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INCOME AND ECONOMIC RESOURCES: FINANCIAL STRESS

This article is part of a comprehensive series released as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing: A focus on children and youth.

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Note: In this section, the terms 'youth' and 'young people' refer to people aged 15–24 years. Data presented are from the ABS National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, 2008 (cat. no. 4714.0).

KEY MESSAGES In 2008: nearly half (48%) of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth were living in a household that would be unable to raise $2,000 within a week in an emergency over one-quarter (28%) of young people were living in a household that ran out of money for basic living expenses in the 12 months prior to the interview young people living in remote areas were more likely to provide support to relatives outside the household than those in non-remote areas (46% compared with 28%).

FINANCIAL STRESS

Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth in 2008:

• nearly half (48%) were living in a household that would be unable to raise $2,000 within a week in an emergency, with young people in one parent families most likely to be affected (64% of single parents and 59% of other young people in one parent families).
• over one-quarter (28%) were living in a household that ran out of money for basic living expenses in the 12 months prior to the interview
• around one in five (21%) were living in a household that could not pay a bill (such as electricity, gas, telephone) in the 12 months prior to the interview.

Young people in remote areas were more likely than those in non-remote areas to be living in a household that would be unable to raise $2,000 within a week in an emergency (65% compared with 43%). In contrast, youth in remote areas were less likely than those in non-remote areas to be living in a household that had been unable to pay a bill in the 12 months prior to the interview (11% compared with 24%).


SUPPORT TO RELATIVES OUTSIDE THE HOUSEHOLD

In 2008, almost one-third (32%) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth reported providing support to relatives outside the household, including financial support and other types of support such as driving them places. Providing support to relatives outside the household was more common among youth living in remote areas than those living in non-remote areas (46% compared with 28%). Youth aged 20–24 years were more likely than youth aged 15–19 years to provide support to relatives outside the household (46% compared with 22%).

The most common types of financial support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth provided to relatives living outside the household were:

• providing or paying for food and/or clothing (17%)
• providing spending money (12%)
• giving money to help pay housing costs (11%).

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