Every year, thousands of Australians answer a series of questions as part of the long-running Hilda survey.

This questionnaire – more expansively known as the household, income and labour dynamics in Australia survey – has been tracking the same households since 2001.

As families have expanded over the two decades, it has grown to include about 16,000 people a year in 9,000 households, offering a unique longitudinal study of Australian life in the 21st century .

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The questions cover a broad range of topics, from health and wellbeing, to attitudes and values, to employment and income .

This week, the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, which manages the survey, released its annual statistical report .

Here are five things w

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