A campaign encouraging Australians to accurately reflect their religious affiliation on the upcoming census has drawn criticism for its use of artificial intelligence in promotional materials. The group, known as Census No Religion, is urging citizens to think carefully about the census question about religion ahead of census night on August 11.
The census asks individuals to state if they are religious and, if so, what religion they follow. Participants also have the option to leave the question blank. Census No Religion argues that many Australians continue to mark a religion based on their upbringing rather than their current beliefs, leading to outdated national data.
"Census data shapes how billions in public funding are allocated, how much influence religion holds in policy and whose values get amplified in public life," the campaign stated. It encourages Australians to "pause" and answer based on who they are today, not who they were raised to be.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has issued a statement clarifying the intent of the religion question. The ABS emphasized that the question is designed to measure religious affiliation, distinct from the practice or participation in religious activities. The question has been a part of the Australian census since 1911 and provides data on societal shifts.
Critics have pointed to the extensive use of AI-generated images, videos, and even a jingle in Census No Religion's advertisements. Online commenters have expressed concern over the perceived lack of authenticity, with one user asking why the campaign did not use real people in its videos. Another described the content as an "amalgamation of fake humanity."
Census No Religion is reportedly run by a coalition of organizations, including the Sydney Atheists, the Rationalist Society, and the National Secular Lobby. These groups also advocated for a review of the religion question in the 2021 census. In the 2021 census, 38.9% of respondents who answered the religion question indicated they were not religious, while 43.9% identified as Christian. Other reported religions included Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
The ABS has cautioned the public about campaign materials that may misrepresent the census question's purpose. The options for religion on the 2026 census form are expected to include No religion, Catholic, Anglican, Islam, Hinduism, Uniting Church, Buddhism, Presbyterian, Greek Orthodox, and Baptist, along with an 'Other' category for custom responses. The bureau stated that it is monitoring the circulation of online material that suggests responses inconsistent with the question's intent.