Employment
Volunteer work
About this topic
Volunteer work records whether people aged 15 years and over spent time doing voluntary work through an organisation or group in the previous 12 months. It is a measure of formal volunteering, not all informal help between neighbours, family, or friends.
This topic can indicate community participation, social connectedness, and the capacity of local organisations to attract volunteers. The 2021 Census should be interpreted carefully because COVID-19 restrictions reduced volunteering activity in many places.
Interpretation notes
- The Census counts voluntary work through an organisation or group, so it excludes informal help given outside formal organisations.
- The question refers to the previous 12 months for people aged 15 years and over.
- 2021 volunteering levels were affected by COVID-19 restrictions in many places, so change over time needs care.
Related topics
Key insight
In 2021, not volunteering was the most common response among residents aged 15 and over in Townsville (C), accounting for 77.7% (121,126 people). This share was higher than Regional Qld (77.3%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in not volunteering, which increased by 13,425 people and 5.4 percentage points.
Section overview
Volunteer work
Townsville (C) - Persons aged 15+ (Usual residence)
This table summarises volunteer work for Townsville (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Qld and change since 2016.
Volunteer work snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Townsville (C), with comparison markers for Regional Qld.
Total Volunteer
2021 count
20,766
% of total
13.3%
Change from 2016
-5.1pp
20,766
13.3%
-5.1pp
Total Not A Volunteer
2021 count
121,126
% of total
77.7%
Change from 2016
+5.4pp
121,126
77.7%
+5.4pp
Total Voluntary Work Not Stated
2021 count
13,909
% of total
8.9%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
13,909
8.9%
-0.4pp
Chart view
Volunteer work change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Total Volunteer
-6,694
-5.1pp
Total Not A Volunteer
+13,425
+5.4pp
Total Voluntary Work Not Stated
+31
-0.4pp
Data table
Volunteer work for Townsville (C). Volunteer work. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Qld.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | pp | |
| Total Volunteer | 20,766 | 13.3% | 14.4% | 27,460 | 18.4% | 19.1% | -6,694 | -5.1pp |
| Total Not A Volunteer | 121,126 | 77.7% | 77.3% | 107,701 | 72.3% | 71.2% | +13,425 | +5.4pp |
| Total Voluntary Work Not Stated | 13,909 | 8.9% | 8.3% | 13,878 | 9.3% | 9.7% | +31 | -0.4pp |
| Total | 155,798 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 149,046 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +6,752 | 0.0pp |