In 2001, something unexpected happened during Australia's census: over 73,000 people—0.37% of the entire population—officially declared their religion as "Jedi." The number was so significant that Jedi became the second-largest "alternative" religion in the country, outranking established faiths like Buddhism in some regions.

But here's the twist: Jedi never became an official religion, despite what the internet told people.

The Email That Started It All

The phenomenon began with a chain email circulating in 2001, claiming that if enough people listed "Jedi" on the census, the government would be forced to recognize it as an official religion. The message spread like wildfire across Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and other Commonwealth countries conducting censuses that year.

The claim was completely false. There was no minimum threshold for official recognition. But thousands of Star Wars fans and internet pranksters filled in "Jedi" anyway—some as a joke, others in genuine protest against government collection of religious data.

What Actually Happened

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) was not amused. They classified all Jedi responses under "Religious Belief, nfd" (not further defined), a catch-all category for unconventional or joke responses. The government issued warnings that falsifying census information could result in fines up to $1,000—though since religion was always an optional question, prosecutions never materialized.

By 2016, the ABS had escalated their response by excluding Jedi entirely from published religion statistics, effectively erasing the Jedi Knights from official records.

The Force Remained Strong

Despite the lack of official recognition and government pushback, Australians kept the faith. The numbers fluctuated over subsequent censuses:

2001: 73,000 Jedi
2006: 58,053 Jedi (a decline after the novelty wore off)
2011: 64,390 Jedi (a resurgence)
2016+: Approximately 48,000 Jedi (still tens of thousands strong)

A Global Movement

Australia wasn't alone. The UK recorded over 390,000 Jedi in their 2001 census, making it the fourth-largest "religion" in the country. New Zealand, Canada, and other nations saw similar movements, all stemming from the same viral email hoax.

What started as an internet prank evolved into something more interesting: a genuine expression of cultural identity for some, a form of census protest for others, and a demonstration of how quickly misinformation spreads online. The Jedi census phenomenon became a case study in digital folklore.

The irony? While Jediism remains unrecognized in Australia, actual Jedi-inspired organizations exist worldwide, complete with genuine belief systems, ethical codes, and community structures. Some followers take it quite seriously, practicing meditation and studying philosophy inspired by the Force.

So while 70,000+ Australians did indeed claim Jedi as their religion, the government's response was essentially: "These aren't the official religions you're looking for."

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