4 February 2014

Latest results from the 2013 Census show that the Wellington region has the country’s highest proportion of people who have never married or entered into a civil union, and the highest proportion of people who do unpaid activities.

2013 Census regional summary tables – part 2, released today, gives an interesting impression of the Wellington region and its districts.

“For instance, the Wellington region had the highest proportion of people who did unpaid activities in the four weeks leading up to census day. Nine out of 10 Wellingtonians said they did unpaid activities over that time, such as household work, caring for children or the disabled, or other help or voluntary work for an organisation, group, or marae,” Census Statistics Manager Gareth Meech said.

The results also show that men living in Wellington were the most likely to help around the house. In the four weeks leading up to census day, 85.3 percent of Wellington men did unpaid work for their own household (including cooking, repairs, gardening etc). This compares with 82.4 percent of men nationwide. In contrast, 90.2 percent of Wellington women and 88.8 percent of women nationwide reported doing unpaid work for their own household over the same period.

At the 2013 Census, a higher proportion of Wellingtonians had never been married or in a civil union compared with the rest of the country – 39.0 percent compared with 35 percent nationwide.

“This local breakdown of census information is some of the most important, as it will help communities and service providers plan for the future,” Mr Meech said. “Providers of local services such as health, education, community, and recreational facilities can use census data to form a picture of the region and what it needs to succeed.”

2013 Census regional summary tables – part 2 has more information on topics such as religion, relationship status, occupation, and smoking.

ENDS

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