Feeling part of a local community
Over 1 in 4 veterans
(27%) did not feel part of their local community. This was similar to those who had never served in the ADF (26%).
Over half of veterans in psychological distress
(51%) did not feel part of their local community. This was higher than those who had never served in the ADF (39%).
Veterans in poor general health
were more likely to not feel part of their local community (39%) than those in good general health (24%). This was similar to people who had never served in the ADF (39% and 24%).
How did we measure whether veterans felt part of their local community?
As part of the HILDA continuing person and new person questionnaires, respondents were asked their level of satisfaction with feeling part of their local community. Responses were captured on a scale 0 (totally dissatisfied) to 10 (totally satisfied).
In this web report, satisfaction scores of 0 to 5 have been described as persons who do not feel part of their local community. Scores of 6 and 7 indicate persons who feel somewhat part of their local community, and scores of 8, 9 and 10 indicate persons who felt part of their local community.
On this page, only the proportions of people who do not feel part of their local community (that is, respondents with scores of 0 to 5 for this survey question) are reported.
Comparing to people who have never served in the ADF
Overall, analysis of self-reported data from Wave 21 of HILDA indicated that people who had ever served in the ADF (herein referred to as ‘veterans’) did not feel part of their local community at a similar rate to people who had never served in the ADF (27% compared with 26%, respectively).
Veterans living in Victoria were at lower risk of not feeling part of their local community than people who had never served in the ADF (17% compared with 27%, respectively).
Some subgroups of veterans were at heightened risk of not feeling part of their local community than people who had never served in the ADF from the same subgroups. This includes veterans who were:
- aged 45 to 64 (35%, compared with 25% of people who had never served in the ADF)
- in high to very high psychological distress (51%, compared with 39% of people who had never served in the ADF).
Comparing between subgroups of veterans
Some subgroups of veterans were also at higher risk of not feeling part of their local community than others. This included veterans who were:
- aged 45 to 64 (35%, compared with 20% of veterans aged 65 years and older)22
- in poor general health (39%, compared with 24% of veterans in good general health)23
- in high to very high psychological distress (51%, compared with 22% of veterans who were in low to moderate psychological distress)24
- with disability (33%, compared with 21% of veterans without disability)25
- living alone (35%, compared with 22% of veterans living in a couple household without children)26 (Figure 11).
Figure 11: Rates of not feeling part of their local community, by individual characteristics and ADF service status, 2021–22
The bar chart shows rates of people not feeling part of their local community. Findings show that veterans aged 45 to 64, and veterans in high or very high psychological distress, were more likely to not feel part of their local community than the same subgroups in the broader Australian population.
Why did we measure whether veterans feel part of their local community?
A sense of community belonging describes the degree to which individuals feel connected to their local community and their place within it. There are several factors that influence community belonging, including physical and mental health, sex, age, income, physical activity, and health risk factors such as smoking, obesity, and alcohol consumption (Michalski et al. 2020). Communities and neighbourhoods that are socially cohesive, promote physical and psychological wellbeing, and that protect the natural environment are considered beneficial to an individual’s health and welfare (AIHW 2018). Feeling part of a local community can also be associated with increased perceived social support, and decreased levels of loneliness (McNamara et al. 2021).
Community belonging likely plays an important role in shaping veteran health and wellbeing. International research indicates that just over half (56%) of ex-serving veterans report a somewhat strong or very strong sense of community belonging, which in turn is associated with fewer challenges when transitioning to civilian life (Lee et al. 2023). Other research has found that Reservists who feel a greater sense of belonging to their local community report higher levels of overall wellbeing, partially due to higher perceived social support and enhanced resilience (Pickering and Lam 2020). These established links to wellbeing and social connectedness highlight the importance of exploring the degree to which Australian veterans feel part of their local community, and whether this differs by service or individual characteristics.
22 A similar result was found among people who had never served in the ADF (25% of those aged 45 to 64 compared with 20% of those aged 65 years and older).
23 A similar result was found among people who had never served in the ADF (42% of those in poor general health compared with 24% of those in good general health).
24 A similar result was found among people who had never served in the ADF (39% of those in high to very high psychological distress compared with 22% of those in low to moderate psychological distress).
25 A similar result was found among people who had never served in the ADF (32% of those with disability compared with 24% of those without disability).
26 A similar result was found among people who had never served in the ADF (31% of those living alone compared with 22% of those living in a couple household without children).
AIHW (2018) A profile of Australia’s veterans, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 5 June 2023.
Lee JEC, Pearce K and Thapa S (2023) ‘Psychosocial factors and military-to-civilian transition challenges: A dyadic analysis of Veterans and their spouses’, Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health 9(3), doi: 10.3138/jmvfh-2022-0015.
McNamara N, Stevenson C, Costa S, Bowe M, Wakefield J, Kellezi B, Wilson I, Halder M and Mair E (2021) ‘Community identification, social support, and loneliness: The benefits of social identification for personal well-being’, British Journal of Social Psychology, 60(4), 1379-1402, doi: 10.1111/bjso.12456.
Michalski, C. A., et al. (2020) ‘Relationship between sense of community belonging and self-rated health across life stages’. SSM - Population Health, 12:100676, doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2020.100676.
Pickering DI and Lam TK (2020) ‘Exploring the relationship between sense of belonging and perceived well-being in Canadian Army reservists’ Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 6(S3), 10-20, doi: 10.3138/jmvfh-2019-0048.