1345.4 - SA Stats, Nov 2008  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 25/11/2008   
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FEATURE ARTICLE: ADELAIDE'S POPULATION TURNOVER


INTRODUCTION

People move location for various reasons. They may move for a job or to study, for better education opportunities for their children, or simply for a change of lifestyle. Understanding the changes, either the net population change or population turnover, is important for planning for infrastructure and services, and can help in showing how the characteristics of regions change over time.

This article looks at population turnover in Statistical Local Areas (SLAs) within South Australia. It uses data from the Census of Population and Housing (Census) to identify the SLAs with the highest population turnover and examines the characteristics of Adelaide (C) in more detail. Adelaide (C) experienced a large increase in the number of usual residents between 2001 and 2006, with a higher proportion of people aged 15-29 years who were born overseas and were attending education.


POPULATION TURNOVER

Population turnover estimates measure the rate of gross moves (i.e. the number of people moving into an area plus the number moving out) in relation to the size of the population. The data in this article are from the 2001 and 2006 Censuses of Population and Housing. Population turnover uses the counts of persons based on their usual residence and where they lived five years ago. Population turnover is different from population growth, which is the net change in population.

For further information about the key concepts used in this article, see the Explanatory Notes in Perspectives on Regional Australia: Population Turnover, 2006 (cat. no. 1380.0.55.005).


POPULATION TURNOVER IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA

In South Australia the five SLAs with the greatest population turnover were either within the capital city area of Adelaide or were mining regions. Roxby Downs (M) had the largest population turnover (107.1%) of all SLAs in South Australia, followed by Adelaide (C) with 96.8%.

High Population Turnover SLAs in South Australia(a)

2001 census count(b)
2006 census count
Census count change
Arrivals(c)
Departures(d)
Net migration(d)
Population flow(d)
Population turnover(d)
SLA(a)
psns
psns
psns
psns
psns
psns
psns
%

Roxby Downs (M)
3 488
4 056
568
1 754
1 801
-47
3 555
107.1
Adelaide (C)
12 902
16 658
3 756
8 588
4 597
3 991
13 185
96.8
Salisbury (C) Bal
5 500
10 617
5 117
5 380
1 805
3 575
7 185
80.3
Norw. P'ham St Ptrs (C) - West
17 052
17 737
685
6 987
5 578
1 409
12 565
79.7
Coober Pedy (DC)
2 296
1 911
-385
349
698
-349
1 047
71.5

(a) Excludes unincorporated areas and SLAs with a population of less than 500 people
(b) Based on 2006 Census boundaries
(c) Excludes people aged 0-4 years and those who did not state where they lived 5 years ago
(d) Excludes people aged 0-4 years, those who did not state where they lived 5 years ago, and overseas departures, meaning these data are estimated on a different basis than the 2006 Census count
Source: Census of Population and Housing, 2006 and Census of Population and Housing, 2001
Note: This table is based on place of usual residence. Cells in this table have been randomly adjusted to avoid the release of confidential data.


While all of these regions had a high turnover, the difference between turnover and net migration is evident in the data for Roxby Downs (M), where there was a slight decrease in population, but a high turnover with arrivals and departures almost one-for-one.


Adelaide (C): Characteristics of the area and usual residents

The Adelaide (C) SLA is equivalent to the Adelaide Local Government Area, which incorporates the two suburbs of Adelaide and North Adelaide (see map below). A number of universities are situated within and around Adelaide (C), specifically the University of Adelaide and campuses of the University of South Australia. The SLA also contains a TAFE, a major hospital and the business and retail centre of Adelaide.

Map of Adelaide (C)
Diagram: Map of Adelaide (C)


At the 2006 Census, 8,588 of the 16,658 usual residents of Adelaide (C) were new arrivals in the SLA (had arrived within the last five years). Departures (excluding those who departed overseas) were estimated at 4,597, resulting in a positive net migration estimate of 3,991 people. With population turnover estimated at 96.8%, this SLA had the second highest population turnover in South Australia.

In the twenty years to the 2006 Census, the number of usual residents of Adelaide (C) increased by 41.2% from 11,798 in 1986 to 16,658 in 2006. Most of this change occurred between 2001 and 2006.

USUAL RESIDENTS, Adelaide (C)
Graph: USUAL RESIDENTS, Adelaide (C)


As the population of Adelaide (C) has increased over the last twenty years, its characteristics have also changed. Following is a discussion of the age, ethnicity and education characteristics of the usual residents of Adelaide (C) in 2006, and how these characteristics have changed over time.

Age

At the 2006 Census, almost 40% (39.9%) of the usual resident population of Adelaide (C) was aged between 15 and 29 years. This age group was also the most common in most of the top twenty high-turnover SLAs across Australia. Adelaide (C) has a very low proportion of usual residents aged less than 15 years, with only 2.6% aged 0-4 years and 3.3% aged 5-14 years.

USUAL RESIDENTS BY AGE, Adelaide (C) - 2006
Graph: USUAL RESIDENTS BY AGE, Adelaide (C)—2006


The proportion of usual residents aged 15-29 years in Adelaide (C) varied over the last twenty years with a low of 34.0% in 2001 and a high of 39.9% in 2006. This is consistent with other characteristics of the region (see 'Education' below, for example) and suggests that there were differences in the age groups of people arriving and departing in the region. Further detail on the age of arrivals and departures is provided later in this article.

USUAL RESIDENTS AGED 15 - 29 YEARS, Adelaide (C)
Graph: USUAL RESIDENTS AGED 15 - 29 YEARS, Adelaide (C)


Corresponding with the increasing proportion of usual residents aged 15-29 years in Adelaide (C), the median age of the region fell from 35 years in 2001 to 32 years in 2006. This is seven years younger than the median age for South Australia.

MEDIAN AGE OF USUAL RESIDENTS, Adelaide (C)
Graph: MEDIAN AGE OF USUAL RESIDENTS, Adelaide (C)


Ethnicity

People born overseas made up 38.5% (or 5,607 people) of the usual resident population of Adelaide (C), compared to 21.5% of people living in South Australia in 2006. Around a quarter (22.2%) of overseas born Adelaide (C) residents were born in Maritime South-East Asia, while 18.0% were born in the United Kingdom and 14.7% in Chinese Asia (includes Mongolia). The number of usual residents born overseas has increased by 88.4% over the last twenty years, with a particularly large increase (64.8%) between 2001 and 2006.

USUAL RESIDENTS BORN OVERSEAS, Adelaide (C)
Graph: USUAL RESIDENTS BORN OVERSEAS, Adelaide (C)


Education

At the 2006 Census, a quarter (25.2%) of the usual resident population of Adelaide (C) attended a University or other tertiary institution, compared to 3.8% of the population of South Australia. The proportion of Adelaide (C) residents attending a University or other tertiary institution has almost doubled from 12.8% in 1986 to 25.2% in 2006.

USUAL RESIDENTS ATTENDING UNIVERSITY OR OTHER TERTIARY INSTITUTION, Adelaide (C)
Graph: USUAL RESIDENTS ATTENDING UNIVERSITY OR OTHER TERTIARY INSTITUTION, Adelaide (C)


In 2006, more than a third (39.1%) of people aged 15 years and over usually resident in Adelaide (C) had a Bachelor degree or higher qualification. The equivalent figure for South Australia was 14.7%.


People who arrived in, departed or did not move from Adelaide (C)

The following section discusses the characteristics of three populations relating to Adelaide (C): arrivals to the SLA within the five years to the 2006 Census; departures from the SLA within the same period; and those who did not move. These groups exclude people aged 0-4 years , those who did not state where they lived five years ago when they completed the 2006 Census questionnaire and overseas departures.

At the 2006 Census, almost half (48.0%) of the 8,588 arrivals came from a different SLA within South Australia. A high proportion came from overseas (35.9%), with the remainder (16.1%) from interstate.

A high proportion of departures (71.2%) remained in South Australia, while 28.8% moved interstate (this analysis excludes people who departed to overseas, because this information cannot be collected). Most of those who moved interstate moved to an SLA in Victoria (30.3%) or New South Wales (26.7%).

Age

Most arrivals (55.9%) were aged between 15 and 29 years. Departures were generally older than arrivals, with the highest proportion aged 30-44 years (36.4%). These characteristics of arrivals and departures are consistent with the changing age structure of the region in 2006, as discussed above.

The age group with the highest proportion of people who had not moved from Adelaide (C) was 45-59 years (28.3%), followed by 60-74 years (20.9%). Just 14.3% of those who had not moved SLA were aged between 15 and 29 years.

ARRIVALS, DEPARTURES AND PEOPLE WHO HAD NOT MOVED(a), Adelaide (C) - 2006
Graph: ARRIVALS, DEPARTURES AND PEOPLE WHO HAD NOT MOVED(a), Adelaide (C) — 2006


Ethnicity

Close to half of all arrivals to Adelaide (C) (45.7%) were born overseas, with 30.5% of these born in South-East Asia and 24.3% born in North-East Asia. People born in Malaysia accounted for 20.4% of all overseas-born arrivals to Adelaide (C).

People born overseas made up 28.2% of those who had not moved from Adelaide (C). The highest proportion of overseas-born people who had not moved from Adelaide (C) were born in North-West Europe (43.5%), while 19.9% were born in Southern and Eastern Europe.

Of those who departed from Adelaide (C), 23.6% were born overseas. Among these people, the most common birthplaces were North-West Europe (37.9%) and South-East Asia (18.2%).

Education

Of arrivals to Adelaide (C), 36.2% attended a University or other tertiary institution. More than half of arrivals attending a University or other tertiary institution (55.6%) had come to Adelaide (C) from overseas, while 27.6% had come from another SLA within South Australia and 16.8% were from interstate. This is consistent with the predominant age group of arrivals (15-29 years).

Compared with arrivals, proportions attending a University or other tertiary institution were much smaller for people who had moved from Adelaide (C) (10.9%) and for those who had not moved (7.9%).

PROPORTION ATTENDING UNIVERSITY OR OTHER TERTIARY INSTITUTION(a), 2006
Graph: PROPORTION ATTENDING UNIVERSITY OR OTHER TERTIARY INSTITUTION(a), 2006


People aged 15 years and over with a qualification of a Bachelor degree or higher made up 39.7% of arrivals and 39.0% of those who had not moved. A greater proportion of departures had a Bachelor degree or higher qualification (50.3%).

For further information on population turnover, refer to Perspectives on Regional Australia: Population Turnover, 2006 (cat. no. 1380.0.55.005).