Multipurpose Household Survey

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

The Multipurpose Household Survey collects information on a wide range of topics including employment, education, language spoken, and experiences over the previous 12 months with health services, crime and fraud. The Multipurpose Household Survey provides the only annual, nationally representative data on reported and unreported crime in Australia.

Government agencies, researchers, and organisations in your community use the results to:

• make decisions about health and community services in your area
• understand what resources people need to safely take part in the community 
• understand issues affecting individuals and families.

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 survey results for free on the Statistics page.

You can complete the survey online or over the phone with an ABS Interviewer. The easiest way to complete your survey is online. If you need assistance, you can complete it over the phone with an ABS Interviewer.

To complete online click the link below:

Complete your survey

Step 1: Create an ABS Survey Account

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

Step 2: Enter your Form Access Code

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

Step 3: Complete your survey

The first part of the survey contains general questions about the household and should be completed by an adult who knows the most about people in your household. 

The rest of the survey will be completed by one person in the household aged 15 years or older who will be randomly selected. The randomly selected person can complete the survey straight away. If they can’t, they can log in later using the account created for the household or answer the questions over the phone. They must complete the survey before the due date.

If you need help

For help creating an account, please refer to create or log into your account.

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

We understand not everyone can go online. If you can't go online or need further help, please call 1800 281 656.

Each year about 26,500 households will take part in the Multipurpose Household Survey. 

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

The first part of the survey should be completed by an adult who knows the most about the people in your household. That person will answer general questions about your household.

Then we will randomly select one person from your household who is 15 years or older to complete the rest of the survey.

If we select someone aged 15 to 17, they will need a parent or guardian’s consent to take part. Otherwise, the parent or guardian can answer on their behalf.

The Multipurpose Household Survey 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 Household Social Surveys Simplified Collection Notice. 

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

The topics covered in this survey are:

• the language you speak at home
• the study you have completed
• if you are working, the hours you worked, your occupation, and what type of industry you work in
• if you are looking for work, the steps you have taken to find work, and how long you have been looking
• your long-term health conditions
• your experience with health professionals and health services in the last 12 months
• your experiences of credit card fraud, identify fraud and scams in the last 12 months
• your experiences of crime and safety in the last 12 months

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 Multipurpose Household Survey in the Household Social Surveys 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 Multipurpose Household Survey, we will send you a letter and brochure with information about 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 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 281 656. ABS interviewers are here to help. Please treat them with courtesy and consideration.

Please call us on 1800 281 656 if you need help or more information about the Multipurpose Household Survey. We are available Monday to Friday from 9 am to 7 pm AEST. 

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 281 656. 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.