Policy Priority: Social inclusion and participation
People with disability want to connect with their communities and participate in social, recreational, sporting, religious and cultural events.
The “Social inclusion and participation” policy priority aims to support people with disability to take part in social and community activities they enjoy. There are 2 measures under this policy priority:
The updated measures are discussed below.
Measure: NDIS participants pursuing interests
Full name – Proportion of NDIS participants aged 15 to 64 who spend free time doing activities that interest them
Recreational activities are an important part of life for many people, enjoyed alone or with support from friends, family and the community. Such activities can help people with disability to be independent and participate in work and social activities (NDIS 2025).
This measure aims to look at the percentage of NDIS participants who spend their free time doing activities that interest them. For more information, see Data Dictionary: NDIS participants pursuing interests.
NDIS participants pursuing interests
Latest update: 66.0% (2024–25 Q3)
Baseline: 65.5% (2021–22 Q2)
Progress status: Improving
In the latest quarter (2024–25 Q3):
- the 15–24 age group was more likely to spent free time doing activities that interest them (76%) compared with the 45–64 age group (59%)
- of the disability groups, 86% of NDIS participants with Down syndrome spent their free time doing activities that interest them, compared with 47% of NDIS participants in the Psychosocial disability group.
Figure 3.2: Proportion of NDIS participants aged 15–64 who spend free time doing activities that interest them, 2021–22 Q2 to 2024–25 Q3
The data in the graph and the table below show the proportion of NDIS participants (aged 15–64) who spend free time doing activities that interest them. Data from 2021–22 Q2 to 2024–25 Q3 are used. In 2024–25 Q3, 66.0% of NDIS participants spent free time doing activities that interest them, compared with 65.5% in 2021–22 Q2.
Additional trend data can be found in the downloadable tables.
Percentages in the report are generally rounded to whole numbers except for those less than 10% which are rounded to 1 decimal place. Exceptions include for the reporting on latest results, where rounding to whole numbers would obscure differences between the baseline and the latest results.
| Quarter | Proportion (%) |
|---|---|
| 2021–22: Q2 | 65.5% |
| 2021–22: Q3 | 65.3% |
| 2021–22: Q4 | 65.1% |
| 2022–23: Q1 | 64.8% |
| 2022–23: Q2 | 64.6% |
| 2022–23: Q3 | 64.4% |
| 2022–23: Q4 | 64.3% |
| 2023–24: Q1 | 64.1% |
| 2023–24: Q2 | 64.1% |
| 2023–24: Q3 | 64.7% |
| 2023–24: Q4 | 65.2% |
| 2024–25: Q1 | 65.4% |
| 2024–25: Q2 | 65.8% |
| 2024–25: Q3 | 66.0% |
Notes:
- Denominator includes participants who answer either 'Yes' or 'No' to 'Do you spend your free time doing activities that interest you?'.
- Numerator includes participants who answer 'Yes' to 'Do you spend your free time doing activities that interest you?'.
- To be eligible for the NDIS, a person must meet the disability requirements or the early intervention requirements. Disability requirements include that the disability is caused by an impairment, is likely to be permanent and significantly impacts the individual's ability to perform everyday activities and is likely to need NDIS support for life. Early intervention requirements are that the individual has an impairment that is likely to be permanent or are a child younger than 9 with development delay and that early intervention supports are likely to reduce their future support needs and be of benefit to the individual.
- Time series analysis for the NDIS data presented here is different from the longitudinal approach taken in NDIS reporting. See Data sources | National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) for more details.
- Data are for participants aged 15–64.
Source: National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) Business Systems.
Source:
NDIA Business Systems.
|
Data source overview
For figure notes, see Appendix B: Figure notes and sources.
Measure: Social participation
Participation in society is essential for better health and wellbeing outcomes, as social isolation and loneliness can be harmful to both mental and physical health (AIHW 2024). People with disability may face various barriers to participation in society, including discrimination. This may lead to lower social participation rates, as well as greater risk of isolation and loneliness than experienced by those without disability (AIHW 2024). For more information, see Data Dictionary: Social participation.
The measure looks at the percentage of people with disability who participated in social activities (were an active member of club or association, or participated in community, political, religious, activism, or nonprofit activities).
Social participation
Latest update: 71% (2022)
Baseline: 75% (2018)
Progress status: Regress
In 2022, participation in social activities varied by characteristics of people with disability:
- 73% of females and 69% of males participated in social activities
- 74% of those aged 65 and over, 70% of those aged 25–44 or 45–64, and 69% of those aged 15–24 participated
- 78% of people from CALD backgrounds with high English proficiency participated compared with 70% of people from non-CALD backgrounds
- 82% of those with bachelor’s degree or higher participated compared with 64% of those with Year 11 and below.
Figure 3.3: Proportion of people with disability (aged 15 and over) who participated in social activities (were an active member of club or association, or participated in community, political, religious, activism, or nonprofit activities), 2006 to 2022
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 (were an active member of club or association, or participated in community, political, religious, activism, or nonprofit activities). Data from 2006 to 2022 are used. In 2022, 71% of people with disability participated in social activities, as did 78% in 2006.
| Year | % of people with disability who participate in social activities | 95% Confidence Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 78% | (75.6%–80.9%) |
| 2010 | 78% | (75.5%–80.3%) |
| 2014 | 77% | (76.0%–78.9%) |
| 2018 | 75% | (73.2%–77.2%) |
| 2022 | 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
For figure notes, see Appendix B: Figure notes and sources.
AIHW (2024) ‘Social inclusion and community support’, People with disability in Australia, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 08 October 2025.
AIHW (2025) Housing assistance in Australia, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 8 October 2025.
NDIS (2025) Our Guidelines, NDIA, Australian Government, accessed 8 October 2025.
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