The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has issued a warning concerning a recent campaign aimed at influencing responses to the religion question in the upcoming national census. The campaign, led by pro-secular organizations, offers an online quiz designed to guide participants on how to answer the religion question, raising concerns over the integrity and accuracy of the census data.

The ABS statement, released on Thursday, highlighted the agency’s awareness of efforts encouraging individuals to respond in ways that may not align with the intent of the question. The census asks for a person’s religious affiliation, which the bureau emphasized is distinct from religious practice or participation. The agency urged respondents to answer based on their own beliefs to maintain the accuracy of the data collected.

This year marks the first time the quiz, run by groups including the National Secular Lobby and the Rationalist Society, has been widely disseminated. It follows a failed attempt by these secular groups to alter how the religion question is phrased. While the census currently asks, “What is the person’s religion?”, calls were made to revise it to “Does the person have a religion?” to better capture the secular trend. However, religious leaders successfully lobbied to retain the existing wording.

Demographer Mark McCrindle expressed concern that the quiz encourages respondents to select “no religion” if they do not actively practice a faith, which may not accurately reflect their affiliation. Liberal Senator Dean Smith also voiced apprehensions in a letter to the ABS, warning that campaigns influencing responses risk undermining public trust in the census and could lead to flawed policy decisions based on the resulting data.

The religion question, which has been part of the census since 1911, remains one of the few optional questions in the survey. Its purpose is to monitor changes in the religious landscape of Australia over time. The ongoing debate between secular advocates and religious groups centers on whether the question effectively captures the nation’s true religious composition.

In response to the ABS statement, organizers of the “Census – Not Religious?” campaign said their initiative aims to encourage honesty and self-reflection among respondents. They also condemned what they described as misinformation circulating online, including calls for individuals to mark a religion despite personal beliefs, as well as alarmist claims about the country’s religious future. The campaign reiterated its call for the ABS to revise the census question in future surveys to better represent Australia’s evolving relationship to religion.