 15, to be your household representative. They will need to answer general questions about your household. 

Then we will randomly select one person from your household, aged 15 years or over, to complete the rest of the survey. If the person we randomly select is aged 15 to 17 years, they will require their parent or guardian’s consent for them to participate. 

The selected person can complete the survey straight away. If they can’t complete straight away, they can log in to the ABS survey account created by the household representative to complete before the due date. 

If we do not hear from you, an ABS interviewer may contact you to help you complete your survey.

The General Social Survey is a compulsory survey conducted by the ABS.  We are asking the questions included in this survey under the authority of the Census and Statistics Act 1905. Under the Act, you are obliged to provide the information we request, unless otherwise stated. 

If you do not complete and submit your form, or answer the questions asked by the ABS Interviewer, we may issue you with a Notice of Direction, which is a legal direction to complete the General Social Survey. Failure to comply with a Notice of Direction is an offence under the Census and Statistics Act 1905 and can result in prosecution and fines for each day you don't participate. It is also a finable offence to provide false or misleading statements or information. 

The ABS collects and securely stores different kinds of personal information. For more details about the information we collect please see our Household Special Surveys Collection Notice.

In this survey we will ask you a range of questions about your:

• involvement with the community
• employment and education
• general health and well-being.

If you need help to complete this survey, please call us on 1800 642 381 (free call, excluding mobile phones) to make these arrangements. An ABS interviewer who speaks the language of the householder will conduct the interview if possible. Alternatively, we can help to organise an interpreter from the Australian Government’s Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) to conduct the interview. 

You can complete your General Social Survey online or over the phone with an ABS Interviewer.

To complete online click the link below:

 Complete your survey

To complete online you will need to create an account and enter the Form Access Code from the letter you received in the mail. 

For help creating an account, or if you have difficulties completing your survey online, please see our Survey Account Help page.

If you are having trouble finding or using your Form Access Code, or need further assistance, please call 1800 642 381 and one of our team will be happy to assist you.

Can’t go online?

To complete the survey with an ABS Interviewer over the phone please call 1800 642 381. We understand that not everyone can go online.

If we have selected you in the General Social Survey, we will send you a letter and brochure informing you of your selection and how to complete the survey. 

You may receive calls from numbers that you are not familiar with, including mobile phones or ‘unknown’ numbers. Our interviewers use ABS authorised mobile phones and office phones to conduct interviews. The ABS will never ask you to provide or confirm your bank details or tax file number (TFN).

If you have any concerns, you can call us on 1800 642 381 and we can confirm your selection in the survey and the identity of the staff member who is contacting you. 

ABS interviewers are here to help. Please treat them with courtesy and consideration.

If you need help or more information about the General Social Survey, please call us on 1800 642 381 Monday to Friday 9am to 7pm AEST.

For help outside these hours please leave a message with your contact details and we will call you back. You can also complete a Household Survey help request form and we will call you as soon as possible.