The Active Living Census (ALC) is a region-wide household survey conducted by Healthy Loddon Campaspe that asks residents in our region about their health, wellbeing and daily activities. No other region in Australia has this type of data at this level of detail.
The survey looks at things like:
- How often people play sport or are physically active;
- What they eat and drink (like fruit, vegetables, water, and sugary drinks);
- Smoking and gambling habits;
- How happy people feel about their lives; and
- What stops people from being healthy and active.
This information helps schools, sporting clubs, community groups, government, and local leaders make better decisions about health programs, new recreation spaces, and services. It also helps the community get funding to make the region a healthier place for everyone.
The 2025 ALC is for residents located within the Loddon Campaspe region, which includes the council areas of:
- City of Greater Bendigo
- Campaspe Shire
- Central Goldfields Shire
- Loddon Shire
- Macedon Ranges Shire Council
- Mount Alexander Shire
All residents from these councils are invited to participate.
The Active Living Census will provide local data to help us understand what you need to be active, healthy, and happy. Findings from the Census will be used to plan and attract funding for programs and facilities that meet your needs, and the health and wellbeing needs of the community.
Information from the ALC also assists community groups, sporting clubs, health agencies and local councils to improve and develop local programs and facilities designed to improve residents’ health. It also helps identify important health and wellbeing projects and assist with planning decisions and funding submissions so communities have what is needed, where its needed.
Your Health. Your Community. Your Say!
The Census is a great opportunity for you to tell us what you and your community need to be active, healthy and happy.
We're interested in hearing from ALL members of your household, no matter how healthy or active you are! By hearing from all residents, it means the data is representative of the whole of our community, no matter your level of physical activity, what you eat or your circumstances.
Anyone aged over 18 can do their own Census. Parents or guardians can complete for kids aged from 3-13 and can choose to give permission for children aged 14-17 to complete or fill it out for them.
The ALC is being delivered by Healthy Loddon Campaspe, a Victorian State Government-funded initiative that aims to improve health outcomes for residents in the Loddon Campaspe region which covers six Council areas – Greater Bendigo, Campaspe, Central Goldfields, Loddon, Macedon Ranges and Mount Alexander Shires.
No. The Active Living Census was also delivered across the six participating local government areas in 2019. It was also delivered in City of Greater Bendigo in 2014.
Almost 25,000 people took part in the 2019 ALC, providing the region with detailed data about our communities' health and wellbeing.
The survey asks you questions about your health and wellbeing, physical activity, eating habits, use of public spaces and facilities, your wellbeing and barriers to healthy living. It only takes 20 to 30 minutes to complete.
You don’t have to complete all the questions, just skip any you don’t feel comfortable answering. However, the information you share helps provide an understanding of your needs and what matters to you, meaning projects and programs can be delivered where they're needed most.
It will also help local groups and organisations make better decisions about health programs, new recreation spaces, and services, and support the community to get funding to make the region a healthier place for everyone.
All you need to do is visit go.healthyloddoncampaspe.au/alc from Monday 26 May, 2025 to start answering the questions.
If you or anyone in your household is having trouble completing the ALC online due to low English skills or any other reason, please contact us at [email protected].
Yes, you can easily complete the ALC online, on any device, in one or more sitting.
To pause the survey and return at a later time to where you left off, just make sure you leave your tab open and avoid clearing 'cookies' in between.
No. participation is voluntary and you may decline to take part or withdraw from the survey at any time (without providing an explanation).
If you do choose to take part, you can still skip any of the questions that you don’t feel comfortable answering throughout the survey.
The ALC will be open online from Monday 26 May, 2025 and will be open for approximately four weeks.
Early bird prizes valued at up to $10,000 will be available for residents who complete the survey in the first few weeks. Keep an eye out for more details soon!
Your responses to the ALC are confidential. The Active Living Census includes some sensitive questions. We encourage you to complete all questions to strengthen our understanding of our region’s health and wellbeing needs and priorities. You can skip any question you do not feel comfortable responding to.
We are collecting contact information for the purpose of the prize draw only – this information will be stored separately from the rest of the survey information and will be destroyed as soon as the prize winners have been announced.
Your information will be collected and securely stored.
The information will first be analysed by the Healthy Loddon Campaspe team, and the data and findings will be shared with participating Councils to inform community priorities.
Anonymous, aggregate data may also be provided to relevant organisations and research institutes.
The Active Living Census itself does not ask for your name, address or any information that could be used to identify you. Any information that you provide while completing the survey will remain strictly confidential.
Any potentially identifying information collected for the purpose of the prize draw – such as your first name, contact number or email details – will be removed before information is shared with councils, and will be securely destroyed once the prize draw has been completed. Your survey responses will not be identifiable in any way.
Your confidentiality is protected by the Australian Market and Social Research Organisation’s Privacy Principles (www.amsro.com.au) which govern how researchers collect, use, keep secure and disclose personal information. Healthy Loddon Campaspe abides by the principles of the Australian Market and Social Research Society of Australia's Code of Professional Behaviour (www.amsrs.com.au).
Yes, the finalised reports will be made publicly available on the Healthy Loddon Campaspe website and the websites of participating councils.
Visit www.healthyloddoncampaspe.au/alc for examples of the 2019 Active Living Census Selected Findings reports.
If you have any additional queries, please contact Healthy Loddon Campaspe at [email protected] or on 03 4408 6633.
The ethical aspects of this project have been reviewed by Project Control and Working Groups comprising representatives of organisations involved in the project, and others with significant expertise in the ethical conduct of research.
Whilst this project review did not utilise a formal Human Research Ethics Committee, its development was guided by the senior academics and experts participating in the multi-organisational, multi-disciplinary Project Control Group. This group regularly discussed and reviewed ethical requirements at key points during project development.