Population
Assistance
Need for assistance measures people who report needing help with self-care, body movement, or communication because of a disability, a long-term health condition, or older age. It is a high-needs indicator rather than a general measure of disability.
About this topic
Need for assistance measures people who report needing help with self-care, body movement, or communication because of a disability, a long-term health condition, or older age. It is a high-needs indicator rather than a general measure of disability.
This topic is useful for planning accessible facilities, care services, respite, and support for carers. The measure is based on self-report in the Census, so it should be interpreted with care and read alongside unpaid care and other disability-related indicators.
Interpretation notes
- The measure is self-reported and records need for help with core activities, so it is not a complete measure of disability prevalence.
- It applies to all persons and is strongest as an indicator of higher support need when read with unpaid care and ageing data.
Key insight
In 2021, 75-84 year olds was the most common age group among residents who needed assistance with core activities in Whyalla, accounting for 29.8% (70 people). This share was higher than Whyalla (C) (23.8%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in 55-64 year olds, which increased by 11 people and 1.7 percentage points.
Section overview
Need for assistance with core activities by age
Whyalla - Persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises assistance for Whyalla in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Whyalla (C) and change since 2016.
Chart view
Need for assistance with core activities by age snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Whyalla, with comparison markers for Whyalla (C).
Bars reflect 2021 counts; benchmark rates remain in the metrics.
0-4
5-14
15-19
20-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65-74
75-84
85+
Need for assistance with core activities by age change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
0-4
0
+0.1pp
5-14
+5
+1.6pp
15-19
+2
+1.1pp
20-24
0
+0.1pp
25-34
0
-0.2pp
35-44
-4
-0.5pp
45-54
+5
+1.0pp
55-64
+11
+1.7pp
65-74
+2
-1.5pp
75-84
+6
+1.2pp
85+
-9
-3.2pp
Data table
Assistance for Whyalla. Need for assistance with core activities by age. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Whyalla (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Whyalla (C)% | Count | % | Whyalla (C)% | Count | pp | |
| 0-4 | 3 | 1.9% | 1.4% | 3 | 1.8% | 1.9% | 0 | +0.1pp |
| 5-14 | 22 | 5.5% | 6.1% | 17 | 3.9% | 4.4% | +5 | +1.6pp |
| 15-19 | 7 | 3.4% | 5.6% | 5 | 2.3% | 3.1% | +2 | +1.1pp |
| 20-24 | 3 | 1.7% | 4.0% | 3 | 1.6% | 3.2% | 0 | +0.1pp |
| 25-34 | 12 | 3.2% | 3.5% | 12 | 3.4% | 2.6% | 0 | -0.2pp |
| 35-44 | 12 | 2.9% | 3.6% | 16 | 3.4% | 3.7% | -4 | -0.5pp |
| 45-54 | 18 | 3.2% | 4.9% | 13 | 2.2% | 5.2% | +5 | +1.0pp |
| 55-64 | 28 | 4.9% | 7.4% | 17 | 3.2% | 7.3% | +11 | +1.7pp |
| 65-74 | 38 | 9.8% | 12.4% | 36 | 11.3% | 12.5% | +2 | -1.5pp |
| 75-84 | 70 | 29.8% | 23.8% | 64 | 28.6% | 21.6% | +6 | +1.2pp |
| 85+ | 64 | 55.2% | 46.8% | 73 | 58.4% | 45.7% | -9 | -3.2pp |
| Total | 276 | 7.6% | 7.8% | 265 | 7.3% | 6.8% | +11 | +0.3pp |