Australia’s 2026 Census Did Not Remove Judaism – Fact Check
In the weeks leading up to the national census on August 11, 2026, a wave of social‑media posts and broadcast segments claimed that the Australian government had removed Judaism from the list of religious options on the census form. Posts featured screenshots of the questionnaire with a highlighted note reading “Judaism removed – ERASED,” sparking outrage among Jewish Australians and prompting urgent calls for clarification.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) promptly issued a statement debunking the claim. According to the ABS, Judaism has never been a pre‑filled option on the census religion question. The form provides ten mutually exclusive tick‑boxes—such as “No religion,” “Catholic,” and “Islam”—and an “Other” field where respondents can write in any religion not listed. Instructional text on the 2026 form explicitly cites Judaism as one of the examples under the “Other” category, alongside denominations such as Macedonian Orthodox, Lutheran, and Sikhism.
The ten tick‑box options remain exactly the same as those used in the 2021 census, and the ABS confirmed that these options are chosen based on the most common responses from the previous census. The decision to keep the list unchanged reflects a consistent methodology, not a removal of any faith.
Data from the 2021 census show that just under 100,000 Australians—about 0.4 % of the population—identified Judaism as their religion. The ABS also reported 91,022 Jewish respondents in the 2016 census. These figures demonstrate that the Jewish community is a recognised and counted part of Australia’s religious landscape.
The misinformation appears to have originated from a combination of misunderstanding and deliberate amplification. A Facebook post on July 31, 2026, claimed that “Judaism has been completely removed from the written choices in the Census.” Similar assertions were aired on a news programme on August 3, with the host suggesting the government no longer cares about Jewish Australians. Both the post and the broadcast were later removed or corrected after the ABS’s clarification.
Fact‑checking organisations, including the Australian Associated Press (AAP) and the national broadcaster ABC, have also verified that there was no change to the religion question. They highlighted the ABS’s consistent approach since the first checklist version introduced in 1991, and noted that the “Other” field has long allowed respondents to specify Judaism or any other faith.
The episode underscores how quickly false narratives can spread when they tap into community concerns, especially in the aftermath of the tragic December 2022 Bondi Beach antisemitic shooting. Accurate demographic data are vital for monitoring the size and needs of minority groups, and the ABS’s transparent methodology ensures that such data remain reliable.
As the 2026 census proceeds, the ABS urges all Australians to complete the form accurately, using the “Other” field if their religion is not listed. The agency reaffirms that Judaism continues to be captured in census statistics, and there is no evidence of any policy to erase it from the national record.
