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4409.3 - Ageing Well, Queensland, 2005  
Latest ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 26/07/2005   
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Contents >> Family and Community Life

One of the major aspects of life that contribute to wellbeing is support and nurture within families and households. Members of a household form a core community of support and therefore data on living arrangements can add to an understanding of the level of support available to individuals of different ages.

Living Arrangements
The 2001 Census of Population and Housing provides information on relationships within the households of usual residents who were at home on census night.

A large majority (83%) of Queensland's 3,360,000 usual residents at home on census night lived in family households. A smaller proportion (73%) of persons aged 50 years and over lived in family households and this age group were more likely than younger persons to be living in a lone person household (19%) or a non-private dwelling (3.5%).

Persons aged 50 years and over were more likely to live in a couple family without children (48%) than in a couple family with children (19%). Usually, these persons were a husband, wife or partner. The most common other relationship in couple families was where they were the father or mother of the family/household reference person, with 10,600 persons aged 50 and over in this situation.

Persons aged 50 years and over were less likely (5.6%) than younger persons (14%) to be living in a one parent family. Of the 52,000 persons 50 years and over who were, 79% were the lone parent. A further 11% were a non-dependent child and 7.8% were a parent of the family/household reference person.

Persons aged 65 years and over were the least likely to live in family households (63%) especially couple families with children (7.6%). They were however most likely to live in lone person households (27%) and non-private dwellings (7%).

      TABLE 4.1 LIVING ARRANGEMENTS BY AGE, Relationship to family/household reference person - Queensland
      0-34 years
      35-49 years
      50-64 years
      65 years and over
      50 years and over
      Total
      '000
      Family households
      1,453.2
      636.8
      436.1
      244.8
      680.9
      2,770.9
      Couple family with children
      1,013.8
      449.5
      147.6
      29.7
      177.3
      1,640.5
      Husband, wife or partner
      207.4
      438.7
      144.2
      24.3
      168.5
      814.6
      Lone parent
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      Non-dependent child
      114.0
      9.3
      1.1
      0.0
      1.2
      124.5
      Brother/sister
      2.3
      0.9
      0.3
      0.1
      0.4
      3.6
      Father/mother
      0.0
      0.3
      1.8
      4.8
      6.6
      6.9
      Grandfather/grandmother
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.2
      0.2
      0.2
      Other related individual(a)
      690.1
      0.3
      0.2
      0.3
      0.4
      690.8
      Couple family without children
      147.9
      103.4
      252.3
      190.6
      442.9
      694.3
      Husband, wife or partner
      143.6
      102.6
      251.3
      186.7
      437.9
      684.2
      Lone parent
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      Non-dependent child
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      Brother/sister
      1.9
      0.4
      0.4
      0.3
      0.7
      3.0
      Father/mother
      0.0
      0.2
      0.6
      3.4
      4.0
      4.2
      Grandfather/grandmother
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.1
      0.1
      0.1
      Other related individual(a)
      2.4
      0.2
      0.1
      0.2
      0.3
      2.8
      One parent family
      269.8
      79.5
      32.6
      19.4
      52.0
      401.2
      Husband, wife or partner
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      Lone parent
      41.6
      67.0
      25.0
      16.2
      41.2
      149.9
      Non-dependent child
      40.4
      10.7
      5.4
      0.5
      5.9
      57.0
      Brother/sister
      2.0
      0.8
      0.3
      0.1
      0.4
      3.2
      Father/mother
      0.0
      0.6
      1.8
      2.2
      4.0
      4.6
      Grandfather/grandmother
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.1
      0.1
      0.1
      Other related individual(a)
      185.7
      0.4
      0.2
      0.1
      0.3
      186.4
      Other family
      21.8
      4.4
      3.6
      5.2
      8.7
      34.9
      Husband, wife or partner
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      Lone parent
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      Non-dependent child
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      Brother/sister
      16.4
      3.0
      2.3
      3.0
      5.2
      24.7
      Father/mother
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      0.0
      Grandfather/grandmother
      0.0
      0.0
      0.3
      1.2
      1.5
      1.5
      Other related individual(a)
      5.4
      1.4
      1.0
      0.9
      2.0
      8.7
      Unrelated individual living in family household
      24.5
      6.0
      2.7
      1.3
      4.0
      34.4
      Lone person household
      57.4
      61.9
      71.2
      105.0
      176.2
      295.5
      Group household
      89.1
      20.5
      13.5
      6.7
      20.2
      129.8
      Non-private dwelling
      25.3
      6.6
      5.0
      27.3
      32.3
      64.7
      Enumerated at home(b)
      1,684.1
      746.5
      537.4
      392.0
      929.4
      3,360.0
      Enumerated elsewhere in Australia
      76.2
      32.2
      32.5
      21.2
      53.7
      162.1
      Total usual residents
      1,760.3
      778.7
      569.9
      413.2
      983.1
      3,522.0
      (a) Includes grandchildren, children under 15 years, dependent students aged 15-24 years, cousin, uncle/aunt, nephew/niece and other related individuals n.e.c.
      (b) Includes not classifiable households, migratory and off-shore.

      Source: 2001 Census of Population and Housing.


Living arrangements only provide a general picture of the support available through family and community. Many Queenslanders provide informal child care and various other types of assistance to their family and members of their household.

More detailed information can be found in Ageing Well: Caring for others, Queensland.



Queenslanders are also providers of support to relatives outside their household and many volunteer for community and welfare organisations.
More detailed information can be found in Ageing Well: Caring for the community, Queensland .


As well as the core community of support available through family and friends, people may also find support within the wider community. Their level of social participation and interaction can therefore be an indicator of how much wider community support they have available to them.

More detailed information can be found in Ageing Well: Social participation, Queensland.


Return to Ageing Well, Queensland highlights page.


FURTHER INFORMATION

ABS Sources

Census Theme page
Family and Community Statistics Theme page

The data on this page were last updated on 21 July 2005.



This section contains the following subsection :
      Caring for the community
      Caring for Others
      Social participation

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