Abstract
The language group census is an important component of South Tyrol’s autonomy, as it measures the size of the three official language groups: German, Italian and Ladin. These figures form the basis for the distribution of public jobs and financial resources between the language groups. Despite its importance, the accuracy of the census data is questionable from a demolinguistic point of view. On the one hand, only Italian citizens are allowed to participate, and on the other hand, only affiliation to the three language groups mentioned is recorded. This fails to capture the linguistic diversity of South Tyrol, which has expanded beyond the official languages as a result of international migration. This paper explores how statistical data from national and regional educational surveys can provide a more nuanced understanding of the linguistic realities in South Tyrol. The INVALSI educational survey, which is conducted throughout Italy to assess students’ performance in certain school subjects, also asks about the language they speak most of the time at home. Analysis of these figures reveals significant discrepancies between pupils’ reported home languages and the results of the language group census. The latest INVALSI figures show that less than 60 per cent of pupils report German as their main language at home and more than 10 per cent report a language other than German, Italian or Ladin. However, data from the educational surveys carried out by the school authorities in South Tyrol show that many pupils also live in a bilingual (German-Italian) home environment. Overall, the results of this paper offer a more detailed picture of the demolinguistic situation in South Tyrol and provide valuable insights for language policy decisions.