Hong Kong People Can't List Their Ancestry on the Census

It is Friday, August 7, 2026, at 5:24 am.

The 2026 census will be on Tuesday, August 11.

Here is a short summary:

People from Hong Kong want to be identified as Hongkongers, not Chinese, in the census.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics uses a system to classify ethnic groups.

What happens next?

In the census, people can now list four ancestries instead of two.

On Tuesday, Kevin Yam will fill out the census for the first time.

Kevin Yam will write 'Hongkonger' as his ancestry, but it's not an option in the census.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics uses a system to code ethnic groups.

The ABS says 'Hong Kong ancestry is not a separate category and will be coded to Chinese'.

The ABS has other questions to measure cultural and ethnic diversity.

Kevin Yam will express his identity as a Hongkonger.

Kevin Yam asks why he can't say his ancestry is Hongkonger if he was born in Hong Kong and speaks Cantonese.

Activists like Jane Poon are frustrated that the ABS won't recognize 'Hongkonger' as a separate ancestry.

Jane Poon wants the ABS to recognize Hongkonger as a separate category.

Jane Poon says she is the third generation born in Hong Kong.

Hongkongers want to be recognized as having their own identity, not just Chinese.

There is no way for people with Hong Kong roots to identify as such in the census.

Hong Kong is distinct from China.

Hong Kong is part of China but has its own system.

Hongkongers have their own identity shaped by British rule and different education and politics.

Ted Hui says Hong Kong is a cultural identity, not just a birthplace.

A key difference is language - Hongkongers write in traditional Chinese and speak Cantonese.

Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 with the promise of maintaining its own system.

Ted Hui says Hong Kong has long been culturally distinct from China.

In 2019, mass protests erupted in Hong Kong over democratic freedoms.

Ted Hui was granted asylum in Australia last year.

A new law in China aims to promote ethnic unity and has sparked concerns.

Human rights groups say the law tries to erase ethnic minorities.

The law threatens to make languages and cultures of 55 ethnic groups extinct.

The more oppressed people are, the more they want to maintain their identity.

Ramila Chanisheff says the law is a concern for her Uyghur community.

Ramila Chanisheff wants Uyghurs to be accurately counted in the census.

Mr Hui says Hong Kong is a lived experience and cultural identity.

Hongkongers have more independent thinking due to not living under Chinese propaganda.

It's unfair for the ABS to shift Hongkonger responses under the Chinese category.

Tenzin Lobsang Khangsar urges people to list 'Tibetan' in the ancestry category.

Members of the Tibetan and Taiwanese communities want their categories recognized.

Recognizing communities in census data helps understand their needs.

Classifications are being reviewed.

The ASCCEG has hundreds of possible ancestries, including Catalan and Basque.

Some ethnic groups, like Kachin and Shan, are not recognized in the ASCCEG.

For the first time, Australians will be asked about their sexual orientation and sex at birth.

The classification system is not static.

The ASCCEG has been reviewed since the last census, with two new groups added.

Some categories have been relabeled, like Yazidi instead of Yezidi.

Other categories have been retired and shifted under broader groups.

Respondents can now select up to four ancestries instead of two.

The ABS will not collect ethnicity data as previously planned.

There are language issues with the census.

The 'country of birth' question has raised eyebrows in the Chinese community.

China is not on the list of countries, despite being the third-most common birth country.

The ABS says China is an exception and not included as a tick-box response.

Some community leaders are concerned about language issues with the census.

The census is compulsory, and failure to complete it can result in a fine.

The census is only in English, but information is available in 26 languages.

Translating the census into many languages would be complex and risk incorrect translations.

The ABS undertakes an extensive consultation and testing process before each census.

The ABS engages with community representatives and tests the census form with diverse communities.

The ABS aims to make the census reflect modern Australia as best as possible.

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