Losing our religion? Most Australians have no religion, census could show if question was changed

Ahead of the census in August, campaign group suggests current poll design overstates the nation’s religiousness Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Australia would no longer be a majority religious country if the format of a question in the census was changed, according to a new survey. The Essential Media poll tested the existing census format, where people choose from a list that includes the most common religions, “no religion” and “other”. At the 2021 census, about 39% of people selected “no religion” from that list. In the new survey, released ahead of the 2026 Australian census on 11 August, 43% of people selected “no religion” when asked in the same format. But when given a “yes/no” option first (“do you have a religion?”), followed by a text box to fill in if “yes” was selected, 54% of respondents picked “no”. That translates to about 2 million more adults without religion. The poll was commissioned by the Census – Not Religious? Mark No Religion campaign, which says the format being used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is overstating the religiousness of Australia, and understating the numbers of those without any religion. Spokesperso