1 Introduction and key findings
This report combines findings from the 2016 Census and the Gen17 Jewish Community Survey on the Jewish population of New South Wales (NSW)1. Brief summary data are also reported for Jews in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The Australian census was held on 9th August 2016 and carried out by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). It is unparalleled in terms of the breadth and depth of information it provides about the Jewish population. Gen17 was a nationwide survey carried out in 2017 by the Jewish community with a sample size of 3,938 in NSW. It adds a level of detail about Jewish life that is unavailable from census data. This combination of sources shines a very bright empirical light on the Jewish community enabling planners and other interested groups to better understand this population. In this report, unadjusted census data (i.e. enumerated or raw numbers) are denoted with the subscript ‘u’, (e.g. 123u), adjusted (or estimated) data have subscript ‘a’ (e.g. 123a), and interpolated data have subscript ‘i’ (e.g. 123i) (see Appendix 6)2. The treatment of census data presented in all tables is indicated in the table title. Where data have been drawn from the Gen17 survey, this is indicated in the text and in chart and table titles. In the following summary, data relate to the census unless otherwise indicated.
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Geography • NSW’s estimated Jewish population was 47,800a, 40.5% of the national Jewish population and an increase of 4.9% since 2006. However, growth slowed, rising by just 0.5% in the second half of the decade • Jews made up an estimated 0.62% of the NSW population, compared with 0.66% in 2011 • 95% of NSW Jews lived in Greater Sydney, a far greater proportion than the general population (64%) • Most Jews lived in Eastern Suburbs— North (47%) where 17% of the population is Jewish • Between 2011 and 2016 Eastern Suburbs—North grew by 1.4% and Eastern Suburbs—South grew by 1.7%. Botany and Regional NSW grew by 32% and 29% respectively. Upper and Lower North Shore contracted by 11% and 4% respectively • Locally, Rose Bay had the largest Jewish population (3,562a) in NSW followed by Bellevue Hill (2,979a) and Vaucluse (2,806a) • The most Jewish area was Dover Heights where 61% of residents were Jewish, the only area in NSW with a Jewish majority
For more information about Gen17 and to view a detailed methodology see Graham D and Markus A, 2018 Gen17 Australian Jewish Community Survey – Preliminary Findings, JCA and Monash University For a detailed explanation of the adjustment methodology and a discussion of the complications relating to the 2016 Census, see Graham D with Narunsky L 2019 The Jewish Population of Australia: Key findings from the 2016 Census, JCA and Monash University
