Participating

Taking part in the Living in Australia study involves answering questions about many different topics, such as education, employment, retirement, income, family, and how you feel about different aspects of your life.

Your interviewer will ask everyone in your household aged 15 years or older to answer these questions. This usually takes about 35 minutes.

One person in your household will also be asked a few questions about the household in general. This usually takes about 10 minutes to answer.

Depending on your circumstances, we will visit you next year to find out about your life in the last 12 months. To keep you up-to-date with the study's news and results, you will also be sent a copy of the Living in Australia newsletter next year.

If you would like a copy of the latest newsletter please ask your interviewer.

What will you ask me about?

The four big areas that affect all of us are:

• Who we share our lives with;
• What we do with our time;
• How we manage financially; and
• What we think are the good and bad things about our lives.

To understand the things that affect you, our interviewers ask questions about how you feel about various parts of your life.

Our aim is to find out how things are changing in Australia. To do this we need to ask many of the same questions every year. Surprisingly, when people think nothing has changed and they are asked the same questions, we often find that things have changed.

Our thanks to you

We greatly appreciate the time you spend with our interviewers each year.

As a thank-you for your participation, you will receive a $50 gift after your interview. You will receive an additional $20 after you have completed and returned the Self- Completion Questionnaire, either as hardcopy or an online survey.

If we interview you in person, we will offer your thank-you gift as cash. If we interview you via telephone, we will offer your thank-you gift as your choice of E-gift card, cheque or charitable donation.

Just turned 15?

Young people, such as you, are critical to the future of Australia. By sharing your unique experience you are assisting all young Australians to influence their future.

If you have turned 15 (as at 30th June), we want to talk to you! Whether you are still at school, just started work, or trying to figure out your next steps, you can make sure that young people in Australia are represented in this important study.

For your time, you will receive a $50 gift in thanks for your participation. In addition, you will receive an extra $20 gift when you complete a Self-Completion Questionnaire.