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
To request copies of Australian Social Trends 2008, complete the details below and either
fax to (02) 6252 8002 or
email your details to media@abs.gov.au by 12.00 pm Thursday 17 July 2008.
Name:
Organisation:
Phone:
Email:
Quantity required:
Collection details – please tick (and indicate which state if picking up)
I will pick up from the ABS office in my capital city.
Please deliver to the Canberra Press Gallery.
FURTHER INFORMATION: Corporate Communications Section
Richard Lynch (02) 6252 6139; 0407 107 931
Ilona Fraser (02) 6252 7480, 0418 202 580
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.
NEWS 
