Characteristics of movers

Tenure type

Whether people moved varied substantially with their tenure type, as reported at the time of the survey. People who were renting at the time of the survey, were more likely than owners to have moved, with 80% of renters having moved in the five years prior to the survey compared with 29% of current home owners (Figure 7.2).

For current home owners, the most common main reason for their last move was to purchase their own home (28%). The other reasons owners commonly reported for moving were wanting a bigger or better home (16%) or because they moved with family (12%).

People who were currently renting often reported having moved due to wanting a bigger or better home (14%) or being given notice by a landlord (13%). They also often reported having moved for other housing reasons (10%), such as to reduce rent, being allocated housing (such as public housing), or for renovations. People who were currently renting were more likely than owners to have moved for employment reasons (13%) or family reasons (12%), such as family conflict, breakdown of marriage or relationship, or to be independent.


Mobility by age and sex

The number of times people move is strongly related to age. People aged 25-34 years at the time of the survey, were the most mobile age group, with 75% reporting that they had moved one or more times in the five years prior to the survey. The proportion of people who had moved decreased progressively for the older age groups. People aged 65 years and over were the least likely to have moved, with 83% reporting that they did not move in the five years prior to the survey.

For people aged 15-24 years at the time of the survey, the most common main reason for their last move was moving with family (36%), reflecting that many people in this age group are still living with their parents. For people aged 25-34 years, the most common reason for having moved was to purchase their own home (20%). This reflects the tendency for many young Australians to move into home ownership during this stage of their life. Other common reasons for having moved, reported by this age group were wanting a bigger or better home (15%) and employment reasons (12%).

People aged 35-54 years at the time of the survey, most commonly reported wanting a bigger or better home (20%) or purchasing their own home (18%) as the main reasons for their last move. This reflects the need to increase housing space as family size increases and children mature.

For those aged 55-64 years at the time of the survey, who had moved, 18% of people reported lifestyle change as the main reason for their last move. People aged 65 and over also often reported lifestyle change (14%) or downsizing to a smaller home (13%) as the main reason for their last move. This reflects movements into retirement and the downsizing of the family home as children move out.

The overall mobility rates for men and women were not significantly different. There were, however, some differences across age groups. Females aged 15-24 years at the time of the survey (56%) were more likely to have moved than males of the same age (49%). Young females tend to leave home earlier than young males, which may in part explain this difference. However, males aged 35-44 years and 55-64 years were more likely to have moved than females of the same age (Figure 7.3).

Both men and women reported wanting a bigger or better home or having purchased a home as the main reasons for their last move. Men, however, were more likely to have moved for employment reasons (11%) than women (7%).
Family composition of household

People living in group households at the time of the survey were the most mobile household type, with 90% of these people having moved one or more times in the five years prior to the survey. For people living in one parent households with dependent children, 55% reported having moved one or more times compared with 42% of people living in couple families with dependent children. Only 39% of people living in couple only households had moved in the five years prior to the survey.

For people living in couple households with dependent children at the time of the survey, the most common main reason for their last move was wanting a bigger or better home (23%), which reflects the need to increase their housing space as family size grows. For people living in one parent families with dependent children, the most common reasons for their last move were moving with family (24%) and for other family reasons (21%) such as family conflict, breakdown of marriage or relationship, or to be independent.

People living alone at the time of the survey, often reported having moved due to other family reasons (17%) or due to purchasing their own home (15%). People in couple only households often reported purchasing their own home (20%) or getting married or living with their partners (17%) as the main reason for their last move.


Labour force status

Unemployed people surveyed in 2007-08, reported having moved more frequently in the previous five years than employed people, with 61% having moved at least once, compared with 48% of employed people, at the time of the survey. Only 33% of people not in the labour force had moved one or more times in this time period. Over 90% of these people were aged 65 years and over, which may explain the low mobility of this group.

For people who were employed at the time of the survey, the main reasons reported for their last move were purchasing their own home (17%) or wanting a bigger or better home (15%). The main reasons for moving reported by unemployed people varied, with no significant main reason identified for this group. For people who were not in the labour force, when surveyed, 16% reported having moved with family and 13% reported wanting a bigger or better home as the main reasons for their last move.


Income

The following analysis by income quintile uses equivalised disposable household income (see Glossary) to enable comparisons of the relative economic well-being of households of different size and composition. The proportion of people who had moved at least once in the five years prior to the survey varied with the level of their current income. Nearly half of people in the highest income quintile when surveyed, had moved at least once compared to 35% of the people in the lowest quintile (Figure 7.5).

People in the lowest income quintile had the highest proportion of people aged 65 years or over (37%) which may in part explain the relatively low mobility (35%) of this income group. People in the highest income quintile were mainly aged 25-54 years with a high level of employed people and only 5% were aged 65 years and over.

People in the highest income quintile at the time of the survey were more likely to have moved due to purchasing a home (23%) compared to people in the lowest income quintile (5%). People in the lowest income quintile (11%) were more likely to have moved for other housing reasons, such as reducing rent or mortgage, allocated housing (e.g. public housing) or renovations or rebuilding than any other income group. Those in the lowest income quintile (11%) were also more likely than people in the highest income quintile (6%) to have moved for other family reasons such as family conflict, breakdown of marriage or relationship, or to be independent.


Educational attainment

People who had completed a bachelor degree or above as their highest level of educational attainment at the time of the survey, had been more mobile than people with lower educational attainment. Overall, 55% of this group had moved one or more times in the five years prior to the survey, in comparison to only 22% of people who had completed year 8 or below or never attended school. More qualified people attract higher incomes, with over 40% of those with a bachelor degree or higher being in the highest income quintile of equivalised disposable household income compared with only 5% of people who had completed year 8 or below or never attended school. People who had completed year 8 or below or never attended school, as their highest level of educational attainment were mainly older Australians, which influences the mobility of this group.

For people who had completed bachelor degrees or above at the time of the survey, the most common main reason for their last move included purchasing their own home (18%), wanting a bigger or better home (15%) or moving for employment reasons (14%). The most common reason reported by people who had completed year 9 to 12 as their highest educational attainment was having moved with their families (17%). The reasons reported by people who had completed year 8 or below or never attended school varied, with no significant main reason identified for this group.


Country of birth

Of people who were born overseas, 48% reported having moved one or more times in the five years prior to the survey, in comparison with 41% of people born in Australia. However, of the people born overseas who had arrived in Australia more than five years prior to the survey, only 38% had moved one or more times in the last five years.

The reasons for moving for people born overseas were similar to those of people born in Australia. The main reasons for both groups were wanting a bigger or better home or purchasing their own dwelling.

Previous Page

Next Page