Janeen Baxter

"HILDA is a unique data source that has changed the face of Australian social research and will be vital for improving the lives of Australian families and children for years to come."

Information collected in the HILDA survey provides invaluable information for community organisations, academic researchers and policy makers concerned with improving the lives of individuals and families in Australia. The data are extremely high quality, thanks to the dedication of the researchers designing the survey, the interviewers, and those of you who generously donate your time to complete the surveys.

As Director of a major new national research centre designed to understand the ways in which families experience and respond to social changes throughout their lives, I am very aware of the importance of collecting information from the same individuals over time.

We know that children who are born into families who experience social disadvantage are more likely to experience disadvantage themselves when they grow up. But we don’t know very much about how this happens, or why some individuals break out of the cycle of disadvantage while others do not. It is only by collecting information from individuals as they experience life’s ups and downs that we are really able to understand the opportunities and challenges that they face and how their experiences affect others in their families.

HILDA is a unique data source that has changed the face of Australian social research and will be vital for improving the lives of Australian families and children for years to come.

Professor Janeen Baxter
Director, ARC Centre for Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course