National Economic & Social Impact Survey 2015 “I can’t continue to live like this”

The respondent profile was compiled from the results of the 2015 Economic Social Impact Survey. It represents a snapshot of the characteristics and life experiences of individuals who access Salvation Army Emergency Relief services.

I CAN’T CONTINUE TO LIVE LIKE THIS

63 %

Female

88 %

are reliant on income support payment

Average of 2.3 children per household

35 %

are recipients of Newstart allowance

significantly lower scores on the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI) compared to national average (by nearly 30 points)

59 %

reported that a physical/ mental health issue prevented them from seeking employment

76%

resided in rental accommodation

87% of adults experienced severe deprivation (unable to afford 5+ essential items)

$180/week paid in rent

41%

of adults experienced extreme deprivation (unable to afford 11+ essential items)

$125/week left over to live on ($17.86/day)

60%

of children experienced severe deprivation (unable to afford 5+ essential items)

Contents List of Tables & Figures

5

Executive Summary

6

Summary of Key Findings

8

Background

9

Methodology

10

  Survey questionnaire

10

  Survey process

10

Data Entry

11

Summary

12

Data Results

14

 Demographics

14

  Income and employment

16

  Accommodation and housing

18

  Financial situation

22

  Social support and wellbeing

27

  Effects of financial distress

30

Discussion

32

Conclusion

38

3

I CAN’T CONTINUE TO LIVE LIKE THIS

List of Tables Table 1:

Living on government income support

Table 2:

Comparative data ESIS 2015 and Australian Personal Wellbeing Index

List of Figures Figure 1:

Gender

Figure 2:

Age range

Figure 3:

Household composition

Figure 4:

Children

Figure 5:

Single headed households

Figure 6:

Couple headed households

Figure 7:

Primary source of income

Figure 8:

Income support

Figure 9:

Barriers to employment

Figure 10:

Housing status

Figure 11:

Subgroups who experienced extreme housing stress

Figure 12:

Financial hardships experienced over the past 12 months

Figure 13:

The essentials of life — what I do without

Figure 14:

The essentials of life — what children do without

Figure 15:

Percentage of people who were deprived of essential household item

Figure 16:

Percentage of people who were deprived of essential items for children

Figure 17:

Percentage of households who experienced extreme deprivation in each subgroup

Figure 18:

Subgroups who experienced poor social support

Figure 19:

Personal Wellbeing Index comparisons

Figure 20:

Subgroups who experienced low Personal Wellbeing Index scores

5

The Salvation Army - ESIS May 2015

I CAN’T CONTINUE TO LIVE LIKE THIS

“Relative poverty in Australia (14.4