wfn.org | AUSTRALIA: STATISTICS SHOW AUSTRALIANS RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION

[Audrey Whitefield <a.whitefield@quest.org.uk>]

Sept. 3, 1997
ANGLICAN COMMUNION NEWS SERVICE
Canon Jim Rosenthal, Director of Communications
Anglican Communion Office
London, England

[97.8.5.2]

AUSTRALIA: STATISTICS SHOW AUSTRALIANS RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION

(ENI) According to figures recently released by the Australian
government's Bureau of Statistics, 73.8 per cent of Australia's nearly
18 million people identify with some religious group, and 70 per cent
identify with a Christian group.

The statistics are the result of the government's analysis of
information from the nation's latest census in 1996.  A census is taken
every five years, and includes the question: "What is your religion?"

The figures from the latest census show a slight decline in religious
identification from the figure of  76.6  per cent in 1991; 16.5 per cent
now claim to have "no religion", but only 0.04 per cent describe
themselves as "atheists". Groups other than Christian have increased,
since 1991, from 2.6 per cent to 3.45 per cent, while 0.04 per cent
indicated they followed an Australian Aboriginal traditional religion.
While the number  indicating a traditional religion has increased
substantially since 1991, most Australian indigenous people identify
with a Christian religious group.

The figures show that once again Australia's religious profile has
changed towards greater complexity and diversity.  Since 1947 there has
been great change in the religious composition of Australian society due
to immigration and to conversion. Then, Anglicans were the biggest group
-with 39 per cent - and Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Pentecostals were
undetectable. Roman Catholics (20.7 per cent in 1947) are now the
biggest group at 26.8 per cent, with Anglicans next at 21.8 per cent.