Social participation

What is being tracked?

Measure: Proportion of people with disability who participated in community or social activities in the past 12 months

The Strategy would like to see the following tracked – Proportion of people with disability actively involved in community, cultural, or religious groups in the past 12 months or have taken part in an activity they organised. Available data do not allow the exact measure listed by the Strategy to be tracked. Currently an alternative measure is reported.

This measure is part of the Social inclusion and participation priority of the Strategy. This priority is about supporting the inclusion of people with disability in their communities.

The desired outcome is that more people with disability people take part in community, cultural and religious groups.

Last updated:

Outcome area: Inclusive homes and communities Priority: Social inclusion and participation

  • Baseline value

    95%in 2018

  • Latest value

    95%in 2018

Status not known yet more data from after the Strategy started are needed

View the data source

Has social participation of people with disability increased over time?

The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (aged 5 and over) who participated in a cultural, sport or social activity away from home in the past 12 months. Data from 2012 to 2018 are used. In both 2012 and 2018, 95% of people with disability participated in a cultural, sport or social activity away from home.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview

State and territory

Does social participation of people with disability vary between states and territories?

The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of people with disability (aged 5 and over) who participated in a cultural, sport or social activity away from home in the past 12 months, grouped by Australian states and territories. In 2018, 96% of people with disability in Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania had participated in a cultural, sport or social activity away from home.

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

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview

Population groups

How this measure varies by…

  • 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 5 and over) who participated in a cultural, sport or social activity away from home in the past 12 months, by Indigenous status. In 2018, 91% of First Nations people with disability participated in a cultural, sport or social activity away from home, as did 95% of non-Indigenous people.

    Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview

  • 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 5 and over) who participated in a cultural, sport or social activity away from home in the past 12 months, for males and females. In 2018, 95% of both males and females with disability participated in a cultural, sport or social activity away from home.

    Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview

  • 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 5 and over) who participated in a cultural, sport or social activity away from home in the past 12 months, grouped by age. In 2018, 97% of people with disability aged 5–24 had participated in a cultural, sport or social activity away from home, compared with 94% for the 65 and over age group.

    Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview

  • 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 5 and over) who participated in a cultural, sport or social activity away from home in the past 12 months, by culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) status. In 2018, 93% of people from CALD backgrounds with disability participated in a cultural, sport or social activity away from home, as did 95% among the non-CALD group.

    Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview

  • 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 5 and over) who participated in a cultural, sport or social activity away from home in the past 12 months, grouped by remoteness. In 2018, 95% of people with disability living in major cities and inner regional areas had participated in a cultural, sport or social activity away from home, compared with 93% of people with disability in outer regional and remote areas.

    Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview

  • 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 5 and over) who participated in a cultural, sport or social activity away from home in the past 12 months, by disability group. In 2018, 96% of people with sensory and speech disability had participated in a cultural, sport or social activity away from home, compared with 92% of people with psychosocial disability and of those with head injury, stroke or acquired brain injury.

    Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview

  • 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 5 and over) who participated in a cultural, sport or social activity away from home in the past 12 months, grouped by disability severity. In 2018, the proportion of people with disability who participated in a cultural, sport or social activity away from home was 90% for people with severe or profound disability and 97% for people with other disability status.

    Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics – Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) | Data source overview

Where did these data come from?

Data on social participation come from survey data collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Learn more about these data
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