# Community Participation — Ipswich

How people contribute — volunteering, unpaid care and domestic work, and defence service.

Area: Ipswich (Region (SA4))

Nearly 30% of people in Ipswich provide unpaid childcare, which is much higher than most similar areas. This strong focus on family care stands out in a community where volunteering has declined and defence service is more common than the national average.

Volunteering has dropped since 2011, with 11.7% of residents now giving their time. This is a little below the figures for both Queensland and Australia.

Almost 30% of residents provide unpaid childcare, which is higher than the national figure of 26.3%. Meanwhile, 12.0% provide other forms of unpaid care, a figure that has risen slightly since 2011.

Five per cent of people in Ipswich have served in the Defence Force. This is among the highest rates for similar areas and is a little above the national average of 2.8%.

## Statistics

| Statistic | Value | Change since |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Volunteers | 11.7% | -32.4% since 2011 |
| People providing unpaid care | 12.0% | +10.3% since 2011 |
| People caring for children unpaid | 29.2% | -6.7% since 2011 |
| People who served in the Defence Force | 5.0% | — |
| People doing 15+ hours of unpaid housework | 20.6% | -11.1% since 2011 |

Interactive: https://censusatlas.au/region/sa4/310/ipswich/topic/community