13.9% ▼ -20.3%
Lower than 71% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 17.4%
- 2016: 18.3%
- 2021: 13.9%
Share of people aged 15+ who did voluntary work for an organisation or group.
Cairns · Urban Centre
Community Participation in Cairns
How people contribute — volunteering, unpaid care and domestic work, and defence service.
Daily life in Cairns involves a mix of family responsibilities and a strong presence of former service members. While 13.9% of people volunteer, the area has a higher proportion of Defence Force veterans than most similar places. This blend of civic and military service shapes the way people contribute to their local community.
Participation
Volunteering for organisations and groups.
About 13.9% of residents volunteer, which is about the same as the Queensland and Australian figures. This is lower than most similar areas and represents a 3.5 percentage point drop since 2011.
Unpaid care & work
Caring for others and unpaid domestic work.
Providing unpaid care is less common here than in most areas, with only 10.3% of people doing so. This trend is mirrored in housework, where those doing 15 or more hours a week is a little below the national figure at 18.2%.
10.3% ▲ +12.3%
Lower than 81% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 9.1%
- 2016: 9.7%
- 2021: 10.3%
Share of people aged 15+ who provided unpaid assistance to someone with a disability or due to old age.
25.4% ▼ -11.1%
Higher than 56% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 28.5%
- 2016: 27.5%
- 2021: 25.4%
Share of people aged 15+ who provided unpaid child care.
18.2% ▼ -13.3%
Lower than 87% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 21.0%
- 2016: 19.1%
- 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.
A higher proportion of people in Cairns have served in the Defence Force compared to most other areas. At 4.2%, this is a little above the Australian average of 2.8%.
4.2%
Higher than 65% of urban centre 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/ucl/UCL303001/cairns/topic/community