Table 1.
Characteristics of carers responding to the free‐choice question, compared to all carers and noncarers in the sample
| Variable | Carers responding to free‐choice question (n = 798) | All carers (n = 1100) | Noncarers (n = 4280) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Socio‐demographic characteristics | |||
| Age (over 65) | 21.1% | 26.3% | 25.9% |
| Sex (female) | 59.8% | 61.8% | 56.6% |
| Self‐assessed health | |||
| Good | 45.5% | 42.3% | 49.0% |
| Fair | 40.9% | 41.2% | 36.8% |
| Bad | 13.5% | 16.5% | 14.2% |
| Ethnicity (Black and minority ethnic) | 7.1% | 7.4% | 7.6% |
| Religious | 67.3% | 71.2% | 62.0% |
| Formal educational qualifications | 77.7% | 72.8% | 73.8% |
| Receive means tested benefit | 19.3% | 21.4% | 18.9% |
| Employed full‐time | 31.4% | 28.9% | 38.7% |
| Home owner | 76.3% | 75.6% | 72.7% |
| Care‐related characteristics | |||
| Hours of care | |||
| <20 hours/week | 69.4% | 65.9% | n/a |
| 20‐49 hours per week | 10.0% | 10.9% | n/a |
| 50 + hours per week | 20.6% | 23.2% | n/a |
| Caring role (main carer) | 40.5% | 46.2% | n/a |
| Provide personal care | 26.9% | 29.5% | n/a |
| Care recipient health | |||
| Good | 18.0% | 17.0% | n/a |
| Fair | 45.7% | 47.8% | n/a |
| Bad | 36.3% | 35.2% | n/a |
| Care recipient age | |||
| 0‐17 years | 7.4% | 7.4% | n/a |
| 18‐64 years | 25.1% | 24.3% | n/a |
| 65 years and over | 67.6% | 68.3% | n/a |