Testing communications strategies for the 2026 Census

Authored on
36 minutes 31 seconds ago
Registered
Project Type
Evaluation report
Policy Area
Social and Health
Partner agencies
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Registration date
Monday, 28 July 2025

BETA is conducting research in partnership with the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) to understand what messaging is most effective at improving knowledge and awareness of various aspects of the Census of Population and Housing (Census). The Census is undertaken every five years by the ABS, with the next Census to be held in 2026.

The research will include interviews and a survey experiment to design and test communication approaches and evaluate their effect on people’s knowledge and awareness of administrative data use in the Census. The findings will be used to inform the ABS’s broader communications strategy for the 2026 Census.

ADDITIONAL TRIAL INFORMATION

Trial start and end dates

March – August 2025

Ethics approval

Macquarie University Human Research Ethics Committee Project ID: 19171   

Research participants

Approx. 6000

Design

Online survey experiment

Interventions

Social media messages

Outcome measures

Willingness to complete the 2026 Census, attitudes and knowledge of the Census.

Other

AEA pre-registration