Participant demographics

CX research has focused on recruiting a broad and diverse range of participants. This page includes research participant figures and percentages for demographic information, financial literacy, energy literacy, digital use and CDR behavioural archetypes.

From Q4 2018 to Q3 2025, 1065 unique participants have been engaged for CX research. 20 of these participants have been reengaged on 2+ occasions. The figures and percentages on this page draw from a pool of 956 participants.

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On this page

Approach

A broad and diverse range of participants were recruited to help reduce bias and research out risk. A ‘no edge cases’ approach has been taken; deeming certain groups and needs as not important is antithetical to the design of an inclusive Consumer Data Right (CDR). Instead of focusing on those who are already likely and able to adopt CDR, the research focuses on removing the barriers to CDR being inclusive and accessible, which will make CDR easier and simpler to access for everyone.

The recruitment process strives to reflect the demographic percentages outlined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), and explicitly includes those who may be experiencing vulnerability or disadvantage.

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How do we define vulnerability?

Demographic information

Age group

We ask participants to indicate their age group.

We collect and use this information to recruit a diverse representation of Australia's population.

Age group	Related population group	# of participants	% of participants	% of Australian population
18–24*	Young adult	97	10.1%	6.7%
25–34	Middle adulthood	203	21.2%	14.9%
35–44	Middle adulthood	229	24%	13.4%
45–54	Older adulthood to average retirement	132	13.8%	12.6%
55–64	Older adulthood to average retirement	151	15.8%	11.6%
65–74	Retirement	102	10.7%	9.2%
75 and over	Retirement	42	4.4%	7.1%

Table 1 values are attributed to ABS Age Standard and ABS Population estimates by age and sex.

Location

We ask participants to indicate their state or territory, area and postcode.

We collect and use this information to recruit a diverse representation of Australia's population.

State or territory	# of participants	% of participants	% of Australian population
New South Wales	240	25.1%	31.8%
Victoria	202	21.1%	25.9%
Queensland	204	21.3%	20.2%
South Australia	109	11.4%	6.9%
Western Australia	87	9.1%	10.4%
Tasmania	33	3.5%	2.1%
Northern Territory	19	2%	1%
Australian Capital Territory	62	6.5%	1.7%

Table 2 values are attributed to ABS State and territories population.

Statistical Area (aggregated)	Related cohort	# of participants	% of participants	% of Australian population
Greater Capital City	• Metropolitan or inner city; • Suburban or outer city	720	75.3%	67.7%
Rest of State or Territory	• Rural; • Large town; • Small or remote town	236	24.7%	32.3%

Table 3 values are attributed to ABS Greater Capital City Statistical Area.

Gender

We ask participants to indicate their gender identity, expression and experience as a man, woman or non-binary person.

The terms sex and gender are interrelated and often used interchangeably, however they are two distinct concepts. ABS population estimates by sex have used as a baseline for participant recruitment.

We collect and use this information to recruit a diverse representation of Australia's population.

Gender	# of participants	% of participants	% of Australian population
Man	448	46.9%	49.6%
Woman	486	50.8%	50.4%
Non-binary or gender fluid	20	2.1%	0%
Different term	1	0.1%	0%
Undisclosed	1	0.1%	0%

Table 4 values are attributed to ABS Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation Variables and ABS Population estimates by age and sex.

Background identity

We ask participants to indicate their cultural identity, accessibly needs and/or sexual orientation. We infer that these characteristics may impact a person's wellbeing and social experiences, access to employment, education and other services.

We collect and use this information to recruit a diverse representation of Australia's population.

Population characteristic	Related cohort	# of participants	% of participants	% of Australian population
Migrants living in Australia who were born overseas	I migrated to Australia from another country	255	27.6%	29.8%
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians	I am of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent	55	6%	3.3%
Accessibility needs (any limitation, restriction or impairment which restricts everyday activities and has lasted, or is likely to last, for at least six months)	I have accessibility needs	74	8%	17.7%
Sexual orientation (described themselves as being gay, lesbian or bisexual)	I am LGBTQI+	118	12.8%	4%

Table 5 values are attributed to multiple datasets; ABS Migration, Australia, ABS Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, ABS Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia [10] and ABS General Social Survey: Summary Results, Australia.

Household

We ask participants to indicate their household and family situation to infer factors that may influence financial decisions.

We collect and use this information to recruit a diverse representation of Australia's population.

Households, families and persons	# of participants	% of participants	% of Australian population
Lone person household	88	11.6%	9.1%
Group households and Other families (e.g. adult siblings only)	67	8.8%	3.7%
Couple families with no children	179	23.6%	24.2%
Couple families with dependant children	261	34.4%	43.7%
One parent families with dependant and non-dependant children	65	8.6%	10.9%
Couple families with non-dependant children	63	8.3%	7.7%

Table 6 values are attributed to ABS Family characteristics and transitions.

Financial stress

We ask participants to indicate their household's financial situation. Financial stress experienced by households is measured through a range of indicators including: the inability to raise $2,000 for something important, whether a household has experienced a cash flow problem in the last 12 months and whether a household took a dissaving action in the last 12 months. This follows methodology used in ABS General Social Survey.

We collect and use this information to recruit a diverse representation of Australia's population.

Cohort	# of participants	% of participants	Proportion of households (average)
Not experienced financial stress	482	59.8%	79.1%
Experienced financial stress	328	40.7%	20.8%

Table 7 values are attributed to ABS General Social Survey: Summary Results, Australia and ABS General Social Survey: Summary Results, Australia methodology.

Employment status

We ask participants to indicate their employment type to infer factors that may influence financial decisions.

We collect and use this information to recruit a diverse representation of Australia's population.

Potential workers	Related cohort	# of participants	% of participants	% of Australians 15+
Employed	• Employed by a company (full-time or part-time); • Self-employed as a sole trader, freelancer or contractor; • Self-employed with a small business that employs other people	570	77.1%	62.8%
Not employed	• Unemployed; • Permanently unable to work; • Temporarily not working but has a job to go to, or return to; • Retired	174	23.5%	37.2%

Table 8 values are for the population who were 15 years or over and attributed to ABS Potential workers.

Financial sector

We ask participants to indicate the types of accounts they hold as well as their relationship with other account holders. Experience with the financial sector is measured through a range of indicators including: bill comprehension, frequency of interactions, variety of interactions, and use of additional products or services. We infer that these factors may influence a person's comprehension of data language and likelihood to use the CDR.

We collect and use this information to recruit a diverse representation of Australia's population.

Level of financial literacy	# of participants	% of participants
Low financial literacy	23	19.3%
Medium financial literacy	32	26.9%
High financial literacy	64	53.8%

Energy sector

We ask participants to indicate the types of accounts they hold as well as energy retailer. Experience with the energy sector is measured through a range of indicators including: bill comprehension, frequency of interactions, variety of interactions, and use of additional products or services. We infer that these indicators may influence a person's comprehension of data language and likelihood to use the CDR.

We collect and use this information to recruit a diverse representation of Australia's population.

Level of energy literacy	# of participants	% of participants
Low energy literacy	65	33.9%
Medium energy literacy	11	5.7%
High energy literacy	116	60.4%

Digital use

We ask participants to indicate their Digital Ability and importance of privacy when choosing a digital service. We infer that these factors may influence a person's propensity to share data and likelihood to use the CDR.

We collect and use this information to recruit a diverse representation of Australia's population.

Digital ability

Digital ability captures both the confidence with which we use the internet and associated technologies, and the extent to which they are integrated into our lives.

Digital ability is measured based on Attitudes, Basic Skills, and Activities. This follows methodology used in Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII) Single Source survey.

Level of digital ability	# of participants	% of participants
Low digital ability	12	2.9%
Medium digital ability	56	13.7%
High digital ability	342	83.4%

Importance of privacy when choosing a digital service

Concerns around privacy of information are even more prevalent in the digital space. Importance of privacy is based on a scale of "Not important" to "Extremely important". This follows methodology used in Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) Australian Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey (ACAPS).

Level of privacy importance	Related cohort	# of participants	% of participants	% of Australians 18+
Low privacy importance	• Don’t know; • Not important	42	4.9%	5%
Medium privacy importance	Quite important	214	25.1%	26%
High privacy importance	• Very important; • Extremely important	597	70.1%	70%

Table 12 values are for the population who were 18 years or over and attributed to OAIC ACAPS.

CDR behavioural archetypes

User archetypes are useful tools to segment and succinctly describe the different drivers, behaviours and needs observed throughout research. CDR behavioural archetypes are representations of actions and general attitudes toward data sharing.

Participants were given questions to assess their attitude towards the CDR process and proposed use case.

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Approach

Participants complete survey questions to self-assess their attitudes towards data sharing, privacy, general trust in Government and Industry, as well as digital adoption habits. Participant responses are used to assign them to one of the 4 CDR behavioural archetypes.

Archetype	Description	# of participants	% of participants
⬛ Sceptic	`Low propensity to share` Sceptics are less trusting of organisations and/or technology. They generally value control, and are adverse to data sharing based on experience with current practices.	87	21.2%
🟧 Assurance seeker	`Medium Low propensity to share` Assurance seekers want to read additional information. They generally value familiarity and external reference/support, and are apprehensive to new experiences.	199	48.5%
🟨 Sensemaker	`Medium High propensity to share` Sensemakers need to understand how the process works. They generally value details, and can trust the process if given enough valuable information.	117	28.5%
🟪 Enthusiast	`High propensity to share` Enthusiasts are excited to get the benefits of CDR. They generally value simple experiences once trust is established.	17	4.1%

Further information about our approach, descriptions and design rationale can be found on Behavioural archetypes.

About this page

References

Title	Author	Date published	URL	Type
Age Standard, Underlying concepts	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Mar 11, 2014	abs.gov.au	Other
Family characteristics and transitions, Family characteristics, Families	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Feb 26, 2015	abs.gov.au	Other
ABS.Stat Beta, ERP by SA2 and above (ASGS 2016), 2001 onwards	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Jan 1, 2016	stat.data.abs.gov.au	Other
Language Standards	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Aug 3, 2016	abs.gov.au	Other
Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Aug 31, 2018	abs.gov.au	Other
Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Oct 24, 2019	abs.gov.au	Other
Measuring Australia's Digital Divide 2020	Australian Digital Inclusion Index	Jan 1, 2020	digitalinclusionindex.org.au	Other
Vulnerable persons or people	Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission	Jan 1, 2021	www.acnc.gov.au	Other
Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation Variables	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Jan 14, 2021	abs.gov.au	Other
Migration, Australia, Key findings	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Apr 23, 2021	abs.gov.au	Other
General Social Survey: Summary Results, Australia	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Jun 29, 2021	abs.gov.au	Other
General Social Survey: Summary Results, Australia methodology	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Jun 29, 2021	abs.gov.au	Other
National, state and territory population, States and territories	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Jul 7, 2021	abs.gov.au	Other
Potential workers	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Jul 7, 2021	abs.gov.au	Other
Regional population by age and sex, Data cubes, Population estimates by age and sex, by SA2, 2020	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Aug 27, 2021	abs.gov.au	Other
Australian Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey 2023	Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)	Aug 1, 2023	oaic.gov.au	Other

Last updated

This page was updated @Sep 12, 2025

Quick links to CX Guidelines:

Accessibility statement

→ cx@dsb.gov.au → cx.dsb.gov.au | cds.gov.au

The Consumer Data Standards Program is part of Treasury. Copyright © Commonwealth of Australia 2023. The information provided on this website is licensed for re-distribution and re-use in accordance with Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0) Licence.

Participant demographics

CX research has focused on recruiting a broad and diverse range of participants. This page includes research participant figures and percentages for demographic information, financial literacy, energy literacy, digital use and CDR behavioural archetypes.

‣

On this page

Approach

‣

How do we define vulnerability?

Demographic information

Age group

We ask participants to indicate their age group.

We collect and use this information to recruit a diverse representation of Australia's population.

Age group	Related population group	# of participants	% of participants	% of Australian population
18–24*	Young adult	97	10.1%	6.7%
25–34	Middle adulthood	203	21.2%	14.9%
35–44	Middle adulthood	229	24%	13.4%
45–54	Older adulthood to average retirement	132	13.8%	12.6%
55–64	Older adulthood to average retirement	151	15.8%	11.6%
65–74	Retirement	102	10.7%	9.2%
75 and over	Retirement	42	4.4%	7.1%

Table 1 values are attributed to ABS Age Standard and ABS Population estimates by age and sex.

Location

We ask participants to indicate their state or territory, area and postcode.

We collect and use this information to recruit a diverse representation of Australia's population.

State or territory	# of participants	% of participants	% of Australian population
New South Wales	240	25.1%	31.8%
Victoria	202	21.1%	25.9%
Queensland	204	21.3%	20.2%
South Australia	109	11.4%	6.9%
Western Australia	87	9.1%	10.4%
Tasmania	33	3.5%	2.1%
Northern Territory	19	2%	1%
Australian Capital Territory	62	6.5%	1.7%

Table 2 values are attributed to ABS State and territories population.

Statistical Area (aggregated)	Related cohort	# of participants	% of participants	% of Australian population
Greater Capital City	• Metropolitan or inner city; • Suburban or outer city	720	75.3%	67.7%
Rest of State or Territory	• Rural; • Large town; • Small or remote town	236	24.7%	32.3%

Table 3 values are attributed to ABS Greater Capital City Statistical Area.

Gender

We ask participants to indicate their gender identity, expression and experience as a man, woman or non-binary person.

The terms sex and gender are interrelated and often used interchangeably, however they are two distinct concepts. ABS population estimates by sex have used as a baseline for participant recruitment.

We collect and use this information to recruit a diverse representation of Australia's population.

Gender	# of participants	% of participants	% of Australian population
Man	448	46.9%	49.6%
Woman	486	50.8%	50.4%
Non-binary or gender fluid	20	2.1%	0%
Different term	1	0.1%	0%
Undisclosed	1	0.1%	0%

Table 4 values are attributed to ABS Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation Variables and ABS Population estimates by age and sex.

Background identity

We collect and use this information to recruit a diverse representation of Australia's population.

Population characteristic	Related cohort	# of participants	% of participants	% of Australian population
Migrants living in Australia who were born overseas	I migrated to Australia from another country	255	27.6%	29.8%
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians	I am of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent	55	6%	3.3%
Accessibility needs (any limitation, restriction or impairment which restricts everyday activities and has lasted, or is likely to last, for at least six months)	I have accessibility needs	74	8%	17.7%
Sexual orientation (described themselves as being gay, lesbian or bisexual)	I am LGBTQI+	118	12.8%	4%

Household

We ask participants to indicate their household and family situation to infer factors that may influence financial decisions.

We collect and use this information to recruit a diverse representation of Australia's population.

Households, families and persons	# of participants	% of participants	% of Australian population
Lone person household	88	11.6%	9.1%
Group households and Other families (e.g. adult siblings only)	67	8.8%	3.7%
Couple families with no children	179	23.6%	24.2%
Couple families with dependant children	261	34.4%	43.7%
One parent families with dependant and non-dependant children	65	8.6%	10.9%
Couple families with non-dependant children	63	8.3%	7.7%

Table 6 values are attributed to ABS Family characteristics and transitions.

Financial stress

We collect and use this information to recruit a diverse representation of Australia's population.

Cohort	# of participants	% of participants	Proportion of households (average)
Not experienced financial stress	482	59.8%	79.1%
Experienced financial stress	328	40.7%	20.8%

Table 7 values are attributed to ABS General Social Survey: Summary Results, Australia and ABS General Social Survey: Summary Results, Australia methodology.

Employment status

We ask participants to indicate their employment type to infer factors that may influence financial decisions.

We collect and use this information to recruit a diverse representation of Australia's population.

Potential workers	Related cohort	# of participants	% of participants	% of Australians 15+
Employed	• Employed by a company (full-time or part-time); • Self-employed as a sole trader, freelancer or contractor; • Self-employed with a small business that employs other people	570	77.1%	62.8%
Not employed	• Unemployed; • Permanently unable to work; • Temporarily not working but has a job to go to, or return to; • Retired	174	23.5%	37.2%

Table 8 values are for the population who were 15 years or over and attributed to ABS Potential workers.

Financial sector

We collect and use this information to recruit a diverse representation of Australia's population.

Level of financial literacy	# of participants	% of participants
Low financial literacy	23	19.3%
Medium financial literacy	32	26.9%
High financial literacy	64	53.8%

Energy sector

We collect and use this information to recruit a diverse representation of Australia's population.

Level of energy literacy	# of participants	% of participants
Low energy literacy	65	33.9%
Medium energy literacy	11	5.7%
High energy literacy	116	60.4%

Digital use

We collect and use this information to recruit a diverse representation of Australia's population.

Digital ability

Digital ability captures both the confidence with which we use the internet and associated technologies, and the extent to which they are integrated into our lives.

Digital ability is measured based on Attitudes, Basic Skills, and Activities. This follows methodology used in Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII) Single Source survey.

Level of digital ability	# of participants	% of participants
Low digital ability	12	2.9%
Medium digital ability	56	13.7%
High digital ability	342	83.4%

Importance of privacy when choosing a digital service

Level of privacy importance	Related cohort	# of participants	% of participants	% of Australians 18+
Low privacy importance	• Don’t know; • Not important	42	4.9%	5%
Medium privacy importance	Quite important	214	25.1%	26%
High privacy importance	• Very important; • Extremely important	597	70.1%	70%

Table 12 values are for the population who were 18 years or over and attributed to OAIC ACAPS.

CDR behavioural archetypes

Participants were given questions to assess their attitude towards the CDR process and proposed use case.

‣

Approach

Archetype	Description	# of participants	% of participants
⬛ Sceptic	`Low propensity to share` Sceptics are less trusting of organisations and/or technology. They generally value control, and are adverse to data sharing based on experience with current practices.	87	21.2%
🟧 Assurance seeker	`Medium Low propensity to share` Assurance seekers want to read additional information. They generally value familiarity and external reference/support, and are apprehensive to new experiences.	199	48.5%
🟨 Sensemaker	`Medium High propensity to share` Sensemakers need to understand how the process works. They generally value details, and can trust the process if given enough valuable information.	117	28.5%
🟪 Enthusiast	`High propensity to share` Enthusiasts are excited to get the benefits of CDR. They generally value simple experiences once trust is established.	17	4.1%

Further information about our approach, descriptions and design rationale can be found on Behavioural archetypes.

About this page

References

Title	Author	Date published	URL	Type
Age Standard, Underlying concepts	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Mar 11, 2014	abs.gov.au	Other
Family characteristics and transitions, Family characteristics, Families	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Feb 26, 2015	abs.gov.au	Other
ABS.Stat Beta, ERP by SA2 and above (ASGS 2016), 2001 onwards	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Jan 1, 2016	stat.data.abs.gov.au	Other
Language Standards	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Aug 3, 2016	abs.gov.au	Other
Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Aug 31, 2018	abs.gov.au	Other
Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Oct 24, 2019	abs.gov.au	Other
Measuring Australia's Digital Divide 2020	Australian Digital Inclusion Index	Jan 1, 2020	digitalinclusionindex.org.au	Other
Vulnerable persons or people	Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission	Jan 1, 2021	www.acnc.gov.au	Other
Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation Variables	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Jan 14, 2021	abs.gov.au	Other
Migration, Australia, Key findings	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Apr 23, 2021	abs.gov.au	Other
General Social Survey: Summary Results, Australia	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Jun 29, 2021	abs.gov.au	Other
General Social Survey: Summary Results, Australia methodology	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Jun 29, 2021	abs.gov.au	Other
National, state and territory population, States and territories	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Jul 7, 2021	abs.gov.au	Other
Potential workers	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Jul 7, 2021	abs.gov.au	Other
Regional population by age and sex, Data cubes, Population estimates by age and sex, by SA2, 2020	Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)	Aug 27, 2021	abs.gov.au	Other
Australian Community Attitudes to Privacy Survey 2023	Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)	Aug 1, 2023	oaic.gov.au	Other

Last updated

This page was updated @Sep 12, 2025

Quick links to CX Guidelines:

Accessibility statement

→ cx@dsb.gov.au → cx.dsb.gov.au | cds.gov.au

Participant demographics

Approach

Demographic information

Age group

Table 1. Age

Location

Table 2. States and territories

Table 3. Statistical Area

Gender

Table 4. Gender

Background identity

Table 5. Cultural identity, accessibility needs and sexual orientation

Household

Table 6. Households, families and persons

Financial stress

Table 7. Financial stress

Employment status

Table 8. Employment and unemployment

Financial sector

Table 9. Financial literacy and experience

Energy sector

Table 10. Energy literacy and experience

Digital use

Digital ability

Table 11. Digital ability

Importance of privacy when choosing a digital service

Table 12. Importance of privacy when choosing a digital service

CDR behavioural archetypes

Table 13. CDR behavioural archetypes

About this page

References

Last updated

Participant demographics

Approach

Demographic information

Age group

Table 1. Age

Location

Table 2. States and territories

Table 3. Statistical Area

Gender

Table 4. Gender

Background identity

Table 5. Cultural identity, accessibility needs and sexual orientation

Household

Table 6. Households, families and persons

Financial stress

Table 7. Financial stress

Employment status

Table 8. Employment and unemployment

Financial sector

Table 9. Financial literacy and experience

Energy sector

Table 10. Energy literacy and experience

Digital use

Digital ability

Table 11. Digital ability

Importance of privacy when choosing a digital service

Table 12. Importance of privacy when choosing a digital service

CDR behavioural archetypes

Table 13. CDR behavioural archetypes

About this page

References

Last updated