13.9% ▼ -39.0%
Lower than 70% of urban area areas.
- 2011: 22.8%
- 2016: 24.0%
- 2021: 13.9%
Share of people aged 15+ who did voluntary work for an organisation or group.
Cairns · Urban Area
Community Participation in Cairns
How people contribute — volunteering, unpaid care and domestic work, and defence service.
A higher-than-usual share of the Cairns population has served in the Defence Force, though overall community involvement has dipped recently. While 4.2% of residents are veterans, the proportion of people volunteering has dropped significantly over the last decade.
Participation
Volunteering for organisations and groups.
Volunteering in Cairns has fallen sharply from 22.8% in 2011 to 13.9% in 2021. This current figure is lower than most areas, though it remains about the same as the Queensland and national figures.
Unpaid care & work
Caring for others and unpaid domestic work.
Providing unpaid care is much less common here than in most areas, with only 10.3% of people doing so. The number of people spending 15 or more hours a week on unpaid housework is also much lower than most areas at 18.2%.
10.3% ▲ +57.4%
Lower than 87% of urban area areas.
- 2011: 6.5%
- 2016: 7.2%
- 2021: 10.3%
Share of people aged 15+ who provided unpaid assistance to someone with a disability or due to old age.
25.4% ▼ -28.1%
Lower than 55% of urban area areas.
- 2011: 35.3%
- 2016: 35.7%
- 2021: 25.4%
Share of people aged 15+ who provided unpaid child care.
18.2% ▼ -16.7%
Lower than 89% of urban area areas.
- 2011: 21.8%
- 2016: 21.9%
- 2021: 18.2%
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.
Cairns has a strong military connection, with 4.2% of people having served in the Defence Force. This is much higher than most similar areas and a little above the national figure of 2.8%.
4.2%
Higher than 79% of urban area 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 Cairns
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Community Participation in Cairns [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/sua/3004/cairns/topic/community