As a team we responded to the first phase of the 2021 Census data release with much enthusiasm. On release day, an email from one of our Senior Account Managers notified the whole company of the event, and team members shared the most exciting insights from the census that relate to our work:
Nepali spoken at home has more than doubled since the last census;
Hinduism as a reported religion has grown by 50% since 2016;
Nearly half of Australians have a parent born overseas;
Islam is still the second most common religion in the country after Christianity;
Mandarin is still the most common language spoken at home, followed by Arabic;
And many more examples made us look forward to the second phase of data release in October.
For so much of our work at Cultural Perspectives, census data is at the centre and informs the decisions we make for a variety of projects. With access to the new census data, we will be able to better construct strategies for Australia’s diverse communities in our communications work.
Data, like the examples above, gives us a solid base for our multicultural strategies and recommendations, as we analyse demographic factors to identify the most relevant audience for our projects.
During the pandemic, our work in multicultural communications was crucial to distribute health information to CALD communities around Australia. We identified the groups, languages, and geographic areas where information was most needed (based on low vaccination numbers), and we built our communication strategies using the census data available.
Our evidence informed approach ensures our recommendations are not based on assumptions but are data specific to best reflect the character of each community, and that the correct information, in the correct language, is directed to the communities that need it. This objective is at the core of everything we do and strive for as a company- to be a connector by bridging the gap between the and CALD communities, ensuring they have access to the information they have a right to, in the best way possible, and in culturally competent and safe ways.
Our communications team look forward to second phase of the release of the 2021 census data in October.