National News
Census creates opportunity to track prevalence of mental health conditions
Experts are expecting to see a rise in the number of mental health conditions across the country in the census, which they hope will provide a fuller picture of community wellbeing.
It will give the nation’s statisticians a comparative piece of data to see the shift in population health since the 2021 census, when about one in 11 Australians reported having a long-term mental health condition, ahead of arthritis and asthma.
Professor Slade, from the University of Sydney’s Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, expected the latest census to reflect a rise in mental health reports, with recent non-census research showing these conditions remain persistent challenges in the community. He therefore said the data produced by Tuesday’s census would be valuable to researchers.