EXPLANATORY NOTES
INTRODUCTION
1 This publication summarises results from the 2005 New South Wales (NSW) State Supplementary Survey, Managing Care and Work.
2 The survey was conducted throughout NSW during the two weeks commencing Monday 10 October 2005. The survey was a supplement to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Monthly Population Survey (MPS). The MPS is based on a multi-stage area sample of private dwellings (houses, flats, etc.) and a list sample of non-private dwellings (hotels, motels, etc.). Information was obtained from the occupants of the selected dwellings by specially trained interviewers.
3 For details of the design, scope and coverage of the MPS, readers should refer to Information Paper: Labour Force Survey Sample Design, 2002 (cat. no. 6269.0), and any recent edition of the ABS publication, Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0).
SCOPE
4 Information was collected by either a face-to-face or telephone interview from one responsible adult per household. Respondents answered questions on behalf of all household members aged 18 years or over. The survey was conducted using seven-eighths of the full sample of private dwellings in NSW that were included in the MPS and excluded:
- members of the permanent defence forces;
- certain diplomatic personnel of overseas governments, customarily excluded from censuses and surveys;
- overseas residents in Australia;
- members of non-Australian defence forces (and their dependents) stationed in Australia;
- private dwellings containing visitors only;
- visitors to the household;
- residents of non-private dwellings such as hospitals, motels and prisons.
5 The survey was conducted in both urban and rural areas throughout NSW, but excluded persons living in very remote parts of NSW who would have otherwise been within the scope of the survey. The exclusion of these persons had only a minor impact on any aggregate estimates.
6 Information was sought from approximately 12,500 persons, of whom about 11,300 (90%) responded.
REFERENCE PERIOD
7 For tables 1 to 9 the reference period was the six months to October 2005.
8 For table 10 the reference period was not defined as information on when the carer became self employed was not collected.
9 For tables 11 and 12 the reference period was the week prior to the interview.
COVERAGE
10 Coverage rules were applied to ensure that each person was associated with only one dwelling, and hence had only one chance of selection in the survey.
EFFECTS OF ROUNDING
11 Estimates have been rounded and discrepancies may occur between sums of the component items and totals.
DATA INTERPRETATION
12 Each category making up the variable 'relationship to carer' includes associated step and in-law relationships. For example, the category 'brother/sister' includes step-brother, step-sister, brother-in-law and sister-in-law.
CAUTION REGARDING COMPARABILITY WITH MANAGING CARE AND WORK RESPONSIBILITIES AND PAID EMPLOYMENT, NSW, OCT 2000 (CAT. NO. 4903.1)
13 The 2005 survey used some new and reworded questions and a different definition of 'carer' compared to Managing Caring Responsibilities and Paid Employment, NSW, October 2000 (cat. no. 4903.1). The main differences in the definitions are:
- The 2005 survey defined elderly persons to be those aged 65 years or over, whereas the 2000 survey only referred to 'an elderly person' with no further age clarification.
- Neither the 2000 nor 2005 surveys measured care that was provided as part of paid work. However, the 2005 survey also excluded care that was provided as part of volunteer work or a study program.
CAUTION REGARDING COMPARABILITY WITH SURVEY OF DISABILITY, AGEING AND CARERS (SDAC)
14 Estimates from this survey are not comparable with estimates from the SDAC, due to differences in the definition of 'carer'. Differences in the carer and recipient of care populations for each of the two surveys are set out in the table below:
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
15 ABS publications draw extensively on information provided freely by individuals, businesses, governments and other organisations. Their continued cooperation is very much appreciated. Without it, the wide range of statistics published by the ABS would not be available. Information received by the ABS is treated in strict confidence as required by the Census and Statistics Act 1905.
RELATED PUBLICATIONS
16 The ABS produces a wide range of publications containing social and demographic statistics. Other ABS publications which relate to this survey topic include:
Balancing Work and Caring Responsibilities, Tasmania, October 1999 (cat. no. 4903.6)
Career Experience, Australia, November 2002 (cat. no. 6254.0)
Child Care, Australia, June 2002 (cat. no. 4402.0)
Disability, New South Wales, 2001 (cat. no. 4443.1)
Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings, 2003 (cat. no. 4430.0)
Informal child care provided by grandparents [Chapter], in Australian Social Trends, 2005 (cat. no. 4102.0)
Managing Caring Responsibilities and Paid Employment, New South Wales, October 2000 (cat. no. 4903.1)
Managing Paid Employment and Unpaid Caring Responsibilities, Queensland, October 2002 (cat. no. 4903.3)
Working Arrangements, Australia, November 2003 (cat. no. 6342.0)
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