Religion in Australia, 1966

The objective of the survey was to provide an outline of the religious patterns and values of the Australian population which would serve as a basic tool for more detailed specific research in years to come, as well as to contribute to international research in the sociology of religion. The questionnaire was divided into two sections: the family schedule containing information which any adult in a family could usually provide for the rest; and the individual schedule containing attitudinal, belief and voting questions. Individual questions covered opinions about many social and religious topics including God, the Church, the Bible, prayer, pre-marital sex and adultery, prejudices, gambling, patriotism, obedience, baptism, and church union. The respondent's experiences of a religious nature, frequency of prayer and vote intention were also asked. Background variables collected on the family schedule included age, sex, religion, church attendance, change of religion, occupation, birthplace, period at local residence, education, marital status, duration of marriage, and attendance at meetings, together with father's occupation and parents' church attendance and birthplace/s.