COMPARISON OF AREAS WITH
CENSUS DATA
This
report
compares
the
sample
characteristics of the oversampled areas of
Cockburn, Rockingham and Kwinana with the
census
characteristics
for
key
socio
demographic variables. Each area is examined
separately and the results presented as
comparisons between the sample and the
census information for that area.
THE COCKBURN SAMPLE
Comparison of age and sex with census
This section provides a comparison of the
Cockburn sample with the 2001 Census
information. All comparisons with Census data
are taken from the ABS website1,2 .Cockburn
has a population of 66,417 people. As with WA
as a whole, Cockburn has marginally more
females (50.1%) than males (49.9%). Table 1
presents the age and sex distribution of the
Cockburn sample.
Table 1
Age Group
0 to 4
5 to 9
10 to 15
16 to 19
20 to 24
25 to 29
30 to 34
35 to 39
40 to 44
45 to 49
50 to 54
55 to 59
60 to 64
65 to 69
70 to 74
75 to 79
80 to 84
85 & over
Total
Table 2 The age distribution of Cockburn sample
compared with the census data for Cockburn and the
State
Age
group
0-14
15-24
25-44
45-64
65+
Sample
17.3
15.9
26.4
25.3
15.1
Cockburn
23.3
14.2
32.4
21.4
8.7
State
21.4
14.2
30.0
23.2
11.2
Country of Birth
Seventy one per cent of the people surveyed
were Australian born, which is higher than the
census estimate of 66% for Cockburn.
Marital Status
Nearly half of the people aged 16 years or
older were married (46.7%), 6% were in a
defacto relationship or living with partners, and
just under a quarter had never been married
(23.8%). Table 3 shows the proportion of
adults in each category.
Cockburn sample by age and sex
Table 3 Marital status of the Cockburn sample
Female
28
23
35
37
33
27
40
31
37
34
42
37
34
19
28
17
9
6
517
Marital Status
Married
Living with partner/de facto
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
Never married
Total
Male
32
24
33
31
31
25
29
26
25
17
23
21
22
19
17
11
9
2
397
Persons
60
47
68
68
64
52
69
57
62
51
65
58
56
38
45
28
18
8
914
Table 2 indicates that there were more people
sampled from older age groups in Cockburn.
Number
345
Per cent
46.7
44
89
60
25
176
739
6.0
12.0
8.1
3.4
23.8
100
In comparison with the Cockburn census
estimate, there were less married (46.7%
compared to 53.0%) and never married people
(23.8% compared with 31.5%), but more
widowed people (12.0% compared with 4.4%)
in the sample from Cockburn.
Income and spending power
Forty three per cent of people sample had a
household income below $40, 000, 39.2%
between $40,000 and $80,000, and 17.7%
$80,000 or more. Table 4 shows the proportion
of adults in each category.
In comparison with census data, there were
similar proportions of people on less than
$40,000 (43% compared to 44%), more people
in the median range (39% compared to 29%),
and fewer people on $80,000 or more (18%
compared 27%).
Table 4 The annual
Cockburn sample
Income range
household
Number
income
of
the
Employment status
Almost three quarters of people aged 16 years
or older were employed (71.2%) and 2.8%
were unemployed. One quarter of the
unemployed people (25.4%) were actively
seeking employment. Table 6 presents the per
cent of people in each category.
A higher proportion of people reported being
employed (71% compared to 61%) and less
people were unemployed (3% compared 5%)
compared with census estimates from
Cockburn.
Per cent
Less than $20,000
170
18.8
$20,000 to $40,000
173
19.1
$40,000 to $60,000
170
18.8
$60,000 to $80,000
142
15.7
$80,000 to $100,000
82
9.1
Table 6 Employment status of the Cockburn sample
Over $100,000
59
6.5
Refused
108
11.9
Total
904
100
Current employment Status
Self-employed
Employed for wages,
Unemployed
Engaged in home duties
Retired
Unable to work
A student
Other
Total
Twelve per cent of the Cockburn sample
refused to answer the income question. The
refusal rate was lower in Cockburn compared
with the State (11.9% versus 16%).
People were also asked about their overall
spending power (Table 5).
Number
46
345
23
75
40
21
49
3
602
Per cent
7.6
57.3
3.8
12.5
6.6
3.5
8.1
0.5
100
Table 5 Spending power of the Cockburn sample
Spending power
Number
Per
cent
We are spending more money
than we get
56
6.3
We have just enough money to get
us through to the next pay
212
23.8
There is some money left over
each week but we just spend it
70
7.9
We can save a bit every now and
then
423
47.5
We can save a lot
129
14.5
Total
890
100
One quarter of the people had only just enough
money each week, nearly half saved a little
occasionally and 14.5% could save a lot. A
small group (6.3%) said that they spent more
money than they got.
Education
Table 7 presents the level of education
reported by the Cockburn sample. Just over
half of adults surveyed had completed at least
Year 10 or Year 12 (53%). One quarter had
completed a TAFE or Trade Certificate or
Diploma and 16% had university qualifications.
Table 7 Education
sample
level
Highest level of education
attained
Some/Completed
Primary
School
Completed Year 10
Completed Year 12
TAFE or Trade Certificate or
Diploma
Tertiary
Other
Total
attained
by
Number
Cockburn
Per cent
30
169
140
5.3
29.7
24.6
153
92
15
569
26.9
16.2
2.6
100
The census data indicated that there was
similar proportion of people with TAFE or
Trade certification or Diploma (27% compared
with 25%), though more people surveyed had
tertiary qualifications (16% compared with 7%).
The survey did not collect information on
occupation or sector (industry) of employment,
however the Cockburn census provides
estimates on employment. The largest
proportion of Cockburn residents were
employed as intermediate clerical, sales or
service workers (18.1%) and tradespersons
(16%). Professionals (12.3%) and associate
professionals (11.5%) were the next most
common occupations, followed by labourers
(10%). The Retail industry had the highest per
cent of people employed (16.5%) followed by
Manufacturing,
(15.2%),
Property
and
Business Services, (9.5%), Health and
Community services (9.2%), Construction
(8.1%) and Education (5.9%).
Kwinana has a population of 20,812 people.
Table eight presents the age and sex
distribution of the Kwinana sample.
Table 8 Kwinana sample by age and sex
0 to 4
5 to 9
10 to 15
16 to 19
20 to 24
25 to 29
30 to 34
35 to 39
40 to 44
45 to 49
50 to 54
55 to 59
60 to 64
65 to 69
70 to 74
75 to 79
80 to 84
85 & over
Total
Female
25
31
30
31
42
29
43
37
28
31
42
61
62
45
34
29
21
4
625
Male
24
22
40
31
27
22
22
29
28
27
27
48
33
41
25
7
6
3
462
Table 9 The age distribution of Kwinana sample
compared with the census for Kwinana and the State
Age
group
Sample
0-14
15-24
25-44
45-64
65+
Kwinana
20.0
9.6
31.1
27.4
11.9
25.2
13.7
31.4
20.7
9.0
State
21.4
14.2
30.0
23.2
11.2
Country of Birth
Sixty one per cent of Kwinana people surveyed
were Australian born, which is similar to the
census estimate for Kwinana (66.4%).
Marital Status
THE KWINANA SAMPLE
Age and Sex
Age
Group
Table 9 indicates that the survey sampled less
people from the 15-24 year age group and
more from the oldest age group compared with
Kwinana and the State census estimates1,3.
Persons
49
53
70
62
69
51
65
66
56
58
69
109
95
86
59
36
27
7
1087
Just under half of the adults sampled were
married (47.1%), 12.8% were divorced or
separated people, 19.2% had never been
married and 12.5% of people were widowed.
Table 10 shows the proportion of adults in
each category. In comparison with the census
estimates, there were similar proportions of
married (47.1% compared with 47.5%) and
divorced or separated people (12.8%
compared with 14.1%). However, there were
less never married people (19.2% compared
with 33.8%) and more widowed people (12.5%
compared with 4%) the sample.
Table 10 Marital status of the Kwinana sample
Marital Status
Number
Married
Living
with
partner/de facto
Widowed
a
Per cent
430
47.1
77
8.4
114
12.5
Divorced
81
8.9
Separated
36
3.9
Never married
175
19.2
Total
913
100
Income and spending power
Nearly two thirds of people surveyed from
Kwinana had a income of less than $40,000
(62%), 29% earned $40,000 to $80,000 and
8.3% more than $80,000. Thirteen per cent of
the Kwinana sample refused to answer the
income question. The refusal rate was lower in
Kwinana compared with the State (13% versus
16%).In comparison with the survey estimates
there were similar proportions with an income
of less than $40,000 (62% compared with
61%), more earned $40,000 to $80,000 (29%
compared with 19%), and less people earning
more than $80,000 (8.3% compared with
19%).Table 11 presents the annual household
income for the Kwinana sample.
Table 11 Annual Income for the Kwinana sample
Income Level
Number
277
25.5
$20,000 to $40,000
313
28.8
$40,000 to $60,000
179
16.5
$60,000 to $80,000
99
9.1
$80,000 to $100,000
47
4.3
Over $100,000
31
2.9
141
13.0
1087
100
Refused
Total
Employment status
Two thirds of the people aged 16 years and
older were employed. A further 3.3% were
unemployed and of these, 66.7% were
currently seeking employment. Table 13 shows
the proportion of people in each category.
Compared with the census estimates a higher
proportion of people reported being employed
(54% compared with 49%) and less were
unemployed (3% compared with 7%).
Table 13 The employment status of the Kwinana
sample
Current employment Status
Self-employed
Per cent
Less than $20,000
save ‘a lot’ and 7% spent more money than
they got
Number
67
Employed for wages, salary or
payment in kind
Unemployed
Engaged in home duties
Retired
Unable to work
A student
Other
Total
309
34
113
62
47
54
13
699
Per cent
9.6
44.2
4.9
16.2
8.9
6.7
7.7
1.9
100
Educational Status
Table 12 presents the spending power of
people sampled in Kwinana.
Table 12 Spending Power for the Kwinana sample
Spending Power
I am/we are spending more
money than we get
I/we have just enough money
to get us through to the next
pay
There is some money left over
each week but I/we just spend
it
I/we can save a bit every now
and then
I/we can save a lot
Total
Number
Per cent
72
6.8
291
27.6
89
8.5
472
44.8
129
12.3
1053
100
Nearly half of the sample were able to save a
little money occasionally (45%), 27% had just
enough money each week, 12% were able to
Nearly two thirds of people surveyed (61%)
had completed Year 10 or Year 12. Another
30% of people had completed a TAFE or
Trade certificate or Diploma and 5.6% had a
tertiary qualification (Table 14).
Table 14 Education level attained by the Kwinana
sample
Highest level of education
attained
Some/Completed
Primary
School
Completed Year 10
Completed Year 12
TAFE or Trade Certificate or
Diploma
Tertiary
Other
Total
Number
Per cent
41
271
133
5.9
38.8
19.1
178
50
25
698
25.5
7.2
3.6
100
In comparison with the Kwinana census
estimates, more people had completed a TAFE
or Trade certificate or Diploma (census:
20.9%) and there was a higher proportion of
people with tertiary qualifications (census:
3.4%).
The survey did not collect information on
occupation or sector (industry) of employment,
however the Kwinana census provides
estimates of the distribution of types and
places of employment. The Manufacturing,
(19.1%), had the highest per cent of people
employed followed by Retail industry (17.2%)
Property and Business Services (9%),
Construction (8%) Health and Community
Services (8%) and Education (4.2%). Most
Kwinana residents were employed as
Tradespersons and Related workers (18.3%)
and Intermediate Clerical or Service workers
(16.6%), followed by Labourers and Related
workers (13.3%), Associate professionals
(9.6%) and Professionals (7.6%).
Table 16 indicates that the survey sampled
less people from youngest and more older
people compared with Rockingham and State
census estimates 1,4.
Table 16 The age distribution of the Rockingham
sample compared with the census for Rockingham
and the State
Age group
Sample
0-14
15-24
25-44
45-64
65+
Total
Rockingham
17.8
14.3
21.5
28.0
18.4
100
State
25.1
13
29.4
20.9
11.6
100
21.4
14.2
30
23.2
11.2
100
Country of Birth
Seventy per cent of the Rockingham were
Australian born, which is the same as the
Rockingham census estimate.
Marital status
ROCKINGHAM
Age and Sex
Rockingham has a population of 70,306
people. Table 15 presents the age and sex
distribution of the Rockingham sample.
Table 15 Rockingham sample by age and sex
Age Group
0 to 4 yrs
5 to 9 yrs
10 to 15 yrs
16 to 19 yrs
20 to 24 yrs
25 to 29 yrs
30 to 34 yrs
35 to 39 yrs
40 to 44 yrs
45 to 49 yrs
50 to 54 yrs
55 to 59 yrs
60 to 64 yrs
65 to 69 yrs
70 to 74 yrs
75 to 79 yrs
80 to 84 yrs
85 & ove9r yrs
Total
Female
31
37
50
38
45
26
44
45
36
43
53
60
54
43
40
31
13
5
694
Male
37
41
47
45
34
23
28
24
40
32
36
38
30
33
28
29
5
1
551
Persons
68
78
97
83
79
49
72
69
76
75
89
98
84
76
68
60
18
6
1245
Just over half of the adults surveyed were
married (53%) and 9.6% were divorced or
separated. Only 19% had never been married
and 12.4% were widowed. In comparison with
the Rockingham census estimates, there was
a similar proportion of married people (53%
compared with 54.7%), and divorced or
separated people (9.6% compared with
10.6%). However, there were less never
married (census: 27.4%) and more widowed
people in the sample (12.4% compared with
5.4%).
Table 17 Marital status of the Rockingham sample
Marital Status
Married
Living with a
partner/de facto
Widowed
Divorced
Separated
Never married
Total
Number
Per cent
531
53.0
61
6.1
124
12.4
61
6.1
35
3.5
190
19.0
1002
100
Income and spending power
Table 18 presents the annual household
income for the Rockingham sample.
Table 18 The annual income of the Rockingham
sample
Annual Income
Number
Per cent
less than $20,000
240
19.4
$20,000 to $40,000
268
21.7
$40,000 to $60,000
255
20.6
$60,000 to $80,000
177
14.4
$80,000 to $100,000
89
7.2
over $100,000
64
5.2
142
11.5
1236
100
Refused
Total
Just under half of people surveyed had an
income of less than $40,000 (46.5%), 39.5%
earned $40,000 to $80,000 and 14% more
than $80,000. Twelve per cent of the
Rockingham sample refused to answer the
income question. The refusal rate was lower in
Rockingham compared with the State (11.5%
versus 16%).
In comparison with census estimates, there
were less people with an income of less than
$40,000 (47% compared with 55%), more
people with mid-range incomes (40%
compared with 21%) and less with incomes
over $80,000 per annum (14% compared with
24%).
People from Rockingham were also asked
about there overall spending power (Table 19).
Table 19 Spending power of the Rockingham sample
Spending Power
Number
Per cent
I am/we are spending more
money than we get
64
5.3
I/we have just enough money
to get us through to the next
pay
There is some money left over
each week but I/we just spend
it
I/we can save a bit every now
and then
I/we can save a lot
Total
240
19.9
106
8.8
617
51.1
180
14.9
1207
100
The largest proportion of people were able to
save a little money occasionally (51.1%); 20%
had only just enough money each week, 15%
could save ‘a lot’ and 5% spent more money
than they got each week.
Employment Status
Seventy per cent of people were employed and
only 3.2% unemployed. Most unemployed
people (90%) said that they were currently
looking for work. Census data indicated that a
higher proportion of the sample was employed
(70% compared with 49%) and less were
unemployed (3% versus 7%) compared with
the census estimates for Kwinana.
Table 20 Employment status of the Rockingham
sample
Current employment
Status
Self-employed
Employed for wages
Unemployed
Engaged in home duties
Retired
Unable to work
A student
Other
Total
Number
72
Per cent
9.3
422
25
105
72
30
44
3
773
54.6
3.2
13.6
9.3
3.9
5.7
0.4
100
Education
Fifty six per cent of adults sampled had
completed at least Year 10 or Year 12, 26%
had completed a TAFE or Trade Certificate or
Diploma and 12% had a Tertiary qualification
(Table 21).
Table 21 Education level attained by the Rockingham
sample
Highest level of education
attained
Some/Completed
Primary
School
Completed Year 10
Completed Year 12
TAFE or Trade Certificate or
Diploma
Tertiary
Other
Total
Number
Per cent
29
235
185
3.8
30.6
24.1
203
89
27
768
26.4
11.6
3.5
100
The Rockingham census estimates indicated
there were a similar proportions with a TAFE or
Trade Certificate or Diploma (26% compared
with 25.9%), but more people sampled had
Tertiary qualifications (11.6% compared with
5.1%).
The survey did not collect information on
occupation or industry of employment,
however the Rockingham census provides
estimates on employment. Most Rockingham
residents work as Tradespersons (18.6%) and
Intermediate Clerical, Sales or Service workers
(16.8%) followed by Associate professionals
(12.3%), professionals (10.7%) and labourers
(9.6%). The Retail industry (17%) and
Manufacturing (17%), had the highest
proportions of people employed followed by
Health and Community Services (9%),
Construction (8%), Property and Business
Services (8%), and Education (6%).
CONCLUSION
The comparisons of the areas under study with
the census data illustrates that the samples
selected were reasonably representative of the
areas in all these main socio demographics.
The data will be adjusted to the age and sex
distribution of the WA ERP for 2003 and
weighted for oversampling which will correct
for the main contributors to ill health.
The samples can be validly used in a study
comparing health status within the areas to the
State.