Related Experiment Videos
Establishing trends in ATSIC regional council populations using census data: a cautionary note
Journal of the Australian Population Association
|May 1, 1992
Summary
Official census data limitations for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations challenge trend analysis. New projections using 1991 Census data are recommended for more reliable demographic insights.
Area of Science:
- Demography
- Indigenous Studies
- Sociology
Background:
- Official census data for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples present limitations.
- Time series analysis for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) regional council areas is impacted by data validity issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reliability of demographic trend analysis based on existing census data for Indigenous populations.
- To present population and labour force changes in ATSIC regional council areas using 1976 as a base year.
- To identify more robust methods for establishing demographic trends.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of official census data limitations.
- Presentation of population and labour force changes from 1976.
- Discussion of difficulties in discerning geographic patterns and reasons for population changes.
Main Results:
- Geographic patterns of population and labour force change are difficult to discern.
- Exact reasons for comparative growth or decline in Indigenous populations are indeterminate.
- Existing data limitations question the validity of current trend analyses.
Conclusions:
- Reverse projections using 1991 Census data for regional council areas are proposed.
- This method would provide a more reliable basis for establishing demographic trends for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.