2015 Annual Household Survey Epping North Community Profile - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

2015 Annual Household Survey Epping North Community Profile Presentation to the Epping North Community Network Joanna Stubbings – Research Unit 18 November 2015

About the survey • Conducted annually since 1997 • 2015 sample size : – 5,353 urban-households approached in person to participate:  2,199 unattended, 1,141 refused, 1,513 surveys distributed  924 completed surveys (61.1%) – 500 surveys mailed-out to households in the Rural North  91 completed surveys (18.2%) – Total of 1,000 households covering 2,878 individual residents • Lower response rate for Epping North households (49.4%) • Main new topics in 2015: – ATSI status – Public transport – Housing affordability – Open space – Gambling

Demographic & Socio- economic Profile 3

Median Age

The household structure within the LGA is comprised mainly of 2 parent families • 47% were family households in CoW , higher in Epping North • Take away message: Importance of access to a range of quality services for families

The cultural diversity within precincts differs widely and is most prominent in established suburbs 2.3% identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander in Epping North, higher than LGA average (1.2%)

Housing situation Median weekly rent/mortgage payment : $411 in Epping North vs $374 in CoW High % of mortgagee h’holds : 55.7% Highest % of rental h’holds in LGA : 29.1% Intentions to move house in the next year highest in Epping North: 17.2% vs 11.2% in CoW Largest % of heavy housing-related financial stress recorded in Thomastown (28%) & Bundoora (24%) 16.4% of Epping North households report heavy housing financial stress 7

Employment characteristics – Epping North Highest % of residents with a Bachelor /Higher Degree in LGA (46.6% in Epping North vs 25.8% in CoW) 3 rd Highest median weekly personal income - $662 compared with $581 for CoW, $427 for Lalor 26.9% employed as ‘professionals’ , average for CoW is 22.1% Low proportion of unemployed respondents (3.0% compared with 4.8% for CoW) 23.1% of Epping North employees work locally in CoW, 35.5% work in Inner Melbourne 23.0% of employed residents reported their 2-way commute to work takes >90 minutes

HEALTH & RECREATION 9

Lifestyle factors – Epping North Lowest rate of people with a permanent / long term disability (12.0%), LGA average (17.9%) Highest % of respondents acting in a carer role 20.1%, CoW average (11%) 38.8% of Epping North residents participated in less than 1 hour of moderate to vigorous activity in the last week (CoW = 35.5%) 66.0% satisfied with current employment but 10.9% felt commute time too long – highest in CoW (5.8%)

Food security Ran out of food in the last twelve months by precinct City of Whittlesea - 2015 Household Survey 18% 16.7% Every month 16% Seven to eleven 14% Two to six Once 12% 10.8% 10% 8.0% 7.5% 8% 6.0% 5.8% 6% 5.1% 4.8% 4% 2.4% 2.4% 2.2% 2% 1.3% 0%

Perception of safety in public areas Safety in public areas of the City of Whittlesea during the day and at night Rating During the day At night Epping North CoW Epping North CoW Very safe 33.0% 31.8% 11.9% 7.1% Somewhat safe 42.9% 37.8% 25.7% 23.8% Neutral 14.7% 22.3% 26.6% 27.6% Somewhat unsafe 6.3% 6.1% 19.7% 28.6% Very unsafe 3.1% 2.1% 16.1% 12.8% Most unsafe locations in Epping North : • Local parks (45.1%) • Walking/cycling paths (34.5%) • Train stations (35.6%) • Bus or tram stops (24%) • Local shops (15.3%)

SENSE OF COMMUNITY 13

Increasing sense of community Epping North generally has sense of community scores similar to the CoW average but lower than the other growth areas of Mernda and Doreen Agreement with selected sense of community statements City of Whittlesea - 2015 Household Survey (Index score scale 0 - 10) 10 9 8 6.56 6.40 6.26 6.09 7 5.91 5.47 5.47 5.44 5.39 5.29 6 4.93 4.78 4.28 5 4 3 2 1 0

Sense of Community Aspect Epping North CoW Community has a distinct character, it’s special place 5.82 5.91 My/our neighbourhood has a strong sense of community 5.37 5.47 People in my community get involved in local issues 5.23 4.93 I/we participate in community activities & events 4.44 4.28 I/we feel part of the local community 5.17 5.29 In times of need, I/we could turn to the neighbours for help 6.01 6.26 Most people in my local community can be trusted 5.52 5.47 People in my neighbourhood are accepting of people from 6.32 6.40 other cultural/religious backgrounds I/we often stop & chat with someone from my local community 5.71 6.09 It is easy to find out what services are available for residents 5.21 5.39 It is easy to find out about activities & events available locally 5.24 5.44 There are opportunities to have a real say on issues that are 4.94 4.78 important to us 15 I/we have adequate time to spend with family/friends 5.88 6.56

Time to spend with family / friends 16

Community facilities & spaces 27.9% of Epping North households report visiting a local library at least once per month Growth area households (Doreen & Epping North) more likely to report frequent use of local open spaces Barriers to visiting Council facilities and spaces City of Whittlesea - 2015 Household Survey (Number and percent of total respondent households) Local open spaces Sports & rec.facilities Libraries Response Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Too far to travel from home 55 5.5% 58 5.8% 84 8.4% Lack of time 225 22.5% 190 19.0% 195 19.5% They are uninviting 56 5.6% 44 4.4% 21 2.1% Personal safety concerns 129 12.9% 46 4.6% 12 1.2% No car parking available 39 3.9% 32 3.2% 15 1.5% Facilities are not properly maintained 74 7.4% 48 4.8% 5 0.5% Too difficult to access due to traffic 44 4.4% 36 3.6% 30 3.0% Facilities do not appeal / meet our needs 82 8.2% 87 8.7% 61 6.1% Lack of public transport 49 4.9% 39 3.9% 32 3.2% Accessibility problems 21 2.1% 15 1.5% 3 0.3% Other 25 2.5% 22 2.2% 16 1.6% Total responses 799 617 474 451 (45.1%) 381 (38.1%) 342 (34.2%) Respondents identifying at least one barrier

Issues for Council These are residents’ priorities for Council, not a list of complaints 18

CoW top issues for community reflect the Council’s advocacy priorities Metro. Melbourne Response 2015 2014 2015 Traffic management 28.3% 29.9% 24.9% Roads maintenance and repairs 20.0% 6.6% 5.3% Public transport 18.6% 17.1% 4.7% Up sharply Safety, policing, crime and drugs 13.6% 7.6% 8.4% Parking 11.6% 7.2% 14.1% Council rates 6.6% 3.9% 3.3% Parks, gardens and open space 6.1% 2.7% 5.8% Lighting 5.8% 2.7% 6.9% Education and schools 4.2% 3.4% 1.6% Rubbish and waste issues inc. garbage 3.4% 3.8% 2.5% Building, planning, housing and development 3.4% 1.8% 8.8% Street trees maintenance and provision 2.8% 1.6% 5.4% Footpath maintenance and repairs 2.6% 1.8% 5.9% General cleanliness and maintenance of areas 2.6% 1.3% 4.8% Employment and job creation 2.1% 1.6% 0.2% Provision & maintenance of general infrastructure 2.0% 1.7% 1.0% Sports, leisure or recreation centres 1.9% 1.9% 1.8% Shops, restaurants and entertainment venues 1.8% 1.6% 0.8% Animal management 1.7% 0.7% 3.0% Financial issues and priorities for Council 1.7% 0.4% 0.9% 19 Traffic management, roads and public transport continue to dominate, however safety issues increased

Issues for Epping North Top Ten Issues to address in the next 12 months by precinct 20

Summary • Young population , consisting of predominately couple families with young children • Highest percent of overseas born • High % of mortgagee households • Average income ($662) earners and a high proportion of professionals • Low rates of unemploymen t • Longer commute times to work , resulting in perceived lack of time for family/friends • Higher perceptions of safety in public areas • Main issues of concern relate to public transport and roads 21

QUESTIONS Full report: https://www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au/about-whittlesea/demographics-and- statistics/~/media/Files/About%20Whittlesea/Annual%20Household%20Survey%20- %20Full%20Report.pdf Highlights Bulletin: https://www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au/about-whittlesea/demographics-and- statistics/~/media/Files/About%20Whittlesea/Annual%20Household%20Survey%20- %20Summary.pdf