Social inclusion and participation

People with disability should be supported to live more connected lives in their communities. This includes being able to fully participate in social, recreational, sporting, religious and cultural life. Ensuring accessibility in relation to physical and sensory needs as well as easily accessible information about community services, events and facilities helps to create an inclusive community (Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031).

NDIS participants pursuing interests

Recreational activities are an important part of life for many people, enjoyed independently or with support from friends, family and the community. Such activities can support people with disability to achieve independence, and social and economic participation (NDIS 2022).

Data for this measure are collected as part of the NDIS Short Form questionnaire. Data include NDIS participants who answered ‘Yes’ to the question ‘Do you spend your free time doing activities that interest you?’

The desired key system outcome for this measure is that community organisations are accessible to people with disability.

System measure: Proportion of NDIS participants who spend free time doing activities that interest them

Desired outcome: Increase in the proportion

Data source: NDIA – Business Systems

This measure will be replaced in the future when available data are improved. During the life of the Strategy, this measure will be replaced by ‘Number of community, political, social, recreational, sporting, religious and cultural groups that have active inclusion policies for people with disability’.

Results at baseline: 2021–22 Q2

  • In 2021–22 Q2, two-thirds (66%) of NDIS participants aged 15–64 reported that they spend their free time doing activities that interest them. This was 4 percentage points lower than in 2018–19 Q2 (70%).
  • The overall trend for the period leading up to and including the baseline (2018–19 Q2 to 2021–22 Q2) was unfavourable, trending downward. Fitting a regression model to the data shows a modelled decrease of 0.4 of a percentage point per quarter and a modelled decrease of 6.9% over the reference period.
  • In 2021–22 Q2, a higher proportion of male than female participants reported that they spend their free time doing activities that interest them (69% and 62%, respectively).
  • A greater proportion of NDIS participants aged 15–24 reported that they spend their free time doing activities that interest them (76%) than NDIS participants aged 25–64 (62%).

Latest results: 2021–22 Q3 and Q4

  • In 2021–22 Q4, fewer than 2 in 3 (65.1%) of NDIS participants aged 15–64 reported spending their free time doing activities that interested them. This was a decrease of 0.4 of a percentage point since baseline (2021–22 Q2) (65.5%), indicating no change since the Strategy began (Figure 3.4).
  • There was a decrease of 0.2 of a percentage point in both post-baseline quarters 2021–22 Q3 and 2021–22 Q4, slightly larger than those seen in quarters 2021–22 Q1 and 2021–22 Q2 (0.1 of a percentage point).
  • The observed decreases in 2021–22 Q3 and 2021–22 Q4 were smaller than the modelled quarterly decrease (0.4 of a percentage point) over the period 2018–19 Q2 to 2021–22 Q4.

Things to consider when interpreting results

  • Time series analysis for the NDIS data presented here provides a series of data points each representing a snapshot of NDIS participants at a given point in time. This is different from the longitudinal approach taken in NDIS reporting.

Latest results: 65.1% (2021–22 Q4)

Baseline: 65.5% (2021–22 Q2)

Progress status (preliminary): No change

Figure 3.4: Proportion of NDIS participants aged 15–64 who spend free time doing activities that interest them, 2018–19 Q2 to 2021–22 Q4

These data show the proportion of NDIS participants (aged 15–64) who spend free time doing activities that interest them. Data from 2018–19 Q2 to 2021–22 Q4 are used. In 2021–22 Q4, 65.1% of NDIS participants spent free time doing activities that interest them, compared with 70.2% in 2018–19 Q2.

Source: National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) – Business Systems | Data source overview

For the latest data and breakdowns of the data, see Australia’s Disability Strategy Outcomes Framework | NDIS participants pursuing interests.

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 2022).

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 2022).

This measure is intended to track the proportion of people with disability who have been actively involved in community, cultural or religious groups in the past 12 months or taken part in an activity they organised. Due to the nature of the available data, the measure is reported here as:

  • proportion of people with disability who participated in community or social activities in the past 12 months.

For the purposes of this measure, community or social activities include cultural, sport or social activities.

The desired population outcome for this measure is to see increased social inclusion and participation for people with disability.

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

Desired outcome: Increase in the proportion

Data source: ABS SDAC

Results at baseline: 2018

  • In 2018, 95% of people with disability, aged 5 and over, reported that they had participated in community or social activities in the past 12 months.
  • Participation in community and social activities by people with disability has remained consistently high across the reference period, with very little difference between 2012 (95%), 2015 (96%) and 2018 (95%) (Figure 3.5).
  • Participation in community and social activities did not differ between males with disability (95%) and females with disability (95%).
  • Those aged 5–24 reported a slightly higher proportion of involvement in activities (97%) than the older age groups 45–64 (years) (95%) and 65 years and over (94%).
  • Participation in community or social activities varied depending on the severity of disability. People with severe or profound disability were less likely to have participated in such activities (90%) than people with other disability (97%).

Latest results

Updated data are not yet available for this measure. New data from the 2022 ABS SDAC are expected to be available in the first half of 2024 and included in the 2024 annual report.

Things to consider when interpreting results

  • The measure does not include people with disability who are not living in households or who do not leave their home at all.
  • Participation in activities is collected for activities away from home only.

Figure 3.5: Proportion of people with disability aged 5 and over who participated in community or social activities in the past 12 months, 2012, 2015 and 2018

These data 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, 95.1% 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

For the latest data and breakdowns of the data, see Australia’s Disability Strategy Outcomes Framework | Social participation.

References

AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) (2022) ‘Social inclusion’, People with disability in Australia, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 14 September 2022.

Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021–2031 (2021), Department of Social Services, Australian Government, accessed 2 August 2022.

NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) (2022), What do we mean by social and recreational support?, NDIS website, Australian Government, accessed 14 September 2022.

Previous page Housing accessibility
Next page Built and natural environment accessibility