Censuses provide population numbers, household or family size and composition, and information on sex and age distribution. They often include other demographic, economic and health-related topics as well. The 1971 Austria de jure census collected data through face-to-face interviews and self-enumeration on household demographics, housing conditions, education, and employment. The questionnaire was comprised of a Persons section, a Dwelling section for residents, a Buildings section for owners of real estate, and a Household List. The census day was May 12, 1971.

A 10% sample of private households and 10% sample of institutional households (836,044 individuals) are available through IPUMS International at the University of Minnesota. Dwellings and vacant units are not identified in the microdata. Refer to the IPUMS website for guidelines on citing database versions.