Environmental Attitudes and Practices

NAME OF ORGANISATION
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)

OVERVIEW
The collection provides information as part of the work program for the Centre of Environment Statistics National Statistic Centre (NSC). The data is compiled using ARA (Any Responsible Adult) collection methodology.

Data from households and individuals are collected about the environment and is focussed on one of three rotating topics on a triennial basis: Energy Use and Conservation (EUC), Waste Management and Transport Use (WMTU), and Water Use and Conservation (WUC).


PURPOSE
The purpose of the survey is to compile statistics about the environmental practices and behaviours of households.

SCOPE
The scope is households in urban, rural, remote and very remote areas in all states and territories of Australia, excluding those in Indigenous communities. The 2010 survey was the first time households residing in very remote parts of Australia were included. The inclusion has minimal impact on Australian level estimates overall. However, it could improve the Northern Territory estimates because previously 20% of Northern Territory households had been excluded.

The survey excludes households in special dwellings (such as hotels, university residences, boarding schools, hospitals and prisons).

The coverage is the same as the survey scope.

DATA DETAIL

Conceptual framework

Main outputs
Data from both the 2012 and 2009 WMTU surveys were released under the title Environmental Issues: Waste Management and Transport Use (cat. no. 4602.0.55.002). Data from the 2008 and 2011 EUC surveys were released under the title Environmental Issues: Energy Use and Conservation (cat. no. 4602.0.55.001) and data from the 2010 WUC Survey was released under the title Environmental Issues: Water Use and Conservation (cat. no. 4602.0.55.003).

Prior to 2008, the annual publication Environmental Issues: People's Views and Practices (cat. no. 4602.0) contained data from the environment supplementary surveys.

Data items for the following topics are available:

Mar 2012 Waste Management and Transport Use (Environmental Issues: Waste Management and Transport Use, Mar 2009 - cat. no. 4602.0.55.002)

Household waste management including recycling practices
Motor vehicle and bicycle ownership
Use of transport

Mar 2011 Energy Use and Conservation (Environmental Issues: Energy Use and Conservation, Mar 2011 - cat. no. 4602.0.55.001)

Dwelling characteristics including insulation
Energy sources
Heaters and coolers
Household appliances
GreenPower scheme

Mar 2010 Water Use and Conservation (Environmental Issues: Water use and Conservation, Mar 2010 - cat. no. 4602.0.55.003)

Sources of water
Water use and water conservation practices
Use of rainwater tanks
Prevalence of water saving products
Uptake of government rebates and incentives

Mar 2009 Waste Management and Transport Use (Environmental Issues: Waste Management and Transport Use, Mar 2009 - cat. no. 4602.0.55.002)

Household waste management including recycling practices
Motor vehicle and bicycle ownership
Use of transport

Mar 2008 Energy Use and Conservation (Environmental Issues: Energy Use and Conservation, Mar 2008 - cat. no. 4602.0.55.001)

Dwelling type including insulation and lighting
Energy sources
Heaters and coolers
Household appliances
GreenPower scheme

Mar 2007 Water Use and Conservation (Environmental Issues: People's views and practices Mar 2007 - cat. no. 4602.0)

Sources of water
Rainwater tanks
Water conservation practices includes inside and outside the dwelling

Mar 2006 Waste Management and Transport Use (Environmental Issues: People's views and practices Mar 2006 - cat. no. 4602.0)

Household waste management including recycling
Motor vehicle ownership and maintenance
Use of transport

Mar 2005 Energy Use and Conservation (Environmental Issues: People's views and practices Mar 2005 - cat. no. 4602.0)

Dwelling structure including insulation and lighting
Energy sources
Heaters and coolers
Household appliances
GreenPower scheme

Mar 2004 Environmental Actions/Behaviours, Water Sources and Use (Environmental Issues: People's views and practices Mar 2004 - cat. no. 4602.0)
Environmental concerns and involvement
Water use and conservation
Use of environmentally friendly products
Use of work heritage areas, national and state parks

Mar 2003 Waste Management and Transport Use (Environmental Issues: People's views and practices Mar 2003 - cat. no. 4602.0)

Household waste management
Motor vehicle ownership and maintenance
Use of transport

Mar 2002 Energy Use and Conservation (Environmental Issues: People's views and practices Mar 2002 - cat. no. 4602.0)

Energy conservation measures
Energy and GreenPower
Household appliances

Mar 2001 Environmental Actions/Behaviours, Water Sources and Use (Environmental Issues: People's views and practices Mar 2001 - cat. no. 4602.0)

Environmental concerns and involvement
Water use and conservation
Use of environmentally friendly products
Use of world heritage areas, national and state parks

Mar 2000 Waste Management and Transport Use (Environmental Issues: People's views and practices Mar 2000 - cat. no. 4602.0)

Household waste management
Habits of motor vehicle owners
Use of transport

Mar 1999 Energy Use and Conservation (Environmental Issues: People's views and practices Mar 1999 - cat. no. 4602.0)

Environmental views, concerns and issues
Energy conservation measures
Energy and GreenPower
Household appliances

Mar 1998 Environmental Actions/Behaviours, Water Sources and Use (Environmental Issues: People's views and practices Mar 1998 - cat. no. 4602.0)

Environmental views, concerns and issues
Information sources and environmental involvement
Products, packaging, fertiliser and pesticide use
Water sources, use and issues
Use of world heritage areas, national and state parks

Mar, Apr 1996 Waste Management, Habits of Motor Vehicle Owners, Use of Transport (Environmental Issues: People's views and practices 1996 - cat. no. 4602.0)

Environmental views, concerns and issues
Household waste management
Motor vehicle ownership and maintenance
Use of transport

Jun 1994 Energy Use and Conservation, Water Sources and Use (Environmental Issues: People's views and practices June 1994 - cat. no. 4602.0)

Environmental concerns and views
Energy conservation measures
Energy sources and use
Household appliances
Water sources and use

Classifications
State and Territory
Capital city / Balance of State

Other concepts (summary)


GEOGRAPHIC DETAIL
Australia
New South Wales
Victoria
Queensland
South Australia
Western Australia
Tasmania
Northern Territory
ACT
Part of State Metropolitan
Part of State Extra-Metropolitan

Comments and/or Other Regions


COLLECTION FREQUENCY
Annually

Frequency comments
Annual from 1998.

The survey is a collection of data from households and individuals about the environment. It focuses on one of three rotating topics each year: Energy Use and Conservation; Waste Management and Transport Use; and Water Use and Conservation.


COLLECTION HISTORY
Environment topics have been collected since 1992 on a rotating cycle which was initially based on a survey every 2 years, but since 1998, data has been collected annually. A number of topics about environmental issues are rotated through a cycle of Monthly Population Survey (MPS) collections over a three year period. The topics cover attitudes towards the environment, key problems of concern about the environment, water use and conservation, energy use and conservation, environmental behaviour, waste management and recycling activities, and transport and motor vehicle use.

The information is used for policy making decisions by government departments, and by interested industry, academic and environmental groups.

The cycles have covered:

Mar 2012 Waste Management and Transport Use

Mar 2011 Energy Use and Conservation

Mar 2010 Water Use and Conservation

Mar 2009 Waste Management and Transport Use

Mar 2008 Energy Use and Conservation

Mar 2007 Water Use and Conservation

Mar 2006 Waste Management and Transport Use

Mar 2005 Energy Use and Conservation

Mar 2004 Environmental Actions/Behaviours, Water Sources and Use

Mar 2003 Waste Management, Habits of Motor Vehicle Owners, Use of Transport

Mar 2002 Energy Use and Conservation

Mar 2001 Environmental Actions/Behaviours, Water Sources and Use

Mar 2000 Waste Management, Habits of Motor Vehicle Owners, Use of Transport

Mar 1999 Energy Use and Conservation

Mar 1998 Environmental Actions/Behaviours, Water Sources and Use

Mar, Apr 1996 Waste Management, Habits of Motor Vehicle Owners, Use of Transport

Jun 1994 Energy Use and Conservation, Water Sources and Use

May 1992 Waste Management, Environmentally Friendly Products and Packaging


DATA AVAILABILITY
Yes