The census was a kind of therapy to lift us out of our lockdown gloom, according to one of the country's most prominent sociologists.
"There is a thirst for wanting to be heard," Dr Liz Allen of the Australian National University said.
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She thought that the collective act of filling in the forms and revealing a bit about ourselves helped answer that need in a time when we are isolated and locked down.
She noted that in the census of 2016, there were concerns voiced about privacy and intrusion, but this time those fears weren't apparent.
There were no calls, for example, to deface the forms (as there were four years earlier).
Dr Allen who is a demographer surmises that these concerns had not surfaced because people welcomed the census as a relief.
In this week's episode of Talk of the Times from Australian Community Media, hosts Alex Crowe and Steve Evans speak with Dr Allen and Centre for Public Christianity's Dr Mark Stephens about the 2021 census.
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Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Alex Crowe
Alex covers science and environment issues, with a focus on local Canberra stories. alex.crowe@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Alex covers science and environment issues, with a focus on local Canberra stories. alex.crowe@austcommunitymedia.com.au
