The Assistant Treasurer, Senator Nick Sherry, has welcomed the move by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) to run its CensusAtSchool project on an annual basis and is urging students to register online from today to take advantage of this valuable research tool.
From next year, primary and secondary students have an ongoing opportunity to take part in the CensusAtSchool data collection and analysis project run by the ABS.
CensusAtSchool is free and aims to improve the statistical literacy of Australian students and increase awareness of the Census, which is held every five years and was last undertaken in 2006.
The project sees Years 5 to 12 students from all over Australia collect real data about themselves by completing an online questionnaire - similar to the Census itself.
"This is a great initiative by the ABS – It allows students to improve their research skills and to satisfy their own curiosity by using statistics in an interesting and useful way," said the Assistant Treasurer.
"Students can already access data to carry out investigations, as the results from previous questionnaires in 2006 and 2008 are available for them to select from and compare."
"Access to CensusAtSchool is now possible through one online registration form on the ABS website."
From 2010, the CensusAtSchools questionnaire will open annually during Terms 1 and 2 this year being from 27 January to 2 July 2010.
There are 30 questions designed to collect information on student lifestyles, personal characteristics and opinions on environmental and social issues. There are also interactive questions to test reaction time and concentration.
Participation in CensusAtSchool has been streamlined to make it easier for teachers to get their students involved.
"Registration is open from today and a new registration form is now available online enabling teachers to directly create an account for the first time," said the Assistant Treasurer.
"Taking part in and using data from CensusAtSchool is free and voluntary, but it is worthwhile for all schools to be involved."
The CensusAtSchool project is being provided for educational purposes only and the ABS employs security techniques that ensure the anonymity of participants.
For more information on how to get involved or to create an account, visit the ABS CensusAtSchool web pages at www.abs.gov.au/censusatschool