Language Questions Oceania

Oceania — countries documented in the supplied census questionnaires

Country:

Australia

Status: Yes
Year: 2016 & 2021
Form: Australian Census Personal Forms
Question: 2016 Q18; 2021 language item

Does the person speak/use a language other than English at home?

Responses:

Response / code	Option
1	No, English only
2	Yes, Mandarin
3	Yes, Italian
4	Yes, Arabic
5	Yes, Greek
6	Yes, Vietnamese
7	Yes, Cantonese
8	Yes, other language (please specify)

Question type: 2 — languages plus write-in

Notes: The form asks for the most-used non-English language and includes sign languages and Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander languages in the write-in option.

Source: 2016 personal form 2016 household form 2016 online text version 2021 personal form 2021 household form 2021 household/interviewer form

Cook Islands

Status: Yes
Year: 2016 & 2021
Form: Cook Islands Personal Forms
Question: 2016 P16–P18; 2021 Q18

What language(s) do you speak at home?

Responses:

Response / code	Option
P16	Everyday conversation at home: Cook Islands Maori; English; other language(s) — specify; too young/difficulty talking
P17	Working language(s): Cook Islands Maori; English; other language(s) — specify; too young/difficulty talking
P18	Reading and writing language(s): Cook Islands Maori; English; other language(s) — specify; too young/difficulty reading or writing

Question type: 2 — home, working, and literacy language questions

Notes: The 2016 form contains separate home, working, and reading/writing language questions; the 2021 form asks what language(s) are spoken at home.

Source: Cook Islands 2016 personal Cook Islands 2021 personal

French Polynesia

Status: Yes
Year: 2017 & 2022
Form: Recensement de la population — Bulletins individuels
Question: 2017 Q13; 2022 Q12

Connaissance des langues / Quelle est la langue la plus couramment parlée en famille ?

Responses:

Response / code	Option
French	Vous comprenez / parlez / lisez / écrivez — Oui ou Non
Une langue polynésienne	Vous comprenez / parlez / lisez / écrivez — Oui ou Non
Langue de famille	Quelle est la langue la plus couramment parlée en famille ? — write in

Question type: 2 — language knowledge and family-language questions

Notes: The 2022 form visibly labels this block Q12 on page 2; the 2017 form has the corresponding language block on page 2.

Source: French Polynesia 2017 individual French Polynesia 2022 individual

Kiribati

Status: Yes
Year: 2020
Form: Kiribati Population Census — Module D
Question: D9

Does %rostertitle% speak English at home?

Responses:

Response / code	Option
Yes	Yes
No	No

Question type: 1 — yes/no language-use question

Notes: The supplied questionnaire also includes literacy questions about reading and writing in any language.

Source: Kiribati questionnaire

Nauru

Status: Yes
Year: 2021
Form: Nauru Population and Housing Census — Module 4
Question: 405–407

Does %rostertitle% speak Nauruan at home? If so, does the person read/write Nauruan? Does the person speak another language at home?

Responses:

Response / code	Option
405	Yes / No — speaks Nauruan at home
406	Read fluently in Nauruan; Write fluently in Nauruan; Both; Neither
407	Yes / No — speaks another language at home

Question type: 2 — home-language and language-proficiency questions

Notes: The supplied questionnaire explicitly asks about Nauruan and other home languages.

Source: Nauru questionnaire

New Zealand

Status: Yes
Year: 2023
Form: 2023 Census Individual Form
Question: Q15

Which language(s) do you speak?

Responses:

Response / code	Option
Multiple response	Respondents may select multiple languages
Special category	New Zealand Sign Language is an explicit response option

Question type: 3 — multiple response language question

Notes: Stats NZ identifies Languages spoken as Individual Form question 15 and notes that the 2023 paper form moved New Zealand Sign Language to the third response option.

Source: new_zealand_2023_individual.pdf

Palau

Status: Yes
Year: 2020
Form: 2020 Census of Population and Housing — Section C
Question: C22–C24

Does … SPEAK Palauan at home? What language does … SPEAK? Does … SPEAK this language at home more than Palauan?

Responses:

Response / code	Option
C22	Yes, Palauan only; Yes, Palauan and another language; No
C23	Other home language — write in
C24	Yes, more often than Palauan; Both equally; No, less frequently than Palauan; Does not speak Palauan

Question type: 2 — home-language questions plus frequency comparison

Notes: The report states these items were asked of all persons and that C23 responses were later coded into more than 30 language groups.

Source: Palau questionnaire

Samoa

Status: Yes
Year: 2021
Form: Population and Housing Census — Household Questionnaire
Question: HH11–HH13 / P27

Language of questionnaire, language of interview, native language of respondent; P27 uses the person's usual language for communication difficulty.

Responses:

Response / code	Option
HH11	English; Samoan
HH12	English; Samoan; Other language — specify
HH13	Native language: English; Samoan; Chinese; Other language — specify

Question type: 2 — questionnaire/interview language and native-language items

Notes: The explicit native-language question is HH13 and refers to the household respondent, not every household member.

Source: Samoa census report/questionnaire

Tonga

Status: Yes
Year: 2021
Form: Tonga Population and Housing Census — Individual Form
Question: ID7.7

What language does this person speak at home?

Responses:

Response / code	Option
1	Tongan language only
2	Tongan and other language(s)
3	Tongan language is not used at home

Question type: 2 — home-language categories

Notes: The form also asks reading/writing ability in Tongan, English, and another language.

Source: Tonga individual

Vanuatu

Status: Yes
Year: 2020
Form: 2020 National Population and Housing Census Questionnaire
Question: E5, E7, E8, E9, E10

What is the language of instruction at the institution XYZ is attending? / Can XYZ read a simple sentence in one or more of the following languages? / Can XYZ write a simple sentence in one or more of the following languages? / Can XYZ speak an indigenous (vernacular) language? / What is the first language XYZ learned to SPEAK?

Responses:

Response / code	Option
E5	English; French; English and French; Indigenous (vernacular); Bislama; Other
E7	Yes/No for English; French; Bislama; Indigenous (vernacular); Other languages
E8	Yes/No for English; French; Bislama; Indigenous (vernacular); Other languages
E9	Yes, easily; Yes, with difficulty; No
E10	English; French; Bislama; Indigenous (vernacular)

Question type: 2 — language of instruction, literacy, speaking ability, and first-language questions

Notes: The Vanuatu questionnaire contains several explicit language questions. E10 is particularly relevant to the Mother Tongue page because it asks for the first language learned to speak.

Source: Vanuatu 2020 questionnaire