1003.0 - ABS News for Libraries (Issue No. 61), Aug 2007  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 28/08/2007   
   Page tools: Print Print Page Print all pages in this productPrint All

Image: Feature Article


FEATURE ARTICLE


Image: Australian Social Trends 2007 Australian Social Trends 2007

The 2007 edition of Australian Social Trends is a valuable resource for library users seeking information on current social issues. Articles draw on a wide range of statistics, not just from the ABS, but also from other official sources.

This edition includes a focus on fertility, maternity and babies (such as recent increases in Australia's fertility and maternity leave arrangements), as well as a number of articles presenting international comparisons of issues (such as fertility and labour force participation). Australian Social Trends covers key topics of interest for wide audience, including those engaged in research, journalism, marketing, teaching and social policy, as well as anyone interested in how we live today and how we've changed over recent decades. The 2007 edition has articles about one-parent families, international students, wealth in housing, overweight and obesity, trends in household consumption and women's experience of partner violence.

Search for topics of interest across all Australian Social Trends editions in the cumulative index (covering more than 400 articles).

Australian Social Trends 2007: List of Chapters and Articles

1. Population 2. Family and community
Recent increases in Australia's fertility - examines age, socioeconomic and broad geographic differences in the recent fertility increases in Australia.

International fertility comparison - compares fertility rates and age patterns of fertility in Australia with seven OECD countries.

Australia's babies - presents data on a range of factors affecting the health of babies including infant mortality and illness rates.

Migration: Permanent additions to Australia's population - looks at the recent changes in the type of migration, particularly the focus on skilled migration, and the characteristics of the migrants.
Lifetime marriage and divorce trends - looks at the probabilities of marriage and divorce and the expected length of marriages in 1985–87 and in 2000–02.

One parent families - profiles one-parent families, focusing on their labour force participation and economic wellbeing.

Before and/or after school care - explores the use of before and/or after school care, including the number of hours and days used, the cost and the labour status of parents who used this type of care.
3. Health 4. Education and training
Overweight and obesity - explores the increasing prevalence of overweight and obese Australians.

Diabetes mellitus - reports on the prevalence of diabetes, the health status of people with diabetes and their use of health services.

Selected chronic conditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples - explores diabetes, cardiovascular disease and kidney disease prevalence, hospitalisation and mortality rates among Indigenous people.
Qualifications profile of Australians - examines the qualifications Australians held in 2006 and looks at recent changes in the levels of qualifications, fields of study and labour market outcomes.

Training for a trade - considers recent trends in trades' apprenticeships and traineeships.

International students in Australia - describes trends in international student arrivals and enrolments.
5. Work 6. Economic resources
Labour force participation - an international comparison - describes how trends in Australia's labour force participation compare with other similar OECD countries.

Maternity leave arrangements - examines the type and length of maternity leave used by women employees.

Work-related injuries - discusses work-related injury rates across different industries and occupations as well as the types of injuries, how they occurred and time off work.
Purchasing power - considers trends in overall purchasing power, focusing on how prices have changed relative to changes in average income and wealth.

Trends in household consumption - examines changes in household consumption expenditure levels in recent decades.

Low income low wealth households - looks at characteristics of these households such as their composition, labour force status, main source of income and spending patterns.
7. Housing 8. Other areas of concern
Wealth in homes of owner-occupied households - describes the increase in home equity between 1994–95 and 2003–04, the distribution of home equity across age groups and equity of recent first home buyers.

Larger dwellings, smaller households - examines changes in household size and number of bedrooms, including the types of households with spare bedrooms and the size of new homes.
Interpersonal violence - examines the prevalence of violence among adults, the characteristics of those who experienced violence and their responses to it.

Women's experience of partner violence - focuses on women's experience of partner violence, including the characteristics of the women and the violence.

Participation in sports and physical recreation - discusses the types of sports and physical recreation Australians do.

Household waste - investigates recent trends in the generation and treatment of household waste including recycling.
Each of the chapters also includes a set of national and state/territory summary tables and graphs which present key social indicators. There are also tables providing international comparisons in the areas of population, health, education and work at the end of the publication.

Image: CUPS - The Community that Counts CUPS - The Community that Counts

Australia's National Statistical Service (NSS) represents the range of statistical services that are collectively provided for Australia. The primary aim of the NSS is to provide an accurate, up-to-date, comprehensive and meaningful picture of the economy, society and the environment to support the formulation and monitoring of policies and to inform Australian society.

A key strategy of the NSS is to develop a strong community of people interested in statistics. A "Community of Users and Producers of Statistics" (CUPS) has been formed to provide a forum for sharing information and for organising community networking and activities. CUPS is open to anyone with a statistical or a statistically-related role in Australian, State and local governments and the academic and business sectors.

The CUPS website contains information on training, recruitment and career development; statistical references; and links to conferences, seminars and workshops of interest to the Community. The CUPS website also links to relevant professional associations and information networks. As the community develops, interactive networking facilities may be added. If you would like to hear more about CUPS or if you have an event that you would like to share with the Community please email inquiries@nss.gov.au.