The Monthly Population Survey

Click the 'Complete your survey' button below to create or log in to your ABS survey account.

The Monthly Population Survey (MPS) is the ABS’s largest survey of households outside of the Census. Each month, it gathers key data on employment and unemployment in Australia. It also collects important information about people who aren’t working or looking for work. Many organisations use information from this survey to make and review policies. This includes the government, charities, and researchers. For example, the Reserve Bank of Australia uses survey data to help make decisions on interest rates.

We value your time in taking part in this survey. Your support helps shape the statistics that inform Australia’s important decisions.

You can access the survey results for free on the Statistics page. 

You can complete the Monthly Population Survey online or with an ABS Interviewer.

To complete online click the link below:

Complete your survey.

If it’s your first time completing an online ABS survey, you will need to create an ABS Survey Account.

Once your account is set up, enter the Form Access Code from the letter you received to register your contact details.

The ABS will contact you with more information about the MPS when the survey is ready to be completed.

The ABS will let you know each month when the survey is ready to be completed.

For help creating an account, please refer to help logging in or creating an account.

For help completing your survey online, please refer to help completing or accessing your survey form.

We understand not everyone can go online. If you can't go online or need further help, please call 1800 214 751. 

Every month, about 26,000 households take part in the MPS. 

To do this, we randomly select households from all over Australia. Everyone has an equal chance of selection for this important national survey. 

Once we select a household, we cannot replace it with a different one. Otherwise, some parts of the community would be under or over-represented.

The MPS includes all people aged 15 years and over living in the household. Any adult can answer the questions on behalf of the household, or each household member can fill out their own section. The easiest way to complete your survey is online. If you need assistance, you can complete it over the phone or in person with an ABS interviewer. 

Whether you are working, unemployed, caring for someone, studying, or retired, your answers matter.

Even if you are retired, we still need you to complete the survey. This makes sure the survey results represent everyone in Australia.

We understand that your situation may not change from month to month. We need to check in with you each month to confirm that the same people live at your address and that there are no changes to your situation. This includes asking the questions again.

The MPS is a compulsory survey conducted by the ABS. We are asking the questions under the authority of the Census and Statistics Act 1905. Like other civic duties, such as voting or jury duty, you have an obligation to participate. The Act obliges you to provide the information we request, unless otherwise stated.

There may be penalties for not providing the requested information. You can read more about these in the Monthly Population Survey full Collection Notice.

If we selected your household for the survey, you need to complete the survey once a month for eight months. This lets us see any changes in your household's situation over time. 

We selected your household based on your address. If you move during the eight months, you won’t have to finish the survey. The new occupants at your address will take your place in the survey.

The survey asks people different questions. For example: 

• If you are working, we will ask you about the hours you worked, your occupation, and what type of industry you work in.
• If you are looking for work, we will ask you about the steps you have taken to find work, and how long you have been looking.
• If you not working, we will ask you about your current situation and any future plans. 

We ask these questions each month. This measures changes in people's circumstances over time. This helps us produce reliable statistics. 

We ask more questions in your last month of the survey. We only need to ask these questions once. They are on related topics that don't generally change over time.

The ABS takes the privacy and security of your information very seriously. 

You can find more details on how we collect personal information for the MPS in the Monthly Population Survey Simplified Collection Notice.

We collect information in compliance with the Australian Privacy Principle 5 (Privacy Act, 1988). You can also view our Privacy Policy for Statistical Information.

If we have selected you in the MPS, we will send you a letter and brochure with information about the survey. An authorised ABS interviewer might need to visit you as part of this survey.

For any in-person visits, our staff will always identify themselves. They will:

• show you their official ABS photo identification
• clearly explain the information they are seeking.

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 log in details or tax file number (TFN).

We can confirm your selection in the survey and the identity of the staff member who is contacting you. If you have any concerns, you can call us on 1800 214 751. ABS interviewers are here to help. Please treat them with courtesy and consideration.

If you want to be able to do your survey online after the first month, let the ABS Interviewer know at the end of your survey. You can also call us on 1800 214 751.

If you forget to complete the survey online, an ABS Interviewer will follow-up with you to complete it that month.

Please call us on 1800 214 751 if you need help or more information about the MPS. We are available Monday to Friday from 9 am to 7 pm AEST. 

For help outside these hours, please leave a message with your contact details and we will call you back. 

You can also fill out a Household survey help request form, and we will call you as soon as possible.

If you need help to complete this survey, please call us on 1800 214 751. We may be able to arrange for an ABS Interviewer who speaks the language of the householder to help you. 

If this is not possible, we can organise an interpreter from the Translating and Interpreting Service to be on the call.