Many disabled people doing well
Recent results from Stats NZ 2023 Household Disability Survey showed that disabled people continue to fare worse than non-disabled people across many life outcomes. However, it also showed that many disabled people are doing well in many aspects of their lives.
Most disabled people happy and healthy
More than two-thirds (68 percent) of disabled adults (aged 15 years and over) were satisfied or very satisfied with their lives (7-10 on a 0 to 10 scale) and three-quarters (75 percent) said their family is doing well (7-10 on a 0 to 10 scale). In addition, almost two thirds (62 percent) described their health as good, very good, or excellent.
Regular social contact supports wellbeing
Social contact is a key determinant of wellbeing. Over two-thirds of disabled adults had both face-to-face and non-face-to-face contact with family (71 percent) and friends (68 percent) they don’t live with in the last 4 weeks. Most felt that the amount of contact they had with both friends and family was about right.
Most disabled people (87 percent) also said that they find it easy to find friends or family to talk to if they are feeling down, and more than half (59 percent) said they had not felt lonely at all in the previous four weeks.
Many disabled people are satisfied with their homes
Most disabled people were happy with their current house or building (83 percent), or its location (86 percent), and 77 percent were happy with both. Similarly, 77 percent said their home is the right size for their household.
Many disabled people (59 percent) had lived in their current home for at least 5 years, and almost two thirds (64 percent) lived in an owner-occupied home, or a home held in a family trust.
Most disabled people also rated their housing quality highly, for example:
- 75 percent said their home was not damp
- 76 percent said their home did not need major repairs or maintenance
- 91 percent rated the general condition of their home as good or very good.
In addition, disabled people had high levels of access to amenities and telecommunications, with 93 percent reporting access to all seven key amenities (such as a toilet, shower, cooking facilities, safe drinking water), 93 percent having access to a mobile phone and 90 percent access to the internet.
Most disabled people satisfied with their job
More than half (56 percent) of disabled people (aged 15-64 years) had a paid job, with around three quarters (74 percent) of those working full-time (30 hours or more per week). Most employed disabled people (64 percent) were satisfied or very satisfied with their (main) job (4 - 5 on a 5-point scale). Many said they received workplace accommodations such as the ability to vary the tasks they do and vary their work schedule (78 percent and 73 percent, respectively).
More than half of disabled people participate in active leisure activities
Almost all disabled adults (96 percent) had taken part in at least one leisure activity in the last 4 weeks. This includes active leisure activities such as playing sport or doing physical exercise (58 percent), and visiting an outdoor area e.g. beach, park, or nature reserve (67 percent).
Over two thirds (70 percent) had spent time doing hobbies, and 4 out of 5 (81 percent) had visited or gone out with friends, family, or whānau.
Find out more
For more information about key findings from the 2023 Household Disability visit the following links: