Social capital
Most people can be trusted
In 2008, just over 7 in 10 adults (71.5 per cent) felt most people can be trusted. Generally, the proportion of adults who felt most people can be trusted increased with age and decreased with socioeconomic disadvantage. There was no significant difference between males and females. There was no significant difference between rural health areas and urban health areas. A significantly higher proportion of adults in the Northern Sydney & Central Coast (78.7 per cent), North Coast (76.0 per cent), and Greater Southern (76.7 per cent) Area Health Services, and a significantly lower proportion of adults in the Sydney South West Area Health Service (64.1 per cent), felt most people can be trusted, compared with the overall adult population.
Since 2002, there has been a significant increase in the proportion of adults who felt most people can be trusted (65.7 per cent to 71.5 per cent). The increase has been significant in all age groups except 16-34 years, males and females, all socioeconomic quintiles except the fifth or most disadvantaged quintile, and urban and rural health areas.
Since 2007, there has been no significant change in the proportion of adults who felt most people can be trusted.
Visit neighbours
In 2008, just over 6 in 10 adults (62.1 per cent) visited neighbours at least once in the last week. A significantly higher proportion of adults aged 65 years and over (66.4 per cent) visited neighbours at least once in the last week, compared with the overall adult population. A significantly higher proportion of males (64.5 per cent) than females (59.8 per cent) visited neighbours at least once in the last week. There was no significant difference among quintiles of socioeconomic disadvantage. A significantly higher proportion of adults in rural health areas (66.4 per cent) than urban health areas (60.2 per cent) visited neighbours at least once in the last week. A significantly higher proportion of adults in the North Coast Area Health Service (68.5 per cent), and a significantly lower proportion of adults in the Sydney South West (57.2 per cent) and Sydney West (56.9 per cent) Area Health Services, visited neighbours at least once in the last week, compared with the overall adult population.
Since 2002, there has been a significant decrease in the proportion of adults who visited neighbours at least once in the last week (66.3 per cent to 62.1 per cent). The decrease has been significant in adults aged 16-34 years, males and females, the third and fourth and fifth socioeconomic quintiles, and urban and rural health areas.
Since 2007, there has been no significant change in the proportion of adults who visited neighbours at least once in the last week.
Graphs
- Most people can be trusted by age
- Most people can be trusted by socioeconomic disadvantage
- Most people can be trusted by area health service
- Most people can be trusted by year
- Visit neighbours by age
- Visit neighbours by socioeconomic disadvantage
- Visit neighbours by area health service
- Visit neighbours by year
| Source: | New South Wales Population Health Survey 2008 (HOIST). Centre for Epidemiology and Research, NSW Department of Health. |
| Print version: | Although this page can be printed directly from your web browser, a higher quality version is available as a PDF file that can be printed or viewed on screen. |
| Produced by: | Centre for Epidemiology and Research, Population Health Division, NSW Department of Health. |
| Last updated on: | 1 March 2009 |