Indigenous Identification and Transitions in Australia: Exploring New Findings from a Linked Micro-dataset

Abstract

To understand the population dynamics of Indigenous Australians, changes in identification (from Indigenous to non-Indigenous or vice versa) must be studied. Comparing these changes reported at two successive censuses not only allows the transitions to be counted but also their determinants to be examined. Using individual linked data from the 2006 and 2011 censuses, the authors demonstrate the impact of identification changes on the observed growth of the Indigenous population. These changes concern children, but they often coincide with the change in status of one of the parents.