Social participation

Population groups

• Indigenous status

  Does social participation of people with disability vary for First Nations people and non-Indigenous Australians?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (aged 15 and over) who participated in social activities, by Indigenous status. In 2022, 65% of First Nations people with disability and 72% of non-Indigenous people with disability participated in social activities.

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  Indigenous status	% of people with disability who participate in social activities	95% Confidence Interval
  First Nations	65%	(55.3%–73.7%)
  Non-Indigenous	72%	(69.9%–73.4%)
  All persons	71%	(69.6%–73.1%)

  Notes

  1. Restricted to people with disability aged 15 and over living in households.
  2. Data source original sample did not include very remote areas.
  3. A small number of respondents have Indigenous status recorded as 'Not stated'. These people are not reported on separately, but are included in the aggregated total.

  Source: DSS (Department of Social Services) and MIAESR (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research) 2023. The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, GENERAL RELEASE 22 (Waves 1-22) [data set], https://doi.org/10.26193/R4IN30, ADA Dataverse, V7, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata, accessed 3 July 2024.

  Source: Department of Social Services – Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey | Data source overview
  

• Sex and gender

  Does social participation of people with disability vary by sex?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (aged 15 and over) who participated in social activities, for males and females. In 2022, 69% of males with disability and 73% of females with disability participated in social activities.

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  Sex	% of people with disability who participate in social activities	95% Confidence Interval
  Males	69%	(66.2%–72.2%)
  Females	73%	(71.0%–75.5%)
  All persons	71%	(69.6%–73.1%)

  Note Restricted to people with disability aged 15 and over living in households.

  Source: DSS (Department of Social Services) and MIAESR (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research) 2023. The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, GENERAL RELEASE 22 (Waves 1-22) [data set], https://doi.org/10.26193/R4IN30, ADA Dataverse, V7, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata, accessed 3 July 2024.

  Source: Department of Social Services – Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey | Data source overview
  

• Age group

  Does social participation of people with disability vary by age?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (aged 15 and over) who participated in social activities, grouped by age. In 2022, 74% of people with disability aged 65 and over had participated in social activities, compared with 69% for the 15–24 age group.

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  Age group	% of people with disability who participate in social activities	95% Confidence Interval
  15–24	69%	(62.1%–76.1%)
  25–44	70%	(65.8%–74.2%)
  45–64	70%	(66.3%–73.0%)
  65 and over	74%	(71.7%–76.8%)
  All ages	71%	(69.6%–73.1%)

  Note Restricted to people with disability aged 15 and over living in households.

  Source: DSS (Department of Social Services) and MIAESR (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research) 2023. The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, GENERAL RELEASE 22 (Waves 1-22) [data set], https://doi.org/10.26193/R4IN30, ADA Dataverse, V7, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata, accessed 3 July 2024.

  Source: Department of Social Services – Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey | Data source overview
  

• Cultural and linguistic diversity status

  Does social participation of people with disability vary by cultural and linguistic diversity background?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (aged 15 and over) who participated in social activities, by culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) status. In 2022, 77% of people from CALD backgrounds with disability participated in social activities, compared with 70% among the non-CALD group.

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  Cultural and linguistic diversity status	% of people with disability who participate in social activities	95% Confidence Interval
  CALD	77%	(72.5%–82.1%)
  CALD – low English proficiency	#68%	(51.9%–85.1%)
  CALD – high English proficiency	78%	(73.4%–83.4%)
  Non-CALD	70%	(68.1%–72.2%)
  All persons	71%	(69.6%–73.1%)

  Notes

  • # Should be used with caution: proportion has a Margin of Error (MoE) >10 percentage points and/or proportion ± MoE equals <0% or >100%.

  1. Restricted to people with disability aged 15 and over living in households.
  2. Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) cohort includes people not born in a main English-speaking country and/or who speak a language other than English at home.
  3. English proficiency is reported for people in the CALD cohort only. Low English proficiency group includes people who speak a language other than English at home and say they speak English 'not well' or 'not at all'. High English proficiency group includes people who only speak English at home, and those who speak a language other than English at home and say they speak English 'well' or 'very well'.

  Source: DSS (Department of Social Services) and MIAESR (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research) 2023. The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, GENERAL RELEASE 22 (Waves 1-22) [data set], https://doi.org/10.26193/R4IN30, ADA Dataverse, V7, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata, accessed 3 July 2024.

  # Should be used with caution: proportion has a Margin of Error (MoE) >10 percentage points and/or proportion ± MoE equals <0% or >100%.

  Source: Department of Social Services – Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey | Data source overview
  

• Remoteness

  Does social participation of people with disability vary by remoteness?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (aged 15 and over) who participated in social activities, grouped by remoteness. In 2022, 73% of people with disability living in outer regional, remote and very remote had participated in social activities, compared with 70% of people with disability in inner regional areas.

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  Remoteness	% of people with disability who participate in social activities	95% Confidence Interval
  Major cities	72%	(69.5%–73.7%)
  Inner regional	70%	(66.5%–73.4%)
  Outer regional, remote and very remote	73%	(66.4%–78.9%)
  All areas	71%	(69.6%–73.1%)

  Notes

  1. Restricted to people with disability aged 15 and over living in households.
  2. Remoteness is classified according to Accessibility and Remoteness Index of Australia. Data source original sample did not include very remote areas.
  3. Remoteness information is missing for a small number of respondents. These people are not reported on separately, but are included in the aggregated total.

  Source: DSS (Department of Social Services) and MIAESR (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research) 2023. The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, GENERAL RELEASE 22 (Waves 1-22) [data set], https://doi.org/10.26193/R4IN30, ADA Dataverse, V7, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata, accessed 3 July 2024.

  Source: Department of Social Services – Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey | Data source overview
  

• Disability group

  Does social participation of people with disability vary by disability group?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (aged 15 and over) who participated in social activities, by disability group. In 2022, 71% of people with sensory or speech disability had participated in social activities, compared with 63% of people with intellectual disability.

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  Disability group	% of people with disability who participate in social activities	95% Confidence Interval
  Sensory and speech	71%	(66.5%–75.2%)
  Intellectual	63%	(54.5%–72.0%)
  Physical restriction	70%	(67.4%–71.8%)
  Psychosocial	66%	(62.1%–69.2%)
  Head injury, stroke or acquired brain injury	#60%	(48.8%–70.6%)
  Other	71%	(69.0%–73.2%)
  All with disability	71%	(69.6%–73.1%)

  Notes

  • # Should be used with caution: proportion has a Margin of Error (MoE) >10 percentage points and/or proportion ± MoE equals <0% or >100%.

  1. Restricted to people with disability aged 15 and over living in households.
  2. Components will not add to total as people may report impairments related to more than one disability group. In such cases, people are counted separately for each disability group but are only counted once in the aggregated total.
  3. Total includes people who did not know or refused to disclose their disability group.

  Source: DSS (Department of Social Services) and MIAESR (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research) 2023. The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, GENERAL RELEASE 22 (Waves 1-22) [data set], https://doi.org/10.26193/R4IN30, ADA Dataverse, V7, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata, accessed 3 July 2024.

  # Should be used with caution: proportion has a Margin of Error (MoE) >10 percentage points and/or proportion ± MoE equals <0% or >100%.

  Source: Department of Social Services – Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey | Data source overview
  

• Severity of disability

  Does social participation of people with disability vary by severity of disability?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (aged 15 and over) who participated in social activities, grouped by disability severity. In 2022, 65% of people with severe or profound disability participated in social activities, compared with 71% for people with other disability status.

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  Severity of disability	% of people with disability who participate in social activities	95% Confidence Interval
  Severe or profound disability	65%	(59.5%–71.0%)
  Other disability status	71%	(69.3%–73.6%)
  Not stated	73%	(69.7%–76.6%)
  All with disability	71%	(69.6%–73.1%)

  Notes

  1. Restricted to people with disability aged 15 and over living in households.
  2. Severe or profound disability means always or sometimes needing assistance or supervision with self-care, mobility, and/or communication. 'Other disability status' group includes people with known disability status that is not severe or profound.
  3. Severity of disability was not collected in 2022, therefore data based on HILDA 2021 were used as a proxy. People who did not respond in 2021, did not have disability in 2021, or were aged under 15 years in 2021 are included in the 'Not stated' group.

  Source: DSS (Department of Social Services) and MIAESR (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research) 2023. The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, GENERAL RELEASE 22 (Waves 1-22) [data set], https://doi.org/10.26193/R4IN30, ADA Dataverse, V7, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata, accessed 3 July 2024.

  Source: Department of Social Services – Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey | Data source overview
  

• Education

  Does social participation of people with disability vary by education level?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (aged 15 and over) who participated in social activities, by highest level of education. In 2022, 82% of people with disability who completed a bachelor degree or higher participated in social activities, compared with 64% for people who completed Year 11 and below.

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  Education	% of people with disability who participate in social activities	95% Confidence Interval
  Year 11 and below	64%	(60.3%–68.5%)
  Year 12	67%	(63.2%–71.7%)
  Certificate III/IV or Diploma	72%	(68.7%–74.6%)
  Bachelor Degree or higher	82%	(78.8%–85.8%)
  All persons	71%	(69.6%–73.1%)

  Notes

  1. Restricted to people with disability aged 15 and over living in households.
  2. A small number of respondents have education level recorded as 'Not stated'. These people are not reported on separately, but are included in the aggregated total.

  Source: DSS (Department of Social Services) and MIAESR (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research) 2023. The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, GENERAL RELEASE 22 (Waves 1-22) [data set], https://doi.org/10.26193/R4IN30, ADA Dataverse, V7, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata, accessed 3 July 2024.

  Source: Department of Social Services – Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey | Data source overview
  

• Employment status

  Does social participation of people with disability vary by employment status?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (aged 15 and over) who participated in social activities, grouped by employment status. In 2022, 75% of people with disability who were employed participated in social activities, compared with 69% for people who were not in the labour force.

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  Employment status	% of people with disability who participate in social activities	95% Confidence Interval
  Employed	75%	(72.0%–77.5%)
  Unemployed	74%	(63.9%–83.9%)
  Not in the labour force	69%	(66.3%–71.2%)
  All persons	71%	(69.6%–73.1%)

  Note Restricted to people with disability aged 15 and over living in households.

  Source: DSS (Department of Social Services) and MIAESR (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research) 2023. The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, GENERAL RELEASE 22 (Waves 1-22) [data set], https://doi.org/10.26193/R4IN30, ADA Dataverse, V7, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata, accessed 3 July 2024.

  Source: Department of Social Services – Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey | Data source overview
  

• Family composition

  Does social participation of people with disability vary by family composition?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (aged 15 and over) who participated in social activities, by household or family composition. In 2022, 76% of people with disability who lived in both a couple family household without children and a couple family household with children aged under 15 participated in social activities, compared with 59% for people who lived in a lone parent household with children aged 15 and over only.

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  Family composition	% of people with disability who participate in social activities	95% Confidence Interval
  Lone person	68%	(64.4%–71.5%)
  Couple family without children	76%	(73.4%–78.7%)
  Couple family with children under 15	76%	(71.0%–81.7%)
  Couple family with children 15 and over only	71%	(66.6%–76.4%)
  Lone parent family with children under 15	#69%	(58.2%–79.0%)
  Lone parent family with children 15 and over only	59%	(52.5%–66.3%)
  Other household composition	68%	(59.5%–76.4%)
  All persons	71%	(69.6%–73.1%)

  Notes

  • # Should be used with caution: proportion has a Margin of Error (MoE) >10 percentage points and/or proportion ± MoE equals <0% or >100%.

  1. Restricted to people with disability aged 15 and over living in households.

  Source: DSS (Department of Social Services) and MIAESR (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research) 2023. The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, GENERAL RELEASE 22 (Waves 1-22) [data set], https://doi.org/10.26193/R4IN30, ADA Dataverse, V7, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata, accessed 3 July 2024.

  # Should be used with caution: proportion has a Margin of Error (MoE) >10 percentage points and/or proportion ± MoE equals <0% or >100%.

  Source: Department of Social Services – Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey | Data source overview
  

• Sexual orientation

  Does social participation of people with disability vary by sexual orientation?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (aged 15 and over) who participated in social activities, grouped by sexual orientation. In 2022, 72% of people with disability whose sexual orientation was straight (heterosexual) participated in social activities, compared with 69% for people whose sexual orientation was gay, lesbian, bisexual, or other.

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  Sexual orientation	% of people with disability who participate in social activities	95% Confidence Interval
  Straight (heterosexual)	72%	(70.0%–73.6%)
  Gay, lesbian, bisexual, or different term	69%	(59.1%–79.1%)
  Not stated	69%	(64.6%–74.3%)
  All persons	71%	(69.6%–73.1%)

  Notes

  1. Restricted to people with disability aged 15 and over living in households.
  2. Sexual orientation was not collected in 2022, therefore data based on HILDA 2020, 2016, and 2012 were used as a proxy. People who were unsure or refused to disclose their sexual orientation, and those who did not respond in any of these years (including due to age) are included in the 'Not stated' group.

  Source: DSS (Department of Social Services) and MIAESR (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research) 2023. The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, GENERAL RELEASE 22 (Waves 1-22) [data set], https://doi.org/10.26193/R4IN30, ADA Dataverse, V7, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata, accessed 3 July 2024.

  Source: Department of Social Services – Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey | Data source overview
  

• Disability status

  Does social participation vary by a person's disability status?

  The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (aged 15 and over) who participated in social activities, compared with people without disability. In 2022, 71% of people with disability participated in social activities, compared with 80% of people without disability.

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  Disability status	% of people who participate in social activities	95% Confidence Interval
  With disability	71%	(69.6%–73.1%)
  Without disability	80%	(78.3%–81.0%)

  Note Restricted to people aged 15 and over living in households.

  Source: DSS (Department of Social Services) and MIAESR (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research) 2023. The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey, GENERAL RELEASE 22 (Waves 1-22) [data set], https://doi.org/10.26193/R4IN30, ADA Dataverse, V7, AIHW analysis of detailed microdata, accessed 3 July 2024.

  Source: Department of Social Services – Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey | Data source overview