This variable records the number of people with a profound or severe core activity limitation. People with a profound or severe core activity limitation are those needing assistance in their day to day lives in one or more of the three core activity areas of self-care, mobility and communication because of:

• a long-term health condition (lasting six months or more)
• a disability (lasting six months or more)
• old age

All persons

The Census uses a set of four questions (paper form questions 24-27) to derive ‘core activity need for assistance’. Responses to the questions are captured automatically from mark box responses.

To determine if a person’s need for assistance in one or more of the three core activity areas is due to a long-term health condition, disability or old age, the question on the Census form asks, ‘What are the reasons for the need for assistance or supervision?’.

To be coded to the category ‘Has need for assistance with core activities’, the response needs to be one or more of the following:

• Long-term health condition (lasting six months or more)
• Disability (lasting six months or more)

To be coded to the category ‘Does not have need for assistance with core activities’, the response needs to be one or more of the following:

• No need for assistance
• Short-term health condition (lasting less than six months)
• Difficulty with English language
• Other cause

If a person’s only response is ‘Old or young age’, they are coded as follows:

• If under 40 years of age – ‘Does not have need for assistance with core activities’
• If 40 years or over – ‘Has need for assistance with core activities’

The Census ‘Core activity need for assistance’ concept was developed for the 2006 Census to indicate the disability status of people in Australia according to geographic area, and for small groups within the population.

No changes have been made for 2021.

This variable helps service providers and governments plan what local facilities, services and support are required, such as in-home support, respite care and support to carers.

Of all ABS collections of disability data, only the Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC) is considered to comprehensively measure disability populations, and to provide rates of prevalence at the national and state levels.  The Census concept ‘Core activity need for assistance’ is related to the ‘disability status’ information collected in the SDAC.  The purpose of the Census is to identify people with a ‘profound or severe core activity limitation’ using similar criteria to the SDAC.

Users wanting more comprehensive information about the disability status of people in Australia should instead refer to the publication Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings, 2018. Despite the conceptual consistency of the measures in the Census and SDAC, abbreviating the set of questions used to collect data on disability, as required for the Census, reduces the number of people who can be classified as having a disability or to a particular level of disability, depending on the concept being collected. The publication, ABS Sources of Disability Information, 2012-2016 examines the different ABS sources of disability data. 

The non-response rate for Core activity need for assistance (ASSNP) was 5.9% in 2021. This is a decrease from 7.1% in 2016. 

• Unpaid assistance to a person with a disability, health condition, or due to old age (UNCAREP)
• Long-term health condition(s)

• See more ABS statistics on Disability
• Disability and carers: Census
• Understanding disability statistics in the Census and the Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers
• Profile of people with a core need for assistance in Australia

This variable records the number of people who in the two weeks prior to Census Night spent time providing unpaid care, help or assistance to family members or others because of:

• a disability
• a long-term health condition
• problems related to old age 

This includes people who are in receipt of a Carer Allowance or Carer Payment. It does not include care provided through a voluntary organisation or group. Occasional help or assistance, such as shopping, is included if the person needs this type of assistance because of their condition.

Persons aged 15 years and over

The responses to the unpaid assistance to a person with a disability, health condition or due to old age question are captured automatically from the mark box responses on the Census form.

Questions on unpaid work and care, including ‘Unpaid assistance to a person with a disability’, were first asked for the 2006 Census.

In 2021, the name of the variable changed from ‘Unpaid assistance to a person with a disability’ to ‘Unpaid assistance to a person with a disability, health condition, or due to old age’.

The question asked about care or assistance provided to another person to assist with daily activities because of disability, long-term illness, or problems related to old age in the two weeks prior to the Census. No information on the amount of time spent on providing such unpaid care was collected. Further to the instructions in the question, the online form prompted respondents to include activities such as (but not limited to):

• bathing
• dressing
• toileting and feeding someone
• helping someone to move around
• helping someone be understood by others
• providing emotional support and helping maintain friendships and social activities
• helping with or supervising medication or dressing wounds
• cleaning
• laundry
• cooking
• managing diets and preparing meals
• performing housework
• light household repairs or maintenance
• managing household finances
• driving or accompanying someone to appointments or activities

Care should be taken when comparing Census data on ‘Unpaid assistance to a person with a disability, health condition, or due to old age’ with information from other surveys and publications. The Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers collects information on the number of carers and their characteristics. Definitions and methodology can differ between different statistical collections and may not match Census definitions.

The name of this variable changed in 2021, however the scope and content remains the same. If using time series data, the variable was previously called ‘Unpaid assistance to a person with a disability’.

The non-response rate for Unpaid assistance to a person with a disability, health condition, or due to old age (UNCAREP) was 6.7% in 2021. This is a decrease from 8.9% in 2016. 

• Core activity need for assistance (ASSNP)
• Long-term health condition(s) 

• See more ABS statistics on Disability
• Disability and carers: Census
• Understanding disability statistics in the Census and the Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers
• Profile of people with a core need for assistance in Australia