ABOUT THE SURVEY OF DISABILITY, AGEING AND CARERS

The 2015 Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) is the most recent in a series of comprehensive national surveys conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, following similar surveys in 1981, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2009 and 2012. The survey was designed to:

• measure the prevalence of disability in Australia
• measure the need for support of older people (those aged 65 years and over) and those with disability
• provide a demographic and socio-economic profile of people with disability, older people and carers compared with the general population
• estimate the number of, and provide information about, those who provide care to people with disability and older people.

The survey was conducted in all states and territories and across urban, rural and remote areas of Australia (other than very remote areas). Data collection was in two parts: the establishment component, which was conducted from 25 May to 31 July 2015; and the household component, which ran from 5 July 2015 to 19 December 2015. Accommodation within establishments included hospitals, nursing homes, aged care hostels, cared components of retirement villages and other ‘homes’, such as group homes for people with disability. The survey included around 63,500 people from over 25,500 private dwellings, and a further 11,700 people from 1,000 establishments.

This publication contains detailed information about people with disability, carers and older people, including a breakdown of key demographic variables and comparisons over time. Information is presented for Australia and the states and territories.

Tables of estimates and proportions, and their corresponding relative standard errors (RSEs) and Margins of Error (MOEs) are available in Data Cubes (spreadsheet format) and can be accessed in the Downloads tab of this publication.


Data quality and comparability

When interpreting the results in this release, it is important to take into account factors that may affect the reliability of the estimates. These factors are described in the Technical Note.

Much of the content from the 2015 SDAC is comparable to previous surveys. However, when comparing 2015 results with 2012, users should be aware that some differences may exist due to changes in question methodology and scope. Factors impacting on the comparability of estimates over time are detailed in the Explanatory Notes.


Inquiries

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070.