JASR 30.2 (2017): 129-143 JASR (print) ISSN 1031-2943 https://doi.org.10.1558/jasr.34826 JASR (online) ISSN 1744-9014 Australia’s Changing Religious Profile—Rising Nones and Pentecostals, Declining British Protestants in Superdiversity: Views from the 2016 Census Gary D. Bouma Monash University Anna Halafoff Deakin University Abstract The 2016 Australian Census reveals continued change in Australia’s religious diversity. While reviewing some of the highlights of this develop- ment—the continuing increase in the ‘no religion’ category, the first ever decline in Catholic numbers, and the rise of Hindus and Sikhs—several reli- gious groups, which are not usually combined in the census, actually when grouped together represent most of the Pentecostal and charismatic churches and form the fourth largest religious group in Australia. These changes are set in a comparative context, internationally and intergenerationally. The religious diversity and Anglican retention rates of Stonnington—one of Melbourne’s 21 Cities—are examined as a window on local diversity and change. Finally, we discuss three main categories of religion in contempo- rary Australia: the ‘nones’; the spiritual but not religious; and the religious and spiritual. The data reveal a new context of superdiversity in Australia. Keywords Religious diversity, religious ‘nones’, superdiversity, youth and religion. Introduction The 2016 Australian Census reveals continued change in Australia’s dynamic religious and cultural diversity. This article reviews some of the highlights of this development, sets them in a comparative context, internationally and intergenerationally, examines a window on local diversity and change, and provides some evidence on the ‘nones’. The rise of this superdiversity has also occasioned anticosmopolitan reactions. © Equinox Publishing Ltd, 415 The Workstation, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield, S1 2BX. Attribution—Non Commercial—NoDerivs / CC BY-NC-ND 130 JASR 30.2 (2017) We apply Steven Vertovec’s (2007) term superdiversity to the Australian context given that, similar to what he observed in the UK in the late 2000s, policy, public understanding and research do not in many cases adequately reflect the lived realitySociolinguistic of Australia’s ethnic Studies diversity. This diversity is a result of new Guidelineswaves of migration, for submission and the complex interplay of additional factors including religion, language, age, gender, spatialThe Editors distribution, welcome articles, immigration reviews and status,research notesoccupation, for publication and in futureaccess issues to services,of Sociolinguistic which Studiesshape. Submitted the composition articles are subject and to a blind,trajectories peer review of proces theses. communitiesPlease adhere toand the powerguidelines dynamics below when within preparing and submission betweens for groups. the journal. In this paper we focus mainly on religion, age and new patterns of inclusion and prejudiceInitial submissions in twenty-fi rst-century Australian society. Submission of articles to Sociolinguistic Studies should normally be done via the journal’s website at www.equinoxjournals.com. You will need to register with the website as an author,Australia’s and follow Changing the instructions Religious and guideline Pros relatingfile to submission. Authors who are unable to use this website for on-line submission should contact the Aneditors analysis for advice of religious on how to submitand spiritual their manuscripts. life in Australia best begins with reference Articles toare Indigenousnormally in Englishpeoples— (we alsothe acceptAboriginal articles inand Spanish, Torres Galician, Strait IslanderPortuguese groups—who or French) and have should overnot exceed 50,000 8,000 years words, ofinclus history.ive of endnotes Indigenous and references. Appendices may be included, but are included in the total word count. peoples Authors spoke should more ensure than that all250 submissions, languages whether and 600first ordialects. revised versions, They haveare andanonymised continue to to facilitate produce blind and reviewing. reproduce Authors’ richly names diverse and in stitutionalcultures withaffiliations many societies,should appear nations only andin the religions covering email(Bell message. 2009; Carey 1996, 2009). From this it becomes Submission clear of anthat article religious or book linguistic review is takenand culturalto imply thatdiversity it has not is partpreviously of the deepbeen historypublished of or thisis not land being now considered called for Australia.publication elsewReligioushere. Ifand an author cultural is diversitypublishing are a relatedand have article beenelsewhere, for thistens fact of should thousands be stated. of In years general, in authors this sense are asked to submit no more than one article for review in a two-year period. ‘normal’ to this continent. According to the 2016 census, 1.9% of AustraliansReview process identify as Indigenous Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders. IfIt yourshould submission also beis clearly noted unsuitable that contact for publication between in Sociolinguistic Australian StudiesIndigenous, you communitieswill be promptly and notified Sulawesi by theand Editors. Chinese If, aftertraders the reviewpredates process, British your settlement. article is Moreover,accepted for in publication, the nineteenth you will century, be asked to before submit thethe manus introductioncript again, incorporatingof the Immi- grationany revisions Restriction asked for, Act and 1901—popular in a format ready lyfor knownpublication. as the White Australia When the Editors confirm to you that your submission has been accepted for publi- Policy—Australia was more diverse culturally and religiously than in cation you should prepare a final version of the article in accordance with the guidelines subsequentfor contributors decades, available and on the included journal’s website.Taoists, If yourConfucians, article includes Buddhists, any figures Mus- or lims,complex Hindus tables, and please Sikhs, pay special who attention worked to thein guidelinesthe gold fionelds, preparing cotton and submittingand sugar plantations,artwork. or as pearl fishers or camel drivers (Croucher 1989; Ganter 2008). PermissionsData on Indigenous and copyright religious identification is not yet available from the It is your responsibility to ensure that you have obtained any permissions to reproduce 2016 census at the time of writing. According to Associate Professor John any part of another work. If your article contains extracts from other works, especially Bradley,figures, tables,an Anthropologist poetry etc., please atcontact Mona thesh authors University’s and publishers Indigenous before submitting Studies Centrethe final (private version tocommunication seek permission to 2017), use their Australian work. If prima Indigenousry data is to bepeople included, are beingresearch very participant open ands should free havein their signed negotiation a consent form. of the religious and spiritual space, All rathercontributors like whootherse articles Australians. are accepte Accordingd for publication to earl willier be censusrequired toreports sign (Bella copyright 2009) assignmentmost identify form, andwith to confirma Christian that their group—largely article is original, Anglican,accurate Lutheran(inasmuch or as Baptist—re can be ascertainedflecting in nineteenth-century research), and does not missionary include any activity. libellous A statements. © Equinox Publishing Ltd 2017. Bouma and Halafoff Australia’s Changing Religious Profile 131 small percentage, around 2%, report following traditional Indigenous reli- gious practices. According to Bradley, Indigenous people are very likely to be traditional when in traditional communities, and are also currently picking and choosing among the wideSociolinguistic variety of spiritual paths Studies available. Bradley quoted a senior woman he has worked with for some time: Guidelines for submission Look you know I love God, that missionary taught me well and I The understandEditors welcome about articles, the Father, reviews Son and and research Holy notes Ghost, for puI prayblication every in futureday too, issues of Sociolinguisticchurch on Sundays Studies .and Submitted I teach articles my grandkids, are subject but to a youblind, know peer reviewI still follow proces s. Pleasemy adhere own Law, to the from guidelines my father below and when grandfather, preparing submission that sames formissionary the journal. told me to give it up, but you know he does not know the love I have for my InitialLaw, submissions my country, he does not want to know, so I carry both ways. Submission of articles to Sociolinguistic Studies should normally be done via the Therejournal’s are website now atIndigenous www.equinoxjournals.com. Jews, Buddhists, You will Hindus, need to registerMormons with theand Muslims.website as Bradleyan author, andnoted follow that the instructionsIndigenous and contact guideline swith relating Muslim to submission. cultures commencedAuthors who arewell unable before to use white this websitesettlement for on-line and issubmissi reflectedon should in sacred contact songsthe ofeditors great for antiquity. advice on how Indigenous to submit their co manuscripts.mmunities and Buddhists have also shared Articles a longare normally history inof English interaction (we also in acceptAustralia, articles especially in Spanish, inGalician, the Far NorthPortuguese (Croucher or French) 1989). and should not exceed 8,000