The Sydney Root Census 2026
The other census is compulsory. This one is merely inevitable. Six (6) questions, one postcode, no names. Attendance is not compulsory. It is, however, being noted.
Census Night — Tuesday 11 August 2026, 7pm
Form CS-26 — Sydney Root Census, Short Form
Early findings — city level
City-level cells publish once they clear the Bureau's k-anonymity floor. The full findings, including postcode drill-downs as they clear, are published in State of the Root. The ABS reports in June 2027; the Bureau reports considerably sooner.
What the census asks, and why
Six questions: current romantic classification, time since last recorded activity, primary channel of acquisition, contact with a former partner in the past twelve months, the overnight-guest hospitality standard at the dwelling, and confidence in the coming quarter. Every answer is a fixed choice. The census accepts no free text, holds no names, and requires no account — which is what allows the findings to be published at all.
Findings appear as they clear the Bureau's anonymity floor. A cell is published only when enough people have answered that no individual respondent could be inferred from it, so small postcodes stay suppressed until they stop being small. This is why the report grows slowly and why it can be trusted when it does.
Common questions
What is the Sydney Root Census?
- A rolling six-question survey of how Sydney is actually conducting its romantic affairs: relationship status, time since last activity, how people are meeting, contact with former partners, hospitality standards and confidence in the coming quarter. Fixed choices only, one postcode, no names. It is satirical in tone and genuine in method.
Is the census anonymous?
- Yes, by construction. The form collects a postcode and six fixed answers and nothing else — no name, no email, no free text, and no account is required. Responses are not linked to any identity, and no individual response is ever published.
When are the findings published?
- Continuously, as cells clear the Bureau's anonymity floor. A finding is only published once enough people have answered that no respondent can be inferred from it, which means small postcodes stay suppressed until they are not small any more. The full report is State of the Root.
How long does it take?
- Under two minutes. Completions faster than a few seconds are discarded as noise, on the reasonable assumption that nobody considers their romantic standing that quickly.
What is Census Night?
- Tuesday 11 August 2026 — the same night the Australian Bureau of Statistics runs its own count. The Bureau of Romantic Affairs counts a different thing on the same evening, and reports considerably sooner.