What are the 16 liveability attributes?

The Community Views survey measures liveability through 16 attributes representing different aspects of what makes somewhere a good place to live. Survey respondents are asked to select which five attributes they believe are most important and how well their local area rates on each one.

These results help us understand what communities value and how they experience those aspects of liveability where they live. They also contribute to the Overall Liveability Index in Community Views.

The 16 attributes

The 16 liveability attributes measured in Community Views are:

Affordable decent housing
Good job prospects
High quality education opportunities
High quality health services
Reliable and efficient public transport
A lack of road congestion
Making your way to and from services such as employment, education and healthcare with relative ease
Social cohesion (e.g. acceptance of multiculturalism, religious groups living in harmony, etc.)
Opportunity for all
A strong sense of community
Access to the natural environment (e.g. rivers, beaches, forests, parks, green spaces)
Cultural facilities such as museums, galleries, festivals, libraries
The ability to view and participate in sports and recreation
Feeling safe
A prosperous economy
A diverse range of shopping, leisure and dining experiences

Key concepts

Importance - your community's top five

Survey respondents are asked to select the five attributes they believe are most important in making somewhere a good place to live.

Because each respondent can select only five, the results show which attributes are most commonly prioritised across the community. The importance result for each attribute is the percentage of respondents who selected it among their top five. For example, if ‘Feeling safe’ has an importance result of 70%, this means 70% of respondents selected it as one of their five most important attributes.

Experience - a 0 to 10 rating

Survey respondents are then asked to rate their local area on each of the 16 liveability attributes, using a scale from 0 (very poor) to 10 (excellent).

The experience result shown in Community Views is the average rating given by respondents for each attribute. Looking across the 16 attributes can help identify areas where respondents report particularly positive experiences, as well as those where experiences are less positive.

Bringing importance and experience together

Importance and experience tell us different but complementary things about liveability. Importance shows what respondents value most, while experience shows how well they believe their local area rates on those attributes.

Looking at the two measures together provides a richer picture of community liveability. An attribute that is highly important and experienced positively can highlight an area of strength for the community. Where an attribute is highly important but experienced less positively, it may warrant greater attention because it matters to respondents but is not being experienced as strongly.

It is important to consider both measures rather than interpreting an experience result in isolation. A relatively low experience score may have different implications depending on how important that attribute is to the community. Looking at importance and experience together can help organisations, councils and industry groups identify aspects of liveability that may warrant greater attention or investment, and provide evidence to support advocacy where improving local experiences requires action from other levels of government or organisations.

The Overall Liveability Index

The importance and experience results are combined to calculate the Overall Liveability Index (OLI), which provides a single measure of liveability scored out of 100. How the index is calculated in detail is covered separately - this article is about the attribute questions that feed it.

Where to find the liveability results in Community Views

The 16 liveability attributes can be explored under the 'Values & Experiences' topic in Community Views. Here you can see which attributes respondents consider most important and how they rate their local area on each one.

Where available, you can also use the platform's comparison options to explore how results differ across local areas and demographic groups, compare results with national, state and regional benchmarks, and track changes across past survey waves.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Do respondents rate all 16 attributes?

A: For experience, yes. Respondents rate their local area on all 16 attributes using a scale from 0 (very poor) to 10 (excellent). For importance, respondents select the five attributes they believe are most important in making somewhere a good place to live.

Q: Why don't the importance percentages add up to 100%?

A: Respondents select five attributes rather than just one, so each respondent contributes to the importance result for five different attributes. This means the percentages across the 16 attributes will not add up to 100%.

Q: Why does the survey ask about importance and experience separately?

A: The two measures tell us different things. Importance shows what respondents value most, while experience shows how well they believe their local area rates on those attributes. Looking at them together provides a richer picture of community liveability and can help identify existing strengths as well as areas that may warrant greater attention.

Q: Does a low experience score mean an attribute should be a priority?

A: Not necessarily. Experience should be considered alongside importance and the local context. An attribute with a relatively low experience score may warrant particular attention when it is also highly important to respondents, while a highly important attribute that is experienced positively may represent an existing community strength.

Q: Where do I find my community's liveability results?

A: Liveability results are available under the 'Values & Experiences' topic in Community Views. Here you can explore importance and experience across the 16 attributes and, where available, compare results by benchmark, local area, demographic group and past survey wave.