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Exploring the income, savings and debt levels of autistic adults living in Australia

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Názov: Exploring the income, savings and debt levels of autistic adults living in Australia
Autori: Ru Ying Cai, Emma Gallagher, Kaaren Haas, Abigail Love, Vicki Gibbs
Zdroj: Advances in Autism. 9:53-64
Informácie o vydavateľovi: Emerald, 2022.
Rok vydania: 2022
Predmety: 8. Economic growth, 05 social sciences, 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences
Popis: Purpose Many autistic adults experience unemployment, which may impact their financial circumstances. However, no research has examined their personal financial circumstances. Therefore, this study aims to examine the self-reported income, savings and debt of autistic adults living in Australia, as well as the demographic associates and predictors of income and savings. Design/methodology/approach Sixty-four autistic adults aged 18–67 years (Mage = 32.78, SDage = 11.36) completed an online survey containing questions relating to their financial circumstances and the autism spectrum quotient-short. Findings Overall, the authors found that many autistic adults are financially disadvantaged. The mode of income levels was below AU$25,000, which is substantially lower than the mean annual Australian full-time income of AU$89,123. Higher savings was associated with not having any debt or having a greater ability to repay debt. Autism traits were positively associated with income levels. As predicted, being employed was associated with and predicted higher income. People who were employed were four times more likely to have a higher income than unemployed individuals. The authors did not find a relationship between having a co-occurring mental condition with income or savings. The authors also did not find a significant association between employment status and savings. Practical implications These research findings have implications on how we can improve the financial circumstances of autistic adults and provide additional evidence for the importance of increasing employment opportunities for autistic individuals. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the personal financial circumstances of autistic adults.
Druh dokumentu: Article
Jazyk: English
ISSN: 2056-3868
DOI: 10.1108/aia-01-2022-0004
Rights: Emerald Insight Site Policies
Prístupové číslo: edsair.doi...........23daf2be47ea4d27a8f409cb45086df3
Databáza: OpenAIRE
Popis
Abstrakt:Purpose Many autistic adults experience unemployment, which may impact their financial circumstances. However, no research has examined their personal financial circumstances. Therefore, this study aims to examine the self-reported income, savings and debt of autistic adults living in Australia, as well as the demographic associates and predictors of income and savings. Design/methodology/approach Sixty-four autistic adults aged 18–67 years (Mage = 32.78, SDage = 11.36) completed an online survey containing questions relating to their financial circumstances and the autism spectrum quotient-short. Findings Overall, the authors found that many autistic adults are financially disadvantaged. The mode of income levels was below AU$25,000, which is substantially lower than the mean annual Australian full-time income of AU$89,123. Higher savings was associated with not having any debt or having a greater ability to repay debt. Autism traits were positively associated with income levels. As predicted, being employed was associated with and predicted higher income. People who were employed were four times more likely to have a higher income than unemployed individuals. The authors did not find a relationship between having a co-occurring mental condition with income or savings. The authors also did not find a significant association between employment status and savings. Practical implications These research findings have implications on how we can improve the financial circumstances of autistic adults and provide additional evidence for the importance of increasing employment opportunities for autistic individuals. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the personal financial circumstances of autistic adults.
ISSN:20563868
DOI:10.1108/aia-01-2022-0004