11.9% ▼ -23.8%
Lower than 77% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
- 2011: 15.6%
- 2016: 16.9%
- 2021: 11.9%
Share of people aged 15+ who did voluntary work for an organisation or group.
Lower Hunter · Sub-region (SA3)
Community Participation in Lower Hunter
How people contribute — volunteering, unpaid care and domestic work, and defence service.
Nearly 30% of people in Lower Hunter provide unpaid childcare, a figure well above both the state and national averages. While family and home care are common, formal volunteering is less frequent here than in other parts of the country. The region also has a higher proportion of Defence Force veterans than most similar areas.
Participation
Volunteering for organisations and groups.
Only 11.9% of people volunteer, which is much lower than most areas. This is a little below the national figure of 14.1% and represents a 3.7 percentage point drop since 2011.
Unpaid care & work
Caring for others and unpaid domestic work.
Unpaid care is common here, with 29.5% of people caring for children and 23.8% doing over 15 hours of housework weekly, both of which are much higher than most areas. Overall, 13.1% provide some form of unpaid care, a figure that has barely changed since 2011.
13.1% ▲ +6.0%
Higher than 68% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
- 2011: 12.4%
- 2016: 12.2%
- 2021: 13.1%
Share of people aged 15+ who provided unpaid assistance to someone with a disability or due to old age.
29.5% ▼ -6.8%
Higher than 80% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
- 2011: 31.7%
- 2016: 30.8%
- 2021: 29.5%
Share of people aged 15+ who provided unpaid child care.
23.8% ▼ -8.8%
Higher than 78% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
- 2011: 26.1%
- 2016: 24.7%
- 2021: 23.8%
Share of people aged 15+ who did 15 hours or more of unpaid domestic work in the week before the Census.
Defence service
People who served in the Australian Defence Force.
A higher proportion of people have served in the Defence Force here than in most other areas. At 3.8%, this is a little above the New South Wales figure of 2.3%.
3.8%
Higher than 74% of sub-region (sa3) areas.
Share of people aged 15+ who have ever served in the Australian Defence Force (currently or previously).
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Lower Hunter
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Community Participation in Lower Hunter [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sa3/10601/lower-hunter/topic/community