Health, Wellbeing and Disadvantage

While standards of living are at a historical high, significant diversity exists within the population, as individuals are exposed to different opportunities and experiences over the life course.  This research theme is broadly divided into three strands. The first aims to develop and refine measures of wellbeing and economic opportunity in Australia. The second strand focuses on barriers to economic participation by disadvantaged subgroups and how their access to economic opportunities might be improved. Subgroups of interest include people living in poverty, sole parents, long-term older renters, the unemployed, and people with disabilities. The third strand looks more broadly at the links between health and wellbeing and economic or social participation. For instance, how do health conditions affect future economic and social outcomes? What role do working conditions (e.g. flexible working practices) play in driving life satisfaction? What are the employment outcomes of people with caring responsibilities?

Related Publications

See All
Remote housing for Indigenous children in the Fitzroy Valley, Western Australia: A case study Michael Dockery, Erica Sykes Poor-quality and overcrowded housing in remote communities in Australia is widely seen to negatively impact Indigenous children’s health and development. Despite widespread reports of, in some instances, quite appalling housing conditions, recent analyses of data from the Longitudinal Study of... Read article 22 December 2022Journal Articles Read More
Understanding utility hardship Graham Hansen, Eva Perroni, Silvia Salazar Access to energy and water is essential for people’s health, wellbeing and security, and to meet all of their basic needs. This is recognised in the United Nations Development, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable which sets out the goals of ensuring... Read article 9 December 2022Research Reports Read More
Inequality and access to services for remote populations: An Australian case study Julieta Rottemberg, Milad Ghasri, Hanna Grzybowska, Michael Dockery, Travis Waller Almost half of the world population lives in rural and remote areas facing more challenging and hazardous life conditions than the rest of the population. This paper and proposed method contribute to addressing an apparent gap in modelling travel-related decisions... Read article 13 October 2022Journal Articles Read More
Exposure to conflict and child health outcomes: evidence from a large multi-country study Srinivas Goli, Astghik Mavisakalyan, Anu Rammohan, Lili Loan Vu Previous research has consistently found evidence of poor health outcomes among children living in conflict areas. However, the methodological focus of these studies has largely been on case studies, chart or registry reviews, qualitative studies, and single country studies. This... Read article 10 October 2022Journal Articles Read More
2022 Women’s Report Card Alan Duncan, Daniel Kiely, Silvia Salazar The 2022 Women’s Report Card sets out the status and current state of play of women in Western Australia, and in doing so, helps to track progress to achieving better outcomes for women. As is the case to varying degrees... Read article 4 August 2022Research Reports Read More
How many in a crowd? Assessing overcrowding measures in Australian housing Michael Dockery, Megan Moskos, Linda Isherwood, Mark Harris This research assesses the measurement of overcrowding in Australia and explores the relationships between various household density measures and the wellbeing of occupants. Indicators of the incidence or severity of household crowding in Australia actually measure occupant density—the ratio of... Read article 28 July 2022Research Reports Read More