SBS visualises a changing Australia

The multilingual Australian Census Explorer was launched by the SBS (an Australian public service media organisation) last month to enable Australians to better understand how the country’s population has been changing in recent years.

Drawing on data from the 2021 Census – and using 2011 and 2016 results for comparative purposes – the visually dynamic, interactive tool provides a snapshot of the people that make up Australia. This includes: how many different languages are spoken (including Australian indigenous languages), how many different ancestries exist, and how many people identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders.

Available in eight different languages for the first time, users can easily navigate the tool by selecting the type of information they wish to explore. The data collected includes statistics on education, work and income; family and relationships; and households. The tool allows these figures to be visualised and interpreted through bar charts, pie charts or population pyramids.

It is a commendable public media innovation in data journalism – using technology to bring to life a real-world snapshot of cultural diversity. The SBS Director of Audio and Language Content, David Hua, said the new resource helps to support social cohesion.

“For new migrants, the SBS Australian Census Explorer offers an opportunity to unearth new information about their own communities as well as learning more about the diverse cultures and backgrounds of their neighbours.” Being able to access census data is critical – it invokes a sense of participation as well as civic responsibility and fosters a perception of how demographics are changing.

As the world’s most linguistically comprehensive public broadcaster, the SBS has a responsibility to make resources, news, and content accessible for the nation’s marginalised and underrepresented groups. The Australian Census Explorer therefore demonstrates how SBS is fulfilling its mandate for greater integration and celebrating Australia’s cultural diversity.

“For new migrants, the SBS Australian Census Explorer offers an opportunity to unearth new information about their own communities as well as learning more about the diverse cultures and backgrounds of their neighbours.” SBS Director of Audio and Language Content, David Hua

SBS has not been the only public media organisation to produce visually interesting and immersive data journalism stories from census data. Using satellite imagery and results from the 2016 census, a recent data analysis by CBC News visualised socioeconomic disparities between where people live and their level of income, and how they are affected by the weather. The team revealed a serious public health issue: immigrants and people with low income tend to live in the hottest urban areas and are therefore more vulnerable to heatwaves “with deadly consequences.” Users could explore its interactive design by swiping between cities and selecting different types of data, such as the gap between average individual income or proportion of immigrants.

Find out more: Here’s who lives in your city’s worst heat islands