Religious preferences in the Macedon Ranges and Sunbury are contributing to a shift in Victoria’s religious affiliations.
In the Macedon Ranges, 37 per cent of people do not consider themselves as belonging to a religion, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics’ 2016 Census results.
This marks a significant increase on the figures of 2011, when 28.7 per cent of residents identified as having no religion.
In Sunbury, 32.5 per cent of people said they did not follow a religion in last year’s census, up from 23.3 per cent in 2011.
Not identifying with a religion was the dominant preference in both areas and is now Victoria’s leading preference at 29.6 per cent.
Catholicism reigned as the state’s dominant religion back in 2011. It’s now placed second in Macedon Ranges (25.5 per cent) and Sunbury (30.8 per cent) – both exceeding the 22.6 per cent of Victorians who identify as Catholic.
The 2016 census also revealed that the average Macedon Ranges resident is a 42-year-old married female who was born in Australia and speaks only English.
Sunbury’s typical resident has the same characteristics, but is a little younger at 37.
Italian is the language used by one per cent of Sunbury residents and 0.7 per cent of Macedon Ranges residents.
