Changes in Student Allowances in 2007
The number of student allowances recipients rose by 5 percent in both 2006 and 2007 reaching 62,500 in 2007. These increases followed a period of falling uptake.
Author: Central Forecasting and Modelling Unit [Ministry of Education]Date Published: December 2008
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- Background
- Recent Changes
- Allowances recipients by allowance type
- Allowances recipients by age group
- Allowances recipients by gender
- Allowances recipients by residency
- Allowances recipients by main ethnic group
- Student allowances by marital status
- Student allowances by parental status
- Allowances recipients by provider type1
- Personal income
- Accommodation benefit
- Weeks with allowances
- Allowances and loan recipients
Allowances recipients by main ethnic group
It is not mandatory for students to declare their ethnicity and students may report more than one ethnicity. In 2007, based on the full-response counts1, 50 percent of allowances recipients were NZ European, and 24 percent were Asian. The Māori and Pasifika ethnic groups represented 14 and 6 percent of recipients respectively. About 3 percent were students from other ethnic groups and 3 percent of allowances recipients did not specify their ethnicity at all.
Table 3: Student allowances recipients by main ethnic group by gender, 2007
| Ethnic group |
Female
|
Male
|
Total
|
| NZ European |
18,400
|
14,600
|
33,000
|
| Māori |
4,700
|
4,300
|
9,000
|
| Pasifika |
2,300
|
1,900
|
4,200
|
| Asian |
8,600
|
7,400
|
16,000
|
| Other |
1,100
|
1,400
|
2,500
|
| Unspecified |
900
|
1,000
|
1,900
|
| All |
36,000
|
30,600
|
66,600
|
NZ European contributed about 60 percent to a 3,100 increase in the number of allowance recipients in 2007. This is different from the last year when Asian students contributed 65 percent to the 2,600 increase in the number of allowance recipients.
Figure 9: Proportion of student allowances recipients by ethnic group, 2005 - 2007
In 2007, the average annual allowance of Asian recipients was about $700 higher than the overall average annual allowance of $6,200.
The average ages of allowances recipients differs for different ethnic groups. In 2007, the average ages of NZ European and Pasifika students were 26 and 27 years respectively. Maori and Asian allowances recipients were slightly older, 29 and 30 years old respectively. The overall average age of allowance recipients was 27 years.
The gender proportions differ for different ethnic groups as well. The proportions of female allowances recipients in 2007 were 56 percent, 55 percent, 54 percent, 52 percent and 44 percent for NZ European, Pasifika, Asian, Maori and Other ethnic groups respectively, the overall proportion being 54 percent.
Footnote
- Counts based on multiple responses.