Are bypassed towns demographically doomed?

Some years ago I wrote a blog about bypassed towns and what happens to their population afterwards. This was inspired by a visit to Winslow, Arizona in 2016. I compared this town with the Hume Highway towns in Victoria. The topic of bypassed towns and how they decline afterwards is captured in popular culture (the movie "Cars" is a great example), but is it the reality? 

Migration trends in Queensland

Queensland was by far Australia's fastest growing state in 2022. This continues trends that have been in place for the last two years. Population growth has been driven primarily by increasing volumes of interstate migration. This blog describes recent population trends in Queensland, with a particular focus on interstate migration.

Australia is definitely losing its religion

When the 2021 Census data was released in July, the number and proportion of the population claiming no religion attracted significant interest. Almost 10 million Australians, or 38.7% of the population, now claim they have no religion. This is an increase of 41% on the 2016 figure. The Census is the only reliable source of data on religion in Australia, and is typically used for planning schools and religious venues. What else does the data tell us about people with no religion?

Volunteering trends in 2021

Data on volunteering has been collected in the Census since 2006. It's a simple question that merely asks whether or not a person has volunteered for an organisation or group in the previous twelve months. Although it doesn't provide an indication of the frequency or nature of volunteering activity, the Census data does provide good data on the demographic characteristics of volunteers.  What does the 2021 Census tells us about volunteering in Australia?

Population trends in South Australia

Australia's population continues to be influenced by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the policy changes implemented to control the spread. Historically, South Australia has grown at a modest rate, and its population has an older age profile. But more recently, the state has recorded small gains from interstate migration. Will this make a difference to the ageing trend? 

What's happened to Australia's young adults?

It goes without saying that the impacts of COVID on population change have been profound. Not only has Australia recorded a net loss of overseas migrants but there have been changes in the age structure as a result. In 2019-20, the population of young adults in Australia declined. This blog looks at the scale of this trend and where the impact has been felt more strongly.

Tasmania is the oldest state in Australia

Despite recent growth driven by migration, Tasmania remains the oldest state in Australia. It has the highest median age, reaching 42.3 years in 2020. One in five people are aged 65 years and over. The age structure of a region, and how it's changing, is an important consideration in service planning. This blog uses recently released population data by the ABS to look at variations in the age structure across Tasmania.

Australia's overseas born communities in 2020

The ABS has recently released new data on the size of Australia's overseas born communities. At June 2020, there were 7.65 million people in Australia who were born overseas, comprising 29.8% of the population. Where were these people born? What are the fastest growing communities? What is their age structure? How does this relate to the 2021 Census? Read on to find out.

Is the Gold Coast full of retirees?

The Gold Coast - an urban conglomeration of coastal towns and suburbs, is a sprawling settlement located in South East Queensland. It is Australia's largest urban centre that is not a state capital. It is roughly half the size of Adelaide, and almost three times the size of Hobart. The Gold Coast has a reputation as a retirement destination with an elderly population, but how true is this perception? What are the characteristics of population change on the Gold Coast population in the 21st century?

Where do older people live?

In common with many western countries, Australia's population is ageing. This is typically shown by increases in both the number and proportion of older people. But older people are not a homogenous group - they show a wide range of diversity with regard to their social and economic characteristics. This blog will use the latest population data released by the ABS to look at characteristics of the older population in Australia, as well as their spatial distribution in South Australia.

Which LGA has the longest standing boundary?

Changes to local government boundaries (LGAs) are a thorn in the side to any researcher interested in time series analysis.  Depending on the scale of the change, adjustments need to be made to the data in order to make it comparable.  On a recent day trip to the historic town of Queenscliff, I was reminded that the Borough of Queenscliffe (the spelling is different) was the only LGA in Victoria to emerge from the reforms of the 1990s unscathed.  It made me wonder - is this the longest standing stable LGA boundary in Australia, or is there another contender?  I go on a quest to find out.

Half of South Australia's population is aged over 40 years

South Australia has one of the oldest populations in Australia, with a median age of 40 years in 2018. But age structures and settlement patterns differ across the State - some areas are younger, and some are older.  This blog looks at the recent release of ERP data by age and sex, with a focus on South Australia and the mining community of Roxby Downs.

Four generations of demographic change in Australia

The release of the historical population data by the ABS allows us to look at where we've come from to where we are today - with a demographic spin.  Since 1926, the Australian population has grown considerably, both in size and maturity.  Using 30 years to approximate a generation, this blog looks at three generations of change since 1926, and one generation into the future - 2046.

The Maori population in Australia

One of the great attributes of Census data is the ability to look at the characteristics of Australia's ethnic communities.  In many cases there is simply no other data source available.  Ethnic communities are typically measured through birthplace, language and/or ancestry, and Census data has the added advantage in that many variables can be cross-tabulated to provide rich insights into these communities.  This blog uses 2016 Census data to examine some of the characteristics of the Maori community in Australia.

Australia and Japan - a demographic comparison

When I travel, I like to look beyond the tourist realm.  Naturally, I'm drawn to the demographics of the country I'm in, such as the population, how it's changing, how people live, and how they get around.  I recently travelled to Japan, a country that is culturally, socially and historically very different from Australia.  But how does it compare from a demographic perspective?  Fortunately, the Statistics of Japan website (where I've sourced the statistics) is also in English, so I was able to obtain a lot of interesting data for my readers.

Hobart and Launceston - compare the pair

Tasmania's urban hierarchy is distinctive in that there are two major cities, Hobart and Launceston.  This is unusual in the Australian context as many states have a state capital that is many times larger than the next largest urban centre (urban primacy).  Both cities were established in the early 1800s.  Over the last two hundred years, despite their different histories and economic fortunes, they have grown into the major cities they are today.  From a demographic perspective, how different are Hobart and Launceston?  To paraphrase a superannuation commercial, let's "compare the pair".

Are inner city areas attracting older residents?

If I had a dollar for every time I was told that older people are downsizing in droves and leaving the suburbs for the inner city, I'd be a much richer person.  This perception has persisted despite the evidence to the contrary.  Every so often an article will appear in a newspaper that perpetuates the myth.  The most recent example appeared in the SMH and used a case study approach to illustrate how the inner suburbs are changing through in-migration of older persons, and how this might continue into the future.  While there's little doubt that the individuals in these articles did make such a move, but is really it a trend?  Let's have a look at the evidence, using inner Sydney as a case study.

Australia's African population - who are they?

It seems you can barely turn on the TV or read a newspaper these days without some mention of the African crime wave, particularly in Melbourne.  For such a small population, they certainly seem to grab their fair share of headlines.  But describing people as "African" is not helpful.  The diversity of the continent means that "African" can describe a multitude of different people.  Furthermore, an ethnic community can be measured in different ways.  So who are the Africans in Australia?  What are their characteristics?  Read on to find out more.

Birth numbers in Australia remain high

Last week the ABS released its annual births publication.  This is an important demographic release as it not only contains data on the number of births, but also where they occur and to whom.  Despite a decline in the total fertility rate (TFR) over the course of this decade, birth numbers/registrations remain high.  What trends do the latest data reveal?

The young and the old - how age structures differ across NSW

Recently I published a blog that looked at the importance of considering age alongside other social variables in order to give it more context.  This blog will continue the age theme, but look at examples of different age structures across NSW.  The data is sourced from the ABS release Regional Population by age and sex (ABS Cat. no. 3235.0) and as such uses the 2017 ERP (Estimated Resident Population - the official figure) rather than the Census figure.