4431.0.55.002 - ABS Sources of Disability Information, 2012 - 2016  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 12/09/2018   
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COLLECTIONS WITH DISABILITY MEASURES

Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers 2015

Purpose of the collection

The purpose of the collection was to provide prevalence rates of different severity levels of disability for Australia, the underlying conditions and causes of disability, the needs of old people for assistance and extent to which need is met with different activities. It was also designed to provide characteristics of carers and the effect of the caring role on their lives, and information on the conditions and disabilities of people living in non-private dwellings.

Previous collections

1981, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2009, 2012

Output categories

Profound core-activity limitation
Severe core-activity limitation
Moderate core-activity limitation
Mild core-activity limitation
Schooling or employment restriction
Without specific limitations or restrictions
All with reported disability
Long-term health condition
No long-term health condition

Disability identification questions

166

Sample Size

Household component: - 63,515 persons
Cared accommodation component: - 11,696 persons

Geographic outputs

Australia, States and Territories (excludes discrete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities which are mostly in very remote areas)

Age scope

All ages

Dwelling scope

The scope of the 2015 SDAC was narrower than previous surveys which also enumerated:


    § people living in hotels, motels and short term caravan parks

    § people living in religious and educational institutions

    § people living in hostels for the homeless or night shelters

    § people living in staff quarters, guest houses, boarding houses or other long-term accommodation.


The reduction in scope, which represents less than 1% of total Australian population, was found to have little to no impact on the accuracy and data quality for key data items.

Number of people selected per household

Household component - all usual residents of private and non-private dwellings
Cared accommodation component – a sample of residents selected per selected cared accommodation establishment

Collection methodology

Household component:

    - a responsible adult identified carers, people with a disability and people 65 years and over
    - details collected via personal interview
    - self enumerated form for identified primary carers

Where possible, a personal interview was conducted with people identified in the above populations. Proxy interviews were conducted for:
        § children aged less than 15 years

        § those aged 15 to 17 years whose parent or guardian did not consent to them being personally interviewed

        § those incapable of answering for themselves due to illness, impairment, injury or language problems.

Cared accommodation component:
- questionnaires completed by a staff member for each selected occupant and mailed back

Response rate

Fully responding households (private dwellings) - 80%
Fully responding households (self-care retirement villages) 87.2%
Responding cared accommodation – 89.4%

What's special about the survey?

Large sample (75,211 people) provides precise disability national prevalence data.
Incorporates separate sample for residential health establishments which allows for comprehensive data on older people.
Detailed data on effects of disability, including information on carers.

Comparability with other disability measures

Can be compared with all other surveys – is the benchmark for all other ABS disability measures.
Not useful for comparing disability data between Indigenous and non-Indigenous population because of Very Remote Area exclusion.

2014 General Social Survey (GSS)

Purpose of collection

The survey was designed to enable the analysis of inter-relationships between social circumstances and outcomes on a State/Territory basis.

Previous collections with disability measures

2002, 2006, 2010

Output categories for disability status

Has profound core-activity limitation
Has severe core-activity limitation
Has moderate core-activity limitation
Has a mild core-activity limitation
Has a schooling/employment restriction only
Has no specific restriction
No disability or long-term health condition

Short Disability Module used?

Yes

Disability identification questions

14

Sample size

12,932 persons

Geographic outputs

Australia, States and Territories (excludes Very Remote Areas)

Age scope

15 years and above

Dwelling scope

Private dwellings only

Number of people selected per household

One usual resident

Collection Methodology

A responsible adult provided basic demographic details, details of relationships and household information
Personal interviews were conducted with one randomly selected person aged 15 years and over per household

Response rate

80.1%

What's special about the survey?

Sample allocation designed to provide reliable State/ Territory estimates

The core GSS topics cover a wide range of areas of wellbeing, allowing studies of multiple disadvantage.
A cyclical component is also included to collect additional information on emerging or important topics of social concern. The cyclical component of the 2014 GSS included an expanded section on voluntary work.

Comparability with other disability measures

GSS is used to make comparison with Indigenous surveys to calculate differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous.

2013-14 Survey of Income and Housing (SIH)

Purpose of collection

The survey was designed to provide detailed estimates of household income and wealth collected from individual households. The SIH estimates are used to analyse the distribution of economic resources across the population and to compare the financial resources available to various population subgroups.

Previous collections with disability measures

The SIH is conducted biennially and enumerated over a 12 month period

Output categories for disability status

Has profound core-activity limitation
Has severe core-activity limitation
Has moderate core-activity limitation
Has a mild core-activity limitation
Has a schooling/employment restriction only
Has no specific restriction
No disability or long-term health condition

Short Disability Module used?

Yes

Disability identification questions

14

Sample size

27,339 persons

Geographic outputs

Collected information by personal interview from usual residents of private dwellings in urban and rural areas of Australia (excluding Very Remote areas).

Age scope

15 years and above

Dwelling scope

Private dwellings only

Number of people selected per household

All usual residents aged 15 and over.

Collection Methodology

A responsible adult provided basic demographic details, details of relationships and household information
Personal interviews were conducted with all members of the household aged 15 years and over.

Response rate

78.0%

What's special about the survey?

Sample allocation designed to provide reliable national and State/ Territory estimates.

The SIH allows for a detailed analysis of people’s sources of income relative to their disability status.

Comparability with other disability measures

The results are comparable with other surveys using the short disability module.

2014-15 National Health Survey (NHS)

Purpose of collection

The survey was designed to collect a range of information about the health of Australians, including:


    § prevalence of long-term health conditions;

    § health risk factors such as smoking, overweight and obesity, alcohol consumption and exercise;

    § use of health services such as consultations with health practitioners and actions people have recently taken for their health; and

    § demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.


Previous collections with disability measures

2007-08, 2011-12

Output categories for disability status

Has profound core-activity limitation
Has severe core-activity limitation
Has moderate core-activity limitation
Has a mild core-activity limitation
Has a schooling/employment restriction only
Has no specific restriction
No disability or long-term health condition

Short Disability Module used?

Yes

Disability identification questions

14

Sample size

19, 259 persons

Geographic outputs

Collected information by personal interview from usual residents of private dwellings in urban and rural areas of Australia (excluding Very Remote areas).

Age scope

All ages

Dwelling scope

Private dwellings only

Number of people selected per household

Information was obtained about one adult and one child aged 0-17 years in each selected household.

Collection Methodology

A responsible adult provided basic demographic details, details of relationships and household information.
Personal interviews were conducted with selected adult. A parent/guardian of a selected child was interviewed on their behalf.

Response rate

82.0%

What's special about the survey?

The National Health Survey offers insight into health risk factors. Of particular interest to disability are variables that allow for the examination of people's access to health services.

Comparability with other disability measures

Can be compared with all other surveys. Not useful for comparing disability data between Indigenous and non-Indigenous population because of Very Remote Area exclusion but is usually compared to NATSIHS in the same way that GSS is compared to NATSISS.

2012 Personal Safety Survey (PSS)

Purpose of collection

The survey collected information from men and women aged 18 years and over about the nature and extent of violence experienced since the age of 15. It also collected detailed information about men's and women's experience of current and previous partner violence, lifetime experience of stalking, physical and sexual abuse before the age of 15, sexual harassment and general feelings of safety.

Previous collections with disability measures

2005

Output categories for disability status

Has profound core-activity limitation
Has severe core-activity limitation
Has moderate core-activity limitation
Has a mild core-activity limitation
Has a schooling/employment restriction only
Has no specific restriction
No disability or long-term health condition

Short Disability Module?

Yes

Disability identification questions

14

Sample size

13,307 women and 3,743 men completed the survey nationally.

Geographic outputs

Collected information by personal interview from usual residents of private dwellings in urban and rural areas of Australia (excluding Very Remote areas).

Age scope

Persons aged 18 years and over in private dwellings across Australia. Interviews were conducted with one randomly selected person aged 18 years or over who was a usual resident of the selected household.

Dwelling scope

Private dwellings only

Number of people selected per household

One usual resident aged 18 years or over.

Collection Methodology

A responsible adult provided basic demographic details, details of relationships and household information.
Personal interviews were conducted with selected adult.

Response rate

57.0%

What's special about the survey?

While the 2012 PSS was conducted under the authority of the Census and Statistics Act 1905, participation in the survey was not compulsory. The ABS sought the willing cooperation of households in the survey.

Comparability with other disability measures

Can be compared with all other surveys, noting that people who could not be interviewed personally (such as those with a communication impairment) were excluded from the survey.

2016 Census of Population and Housing

Purpose of collection

The Census was designed to provide complete information about many different aspects of the Australian population.

Previous collections with disability measures

2006, 2011

Output categories for disability status

Has need for assistance with core activities
Does not have need for assistance with core activities

Disability identification questions

4

Geographic outputs

All Australian Standard Geographic Classification (ASGC) areas

Age scope

All people

Dwelling scope

All dwellings

Number of people selected per household

All people

Collection Methodology

Self-enumerated forms in most areas; special forms used in remote Indigenous communities.

'Need for assistance' was derived from the answers to four questions - three questions asking about the need for help in the core activity areas of self-care, mobility and communication and the 4th question providing a reason for that need.

The form used in gaols did not include any questions on need for assistance

Non-response rate

7.0% did not respond to the need for assistance questions.

What's special about the survey?

The Census is the only reliable source of information about small areas and about small populations groups. It provides data about the Very Remote Areas not available from the social surveys.

Comparability with other disability measures

The Census used a short question set which does not attempt to identify disability but rather the people who are affected by disability to the degree that they need assistance. The need for assistance measure was designed to be comparable to the profound or severe core-activity limitation measure available from the SDAC and social surveys using the Short Disability Module. Short question sets typically identify fewer people in the population of interest (in this case, people with a need for assistance) than longer question sets (used by the social surveys).