Every five years, all Australians are asked to complete the Census, but many people don’t realise that the information they provide also plays an important role in medical research.
So how does answering questions in the Census help improve health and medical research?
For researchers, understanding how many people are living in a community is just as important as knowing how many people have a particular disease. Without an accurate picture of the population, it is difficult to understand whether a health issue is becoming more common, or just reflects changes in the number of people living in an area.
Dr Daniel Barker, Head of Biostatistics at HMRI, says population data provides the basis for meaningful health comparisons.
“If we know that 100 people in one town have a particular condition, that number doesn’t necessarily mean much on its own. But if the town has 1,000 residents, then that tells a very different story than if the town had a population of 100,000. Accurate population data allows disease rates to be measured properly and enables comparisons to be made between communities.”
Census data also captures important information about age, sex, and income. This helps researchers understand which areas may be at higher risk of certain conditions and where health needs are changing over time.
HMRI Senior Statistician and Brain Health researcher, Dr Madeleine Hinwood is leading a project that aims to investigate sex and gender-related factors that may increase the risk of dementia after stroke.
“Census data is a great source of area-level measures of things like socioeconomic status, but we can also use it to inform other, more specific datasets to understand the broader circumstances of different communities. That level of context is useful for social epidemiology, or questions about why health outcomes differ between groups.”
Importantly, researchers aren’t looking at individual Census forms. Dr Patrick Skippen, Head of Data Management and Health Informatics at HMRI, explains that researchers use publicly available information released by the ABS that summarises population trends rather than personal records.
“The data that gets used is grouped together, not linked to individual people. It gives us a clear picture of Australia’s population while protecting everyone’s privacy. When we combine this information with other health datasets, we can better understand patterns of disease and identify opportunities to improve healthcare.”
Bringing different sources of information together helps researchers answer important questions about the health of communities while ensuring personal information remains protected.
The value of Census data extends well beyond medical research. It also helps governments plan for the future by identifying where hospitals, health services and other essential infrastructure will be needed as communities grow and change.
Dr Victoria McCreanor, Head of Health Economics at HMRI, says reliable population data supports better decision making across the health system.
“Census information helps governments understand where demand for healthcare is increasing so resources can be directed where they will have the greatest impact.”
Every completed Census helps build a more accurate picture of our community. That picture supports medical research, informs healthcare planning and helps ensure health services continue to meet the needs of the people who rely on them.
When the 2026 Census arrives, taking the time to complete it does more than count Australia’s population. It helps provide the information researchers, health services and governments need to make better decisions that contribute to healthier communities for everyone.
