• Summary
• Downloads
• Explanatory Notes
• Related Information
• Past Releases

GLOSSARY

Ability to raise $2,000 within a week for something important

A person's perception of whether they or other members of the household could obtain $2,000 for something important within a week.

Access to motor vehicle(s) to drive

Access that a person has to any motor vehicle to drive. Such motor vehicles include vehicle(s) which they wholly or jointly own, vehicle(s) belonging to another member of the household, and company or government vehicle(s) which they have access to for personal use.

Age

The age of a person on their last birthday.

Attendance rate

For any group, this is calculated by expressing the number of persons who attended a venue or event at least once in the last 12 months as a percentage of the population aged 18 years or over in the same group.

Child

A person of any age who is a natural, adopted, step, or foster son or daughter of a couple or lone parent, usually resident in the same household, and who does not have a child or partner of his/her own usually resident in the household.

Consumer debt

Debt or liabilities usually associated with the purchase of consumables, such as clothing, electrical goods or cars, incurred by way of credit or store card which are not completely paid off, car or personal loans, interest free purchases and hire purchase agreements. Investment loans, lines of credit, overdue bills for telephone/electricity etc., outstanding fines or Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) debts are excluded.

Contact with family or friends living outside the household

Refers to face to face contact, or other types of contact such as telephone, mail and email, which a person has had with family or friends who do not live with them.

Couple

Two people in a registered or de facto marriage, who usually live in the same household.

Dependent child/ren/Dependents

All persons aged under 15 years; and people aged 15-24 years who are full-time students, have a parent in the household and do not have a partner or child of their own in the household.

Disability or long-term health condition

A disability or long-term health condition exists if a limitation, restriction, impairment, disease or disorder, had lasted, or was likely to last for at least six months, and which restricted everyday activities.

It is classified by whether or not a person has a specific limitation or restriction. Specific limitation or restriction is further classified by whether the limitation or restriction is a limitation in core activities or a schooling/employment restriction only.

There are four levels of core activity limitation (profound, severe, moderate, and mild) which are based on whether a person needs help, has difficulty, or uses aids or equipment with any of the core activities (self care, mobility or communication). A person's overall level of core activity limitation is determined by their highest level of limitation in these activities.

The four levels are:

• profound - always needs help/supervision with core activities
• severe - does not always need help with core activities
• moderate - has difficulty with core activities
• mild - uses aids to assist with core activities.

Donations

A voluntary transfer of funds made in the preceding 12 months by a person, on an individual not a business basis. The donor should not have received any benefit in return. Excludes purchases of goods and raffle tickets but includes door-knocks and sponsoring walkathons etc.

Equity in dwelling

Calculated as the value of the dwelling less the amount owing on mortgages or secured loans against the dwelling.

Equivalised gross household income

Gross household income adjusted using an equivalence scale. For a lone person household it is equal to gross household income. For a household comprising more than one person, it is an indicator of the gross household income that would need to be received by a lone person household to enjoy the same level of economic wellbeing as the household in question. For further information see Appendix 4: Equivalised gross household income quintiles.

Equivalised gross household income quintiles

These are groupings of 20% of the total population when ranked in ascending order according to equivalised gross household income. The population used for this purpose includes all people living in private dwellings, including children and other persons under the age of 18 years. As the scope of this publication is restricted to only those persons aged 18 years and over, the distribution of this smaller population across the quintiles is not necessarily the same as it is for persons of all ages, i.e. the percentage of persons aged 18 years and over in each of these quintiles may be larger or smaller than 20%. For further information see Appendix 4: Equivalised gross household income quintiles.

Family

Two or more persons, one of whom is at least 15 years of age, who are related by blood, marriage (registered or de facto), adoption, step or fostering, and who are usually resident in the same household. The basis of a family is formed by identifying the presence of a couple relationship, lone parent-child relationship or other blood relationship. Some households will, therefore, contain more than one family.

Feelings of safety

How safe a person feels in various circumstances (i.e. when home alone during the day, when home alone after dark or when walking alone through their local area after dark) was reported on a five point scale, from very safe to very unsafe. If the respondent indicated that they were never home alone or never walked alone after dark this response was recorded.

Financial stress

Three measures aimed at identifying households that may have been constrained in their activities because of shortage of money. The measures are the ability to raise 'emergency money', whether had cash flow problems and whether had taken dissaving actions. One person in the household was asked to provide these assessments of the household’s financial situation.

Gross income

Regular and recurring cash receipts including monies received from wages and salaries, government pensions and allowances, and other regular receipts such as superannuation, workers' compensation, child support, scholarships, profit or loss from own unincorporated business or partnership and property income. Gross income is the sum of the income from all these sources before income tax or the Medicare levy are deducted.

Government support

Cash support from the government in the form of pensions, benefits or allowances.

Highest year of school completed

The highest level of primary or secondary education which a person has completed, irrespective of the type of institution or location where that education was undertaken.

Household

One or more persons usually resident in the same private dwelling.

Household composition

This publication presents information for a selection of household composition categories which are based on various family and household compositions, and sometimes, the age of the selected person (the survey respondent). Categories presented are:

• couple only, one family household - a household consisting of a couple with no other related or unrelated persons usually resident
• couple family with dependent children - a household consisting of a couple and at least one dependent child usually resident in the household. Related non-dependent children may also be present in the household. Households which also have other related or unrelated residents are not included
• other couple, one family households - all couple households not included in the two previous categories. It includes for example, households consisting of a couple and non-dependent children
• one parent family with dependent child/ren - a household consisting of a lone parent and at least one dependent child usually resident in the household. Non-dependent children may also be present in the household. Households which also have other related or unrelated usual residents are not included
• lone person household - a household consisting of a person living alone
• other households - comprises all other households, including multi-family households, and households consisting of unrelated adults.

The nature of a household's legal right to occupy the dwelling in which they usually reside. In this publication, households are grouped into one of four broad tenure categories:

• owner without a mortgage - the dwelling is owned by a resident of the household and there are no outstanding mortgages or loans secured against the dwelling
• owner with a mortgage - a household where an outstanding mortgage or loan amount secured against the dwelling, for the purposes of housing, is greater than zero
• renter - a household who pays rent to reside in the dwelling. In this publication, renters are further classified into one of three broad types according to whom rent is paid:
  state or territory housing authority
  private landlord - a real estate agent, parent or other relative not in the same household, or another person not in the same household
  other renter - a parent or other relative in the same household, the owner/manager of a caravan park, an employer (including a government authority), a housing cooperative, community or church group, or any other landlord not included elsewhere
• other tenure - includes households which are participants of a life tenure scheme, participants in a rent/buy (or shared equity) scheme, living rent-free, or are in a tenure arrangement not included elsewhere (e.g. house-sitting, payment in kind for a specific service).

One of five of the Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFAs) compiled by the ABS following each population census. Each of the indexes summarise different aspects of the socio-economic status of the people living in those areas; the index of relative socio-economic disadvantage includes attributes such as low income, low educational attainment, high unemployment and jobs in relatively unskilled occupations. The index refers to population of the area (the Census Collector's District) in which a person lives, not to the socio-economic situation of the particular individual. The index used in this publication was compiled following the 2001 Census. For further information about the SEIFAs see Information Paper: Census of Population and Housing - Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas, Australia (cat. no. 2039.0).

Informal social activities

Refers to recreational activities undertaken with others which have not been organised by an organisation or group with a formal structure. The most common examples are where family and/or friends come together to enjoy themselves.

Jobless households

A jobless household is one in which no usual resident of the household aged 15 years or over is currently employed.

Labour force status

Refers to the situation of respondents in relation to the labour force at the time of the survey. Categories are:

• employed - had a job or business, or undertook work without pay in a family business in the week prior to the survey, including being absent from a job or business they had
  full-time - persons who usually work 35 hours or more per week
  part-time - persons who usually work at least one hour, but less than 35 hours, per week
• unemployed - not employed and actively looked for work in the four weeks prior to the survey and available to start work in the week prior to the survey not in the labour force
  retired from work - persons over the age of 45 years who were no longer working and did not intend to work in the future
  other - other persons who were neither employed nor unemployed. Such persons may have never worked and never intend to work, persons keeping house (unpaid), voluntarily inactive and permanently unable to work.

Refers to the main countries from which Australia receives, or has received, significant numbers of overseas settlers who are likely to speak English. These countries comprise the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, Canada, the United States of America and South Africa.

Marital status

The marital status of couples within households. This item includes Married in a registered marriage, Married in a de facto marriage, and Not married.

Mean

The sum of values divided by the number of values.

Mortgage

A mortgage is a loan which is secured against a dwelling.

Non-dependent child/ren

All persons aged 15 years or over (except those aged 15-24 years who are full-time students) who have a parent in the household and do not have a partner or child of their own in the household.

Non-school qualifications

Non-school qualifications are awarded for educational attainments other than those of pre-primary, primary or secondary education. They include qualifications at the Post graduate degree level, Master degree level, Graduate diploma and Graduate certificate level, Bachelor degree level, Advanced diploma and Diploma level, and Certificates I, II, III and IV levels. Non-school qualifications may be attained concurrently with school qualifications.

Organisation or group

An organisation or group is any body with a formal structure. It may be as large as a national charity or as small as a local book club. Purely ad hoc, informal and temporary gatherings of people do not constitute an organisation.

Organised sport or physical recreational activities

Those sport and physical recreational activities which were organised by a club, association or other organisation. The organisation did not need to be a sporting body; for example, it may have been a work social club, church group or gymnasium.

Participants in sport and physical recreational activities

Participants comprise those people who physically undertook a sport or physical recreational activity in the last 12 months, as well as people involved in 'non-playing roles', such as coaches, officials, umpires and administrators.

Participation rate

For any group, the number of persons who participated in the activity or event at least once in the specified reference period (usually the last 12 months), expressed as a percentage of the population of that group.

Personal stressors

Any of the following events or circumstances which the person considers have been a problem for themselves or someone close to them in the last 12 months:

• serious illness
• serious accident
• mental illness
• serious disability
• death of family member or close friend
• divorce or separation
• not able to get a job
• involuntary loss of job
• alcohol or drug related problems
• gambling problem
• abuse or violent crime
• witness to violence
• trouble with the police

The source of income from which the most positive income for the household is received. If total income is nil or negative the principal source is undefined. The household's principal source of income comes from:

• employee income - cash income received as an employee, i.e. person who works for a public or private employer and receives remuneration in wages or salary, or is paid a retainer fee by his/her employer and works on a commission basis, or works for an employer for tips, piece-rates or payment in kind; or, is a person who operates his or her own incorporated enterprise with or without hiring employees
• unincorporated business income - the profit or loss from own unincorporated enterprise in the previous financial year. Profit or loss consists of the value of the gross output of the enterprise after the deduction of operating expenses (including depreciation). Losses occur when operating expenses are greater than gross receipts and are treated as negative income
• government cash pensions and allowances - regular payments from government to persons under social security and related government programs. Included are pensions and allowances received by aged, disabled, unemployed and sick persons, families and children, veterans or their survivors, and study allowances for students
• other sources of household income - income received from sources such as superannuation and annuity funds, property, interest or dividends, child support, and workers' compensation.

A self assessment by persons who speak a language other than English at home, of whether they speak English very well, well, not well, or not at all.

Remoteness areas

Broad geographical regions which share common characteristics of remoteness based on the Remoteness Structure of the ABS’s Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC). In this publication the categories Major Cities of Australia, and Inner Regional Australia from the Remoteness Structure are presented along with a residual category labelled ‘Other areas’. As the GSS did not cover very remote areas of Australia, ‘Other Areas’, encompasses most of Outer Regional Australia, part of Remote Australia, and only a small proportion of Very Remote Australia.

Rent

A payment made periodically by a tenant to an owner or landlord in return for lodgement.

Selected assets

Any of the following type of assets:

• over $1,000 in cash or deposited in financial institutions
• own incorporated business
• shares, stocks and bonds
• investment property (i.e. land and buildings other than the dwelling in which the household resides).

In the GSS only one adult (aged 18 years or over) in each dwelling was selected for the survey. This person was randomly chosen after all usual residents of the household were listed.

Self-assessed health status

The selected person's general assessment of their own health, against a five point scale from excellent through to poor.

Small favours

Assistance which a person may seek from other people in their day to day lives. Examples of small favours include looking after pets or watering the garden, collecting mail or checking the house, minding a child for a brief period, helping with moving or lifting objects, and borrowing equipment.

Social attachment

'Social attachment' refers to the nature and strength of relationships that people have with each other. It includes the more intimate relationships with family and friends as well as people's associations with individuals and organisations in the wider community.

Support in time of crisis

Refers to whether there is someone outside the person's household that could be asked for support in a time of crisis. Support could be in the form of emotional, physical or financial help. Potential sources of support could be family members, friends, neighbours, work colleagues and various community, government and professional organisations.

Support for children living outside the household

Support provided by a person (or where specified by a person and their partner) to their child(ren) (under the age of 25 years) who do not live with them. Support may be provided to the other parent/carer for the child(ren), or to the child themselves. Types of support may be financial, such as child support payments, paying for educational costs, or providing pocket money or an allowance, or non-financial, such as driving them places, letting them borrow the car, or providing food or clothing.

Support for other relatives living outside the household

Any of the following types of support provided to relatives, such as elderly parents, children aged 25 years or over, or grandchildren who live outside the household:

• give money to pay rent and/or other housing costs
• give money to pay bills or meet debt
• provide or pay for food
• provide or pay for clothing
• let them borrow the car
• drive them places
• pay for educational costs or textbooks
• provide pocket money or an allowance
• buy or give them money to buy big cost items such as a car, computer, sound system etc.

The person's assessment of how difficult it is for them to travel to places they may need to go to in normal circumstances. Four options were provided:

• can easily get to the places needed
• sometimes have difficulty getting to the places needed
• often have difficulty getting to the places needed
• can't get to the places needed.

Trust

To ascertain peoples feelings of trust in others, and in some major institutions, they were asked how strongly they agreed or disagreed with the following statements, giving a rating on a 5-point scale:

• That most people can be trusted?
• That your doctor can be trusted?
• That hospitals can be trusted to do the right thing by you?
• That police in your local areas can be trusted?
• That police outside your local area can be trusted?

The phrase 'most people' is based on the respondent's interpretation - there is no specific definition. The idea is whether persons can go about their affairs confidently, expecting that people will generally deal fairly with them and act in the ways normally expected in our society.

Victim of actual or attempted break-in

A person who had experienced a break-in or attempted break-in at any place they had lived in the last 12 months. Break-ins to homes, garages or sheds are included. However, break-ins to cars or gardens are excluded.

Victim of physical or threatened violence

A person who in the last 12 months had physical force or violence used against them or threatened in person to be used against them. It includes violence or threats made by persons known to the person.

Voluntary work

The provision of unpaid help willingly undertaken in the form of time, service or skills, to an organisation or group, excluding work done overseas. Examples of groups shown to respondents were: an organised sporting group/team; a youth group, such as guides, scouts, a choir; a charity organisation or cause; student government; a religious organisation, school or preschool; or some other kind of volunteer work. Organisations, groups or associations were classified from their names to:

• Arts/Heritage
• Business/Professional/Union
• Community/Welfare
• Education and Training
• Emergency Services
• Environment/Animal Welfare
• International aid/development
• Health
• Law/Justice/Political
• Parenting, children and youth
• Religious
• Sport and physical recreation
• Other recreation or interest