Dementia Awareness Survey

In 2023, more than 5,400 people aged 18 and over (refer to Table S1) completed the Dementia Awareness Survey (the survey) to understand general knowledge of dementia and dementia risk factors and community attitudes towards dementia and people living with dementia in Australia. 

The survey builds on previous Australian surveys of dementia knowledge and attitudes (Low & Anstey 2009; Talbot et al. 2021; Farrow 2008; Hosking et al. 2015; Nagel et al. 2021) and is the largest Australian survey undertaken on dementia knowledge and attitudes from a nationally representative sample of adults. Findings from the survey will inform:

• national policy priorities for the next 10 years under the National Dementia Action Plan
• the design and implementation of dementia awareness-raising initiatives and other relevant interventions aimed at
  • improving the community’s attitudes and knowledge of dementia
  • reducing dementia-related stigma and discrimination
  • reducing dementia risk
  • delaying dementia onset 
  • slowing down its progression

• baseline measures to monitor the National Dementia Action Plan (in development)
• dementia data improvements in Australia.

How was the survey done and reported?

The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care commissioned the AIHW to manage the Dementia Awareness Survey, and the AIHW commissioned the Social Research Centre to conduct the survey fieldwork. A Dementia Awareness Survey Reference Group comprising experts in dementia research and survey design supported the AIHW in the development of the survey. 

The questionnaire was generally completed online (98%) with a small proportion (2.5%) completing a telephone interview. The survey was available in 6 languages: English, traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, Arabic, Vietnamese, and Punjabi. 

For more information on the survey design and implementation, refer to the Technical notes.

The report presents estimates derived from survey responses weighted to the appropriate Australian population. Proportions are shown as percentages rounded to one decimal place. All differences reported in estimates across groups are statistically significant at the 95% level of confidence unless specified otherwise.