Census Characteristics
This section contains a `look up' list of person, family, dwelling and geographic area characteristics for which 1986 Census statistics are available. Characteristics of persons, families and dwellings were obtained directly from the questions included on the 1986 Census schedule. Also, a number of additional derived characteristics are produced through aggregation (e.g. household income) or cross-referencing of questions (e.g. internal migration).
The order in which characteristics are listed in this section is different from their order in Section 3 where individual characteristics are listed in alphabetical order. In this Section, characteristics are listed by topic groups; the mnemonic given after each characteristic, in the form of three alphabetic characters (e.g. BPL for birthplace of individual), is the abbreviation used in census table descriptions. Clicking on this mnemonic accesses some notes designed to clarify and explain the census characteristics and classifications.
List of Person Characteristics
| Topic Group | Person Characteristic | Mnemonic |
| ABORIGINAL/TSI | Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Origin | ABL |
| AGE | Age | AGE |
| Age left school | ALS | |
| ANCESTRY | Ancestry, first response | ANA |
| Ancestry, second response | ANB | |
| Ancestry, combination of ANA and ANB | ANC | |
| BIRTHPLACE | Birthplace of father | BPF |
| Birthplace of individual | BPL | |
| Birthplace of mother | BPM | |
| Birthplace of parents | BPP | |
| Period of residence in Australia | PER | |
| CHILDREN | Dependent family child type | CHT |
| Total living issue | TIL | |
| Total issue (number of children born) | TIS | |
| CITIZENSHIP | Whether Australian citizen | CIT |
| EDUCATION | Age left school | ALS |
| Highest qualification | QAL | |
| Full-time/part-time student | STU | |
| Type of educational institution attending | TYP | |
| Year highest qualification obtained | YOQ | |
| FAMILY | Dependent family child type | CHT |
| Relationship in household | RLF | |
| HOURS WORKED | Hours worked | HRS |
| INCOME | Individual income (annual) | INC |
| INDUSTRY | Industry | IND |
| Industry sector | GNG | |
| INTERNAL MIGRATION | See USUAL RESIDENCE | |
| ISSUE | Total living issue | TIL |
| Total issue (number of children born) | TIS | |
| LABOUR FORCE AND EMPLOYMENT | Hours worked | HRS |
| Industry of employer | IND | |
| Industry sector of employment (government/other) | GNG | |
| Labour force status (includes employment status and status of worker) | LFS | |
| Method of travel to work | TPT | |
| Occupation | OCC | |
| Work destination | DZA, DZN | |
| LANGUAGE | Proficiency in English | ENG |
| Language used at home | LAN | |
| MARRIAGE | Married more than once | MMO |
| Marital status | MST | |
| Relationship in household/family | RLF | |
| Year first married | YFM | |
| OCCUPATION | Occupation | OCC |
| OVERSEAS BORN | Ancestry, first response | ANA, ANC |
| Ancestry, second response | ANB, ANC | |
| Birthplace of father | BPF | |
| Birthplace of individual | BPL | |
| Birthplace of mother | BPM | |
| Birthplace of parents | BPP | |
| Citizenship | CIT | |
| Period of residence in Australia | PER | |
| QUALIFICATION | Highest qualification level and field | QAL |
| Year highest qualification obtained | YOQ | |
| RELIGION | Religion | REL |
| SCHOOLING | Age left school | ALS |
| Type of educational institution attending | TYP | |
| SEX | Sex | SEX |
| TRAVEL TO WORK | Work destination | DZA, DZN |
| Method of travel to work | TPT | |
| USUAL RESIDENCE | Internal migration indicator | IMI |
| SLA of usual residence, census night | RLC | |
| SLA of usual residence, one year ago | RLO | |
| SLA of usual residence, five years ago | RLV | |
| State of usual residence, census night | RSC | |
| State of usual residence, one year ago | RSO | |
| State of usual residence, five years ago | RSV | |
List of Family Characteristics
Family characteristics from the 1986 Census have been derived from responses given by each member of the dwelling to questions in the individual section of the census schedule. They may reflect aggregation of person characteristics (for example, income) or they may reflect the imputation of particular categories based on individual responses (for example, family composition). For a definition of `family' used in the 1986 Census, see the characteristic Family composition (FMC) listed below.
| Topic Group | Family Characteristic | Mnemonic |
| COMPOSITION | Family composition | FMC, FMD |
| Family number | FNO | |
| DEPENDENT CHILDREN | Dependent children temporarily absent, number of | DPA |
| Dependent children enumerated, number of | DPE | |
| Dependent children, total number of | DPT | |
| INCOME | Family income (annual) | FIN |
| MARRIED | Married/de facto couple | MDC |
| SPOUSE/PARTNER | Location of spouse/partner | SPL |
List of Dwelling Characteristics
Four questions relating to private dwellings were asked of the householder in the 1986 Census. Another two questions on the back of the census schedule were completed by the collector. Questions asked of the householder related to characteristics of the dwelling, while the collector completed questions relating to dwelling structure. Additional characteristics at the dwelling level (income, household type and Aboriginal dwelling indicator) have been derived from responses to questions relating to the individual, from the main part of the census schedule.
For census purposes, dwellings are divided into two main groups: private dwellings (which may be occupied or unoccupied) and non-private dwellings.
A private dwelling is normally a house or flat, but it can also be a tent, houseboat, or caravan if standing on its own block of land. A tent or caravan is not considered to be a private dwelling if it is occupied by members of a household resident in an adjacent dwelling, i.e. the tent or caravan is considered to be part of that adjacent dwelling.
An occupied private dwelling is defined as the premises occupied by a household on census night. For census purposes, a household is a person or group of persons who live together and eat together as a single domestic unit. It is possible, then, for more than one household to live in one house or structure. For example, a lodger who lives with a family and provides all his food for himself is not a member of the family's household but constitutes a separate household, and therefore completes a separate householder's schedule. Because an occupied dwelling is defined in this way, the number of households and number of occupied dwellings is identical and the number of occupied dwellings in an area, as defined for census purposes, may often be greater than the known number of structures.
An unoccupied private dwelling is a structure built specifically for living purposes and capable of being lived in, but unoccupied at the time of the census. Vacant houses, holiday houses, huts, cabins (other than seasonal worker's quarters) and houseboats are therefore counted as unoccupied dwellings; but vacant tents, garages and caravans (if not normally occupied) are not. Only private dwellings can be classified as unoccupied. Unoccupied dwellings include dwellings vacant because they have been newly completed, dwellings vacant for demolition or repair, holiday homes, dwellings to let and dwellings where the household was absent on census night.
The classification Reason unoccupied (RUN) relates only to unoccupied private dwellings, and is based on the observation of the census collector.
Non-private dwellings (NPDs) are hotels, hostels, non-private boarding houses, gaols, religious and charitable institutions, defence establishments and other communal dwellings. Usually, occupants of such dwellings will be using communal facilities such as hotel dining-rooms or mess halls. A caravan in a caravan park (whether permanently or temporarily located) is treated as part of a non-private dwelling, as are self-contained units provided by commercial enterprises such as hotels, motels or guest-houses.
| Topic Group | Geographic Characteristic | Mnemonic |
| ABORIGINAL DWELLING INDICATOR | ABD | |
| HOUSEHOLD | Household income (annual) | HIN |
| Household type | HST | |
| NATURE OF OCCUPANCY | Mortgage payments, total monthly | ALM |
| Furnished/unfurnished | FUF | |
| Landlord | LLD | |
| Nature of occupancy | NOC | |
| Rent, total weekly | RNT | |
| Reason dwelling unoccupied | RUN | |
| NON-PRIVATE DWELLING TYPE | NPD | |
| PRIVATE DWELLING | Bedrooms, number of | BED |
| Vehicles, number of | VEH | |
| Structure | STR | |
List of Geographic Area Characteristics
Census data and tabulations are often cross-classified by geographic area. A list of the most commonly used geographic area characteristics with their mnemonics follows. These characteristics have been created during the processing of census data. For information on the full classifications for these characteristics, refer to Census 86 - Australian Standard Geographical Classification: Geographic Code List (2188.0), and the technical documentation accompanying each 1986 Census data release.
The Australian Standard Geographical Classification (1216.0) (ASGC) is a new geographic classification used for the dissemination of 1986 Census data. It incorporates a number of hierarchic structures of geographic areas (also referred to as 'spatial units') and defines the individual structures and the area types of which each structure is composed. Each geographic area in the classification is identified by a unique numeric code.
The ASGC has been adopted as the standard geographic classification for ABS output. This will ensure greater comparability of statistics within the ABS and a standardisation of terminology.
| Geographic area characteristic | Mnemonic |
| Australian Electoral Division | AED | |
| Collection District | CLD | |
| Collection District - aggregated | CDN | |
| Local Government Area | LGA | |
| Local Government Area Section | LGS | |
| Section of State | SCS | |
| Statistical Division | STD | |
| Statistical Subdivision / Statistical District | SSD | |
| Statistical Local Area | SLA | |