More than half of the 15% of Australians caring for an aged relative are paying some form of cost - in problems at work or in their family life. More than a third are worried they will become a burden on their family later in life.
The ANU Poll estimates 15% of Australians are giving care to an aged member of their family.
More than half report caring responsibilities are causing problems in their personal and work lives.
39% worry at least sometimes that they will become a burden on their family later in life.
More women than men say they worry at least a bit about becoming a burden when aged.
There are clearly costs to caring for an aged relative. Almost a third - 30 per cent - of respondents say providing care has a negative impact on their employment. 37 per cent say it has an impact on their family. Nearly half - 49 per cent - say it has a negative impact on other aspects of their lives.
More women than men report a negative impact on their work and other activities, while more men say it negatively impacts their family life.
It’s a problem that could grow with nearly half of respondents saying they may need to provide care in the future.
The prospect they may become the ones cared for worries nearly 40 per cent of Australians on some level. 10 per cent of those worry about the possibility a lot. Even young adults worry about it with only a minority (41 per cent of 18-24 year olds and 43 per cent of those aged 25-34) saying it never concerned them.
Women are more concerned than men, and there is a strong association between the level of financial well-being of the household in which the person lives and their concern about being a burden to their family in the future.
People on lower incomes are more worried about being a burden. 20 per cent of women in lower income households worry a lot, while only three per cent of those living in the most affluent households do.
While men worry less, the difference according to income is starker than for women. 13 per cent in the lowest income households worry a lot about becoming a burden, four per cent in middle income households but none of the respondents in higher income households do.