Australian Social Trends 2008 - First Media Alert (Media Release)

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July 9, 2008 68/2008

Attention: Chiefs of Staff and News Editors

Australian Social Trends – to be released 23 July

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) annual analysis of society - Australian Social Trends - will be released Wednesday 23 July at 11.30 am (AEST).

Australian Social Trends is a 250 page reference to Australia's current social conditions and it provides a rich source of story material for both news and feature writers.

This year, Social Trends includes articles on first home-buyers and renter households, mineral boom towns, families with a child with a disability, adult literacy, complementary therapies, women's incomes, internet access and public transport use.

Printed copies are available by preorder only.
These will be available for pick up from ABS capital city offices from 11.30 am on release day.

Pre-ordered Canberra Press Gallery copies will be delivered on the day.
The ABS will also be taking interview appointments as an ABS spokesperson will be available in the Press Gallery for interviews/assistance on release day.

Printed copies must be pre-ordered by 12.00 pm Thursday 17 July to ensure availability. Australian Social Trends will also be available for free download from the ABS website on <https://www.abs.gov.au> .

Australian Social Trends 2008 - list of chapters and articles
POPULATION
Population distribution - looks at population growth in urban, regional and remote areas of Australia between 1996 and 2006.

Towns of the mineral boom - highlights some of the key socio-demographic changes experienced by 12 high-growth mining towns between the 2001 and 2006 Censuses.

How many children have women in Australia had? - examines changes in the number of children had by different generations of women and by women from different backgrounds.

FAMILY AND COMMUNITY
Families with a young child with a disability - examines the characteristics of these families and the effect of the caring role on relationships.

Voluntary work
looks at the characteristics of people who volunteer on a regular basis and the types of organisations and activities for which they volunteer.

Social participation of migrants - examines several areas of social participation, such as contact with friends and sources of support, in the context of whether migrants came from main English-speaking countries or not.

HEALTH
Risk taking by young people - focuses on behaviours such as risky drinking, illicit drug use and dangerous driving by people aged 15–24 years.

People with a need for assistance - examines the prevalence rates of people needing help with the tasks of daily living due to a long-term health condition, disability or old age.

Complementary therapies - presents information on the number and characteristics of complementary health professionals and of the people who consult them.

EDUCATION
Education across Australia - focuses on educational attainment levels and participation in education and how this varies by geographic location and by Indigenous status.

Adult literacy - considers the relationship between literacy skills and a range of factors such as educational level, health and age.

Adult learning - examines the participation of 25–64 year olds in formal and informal learning, including why people participate in learning, what they study and obstacles to learning.
WORK
Labour force participation across Australia - discusses how labour force participation rates differ by age, sex and locality.

Barriers to work - reports on the circumstances of those seeking a job or more hours of work, as well as the difficulties these people had in finding work.

Trade union members - describes trends in unionisation rates over the past twenty years in terms of age, sex, employment type, industry and occupation.

Industrial disputes - examines industrial disputes over the last twenty years, including the number of working days lost in different industries and the states and territories.

ECONOMIC RESOURCES
Women's incomes - considers some of the factors that have influenced the share of income received by women over the last 25 years.

Government benefits, taxes and household income - examines the effect of government benefits and taxes on the incomes of households at different stages of the life course in 2003–04.

HOUSING
Australian renter households - describes the characteristics of these households and changes in rental costs and vacancy rates over time.

First home-buyers - analyses trends in housing costs and incomes, and looks at the characteristics of recent first home buyers and their homes.

Housing services in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities - examines the physical condition of the housing of Indigenous people in remote Australia in 2006 and the range of services available.

OTHER AREAS
Internet access at home - looks at recent changes in the level of Internet access by households and the factors that influence who has access.

Public transport use for work and study - reports on trends in public transport use in capital cities over the decade to 2006.

State/territory tables
Each chapter also includes a set of national and state/territory summary tables, and there are also tables providing international comparisons for population, health, education and work.