How does the level of access to resources and the attitudes of the community affect the wellbeing of a group?
The impact of community attitudes and access to resources on the wellbeing of a selected group, including the difference between positive and negative attitudes and the role of community awareness, education and advocacy
A focused answer to the HSC Community and Family Studies Groups in Context dot point on how community attitudes and access to resources shape the wellbeing of a selected group, covering positive and negative attitudes, awareness, education and advocacy.
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What this dot point is asking
You need to explain how the wellbeing of a selected community group is shaped by two related forces: the attitudes the wider community holds toward the group, and the group's access to resources and services. NESA expects you to distinguish positive from negative attitudes and to show how awareness, education and advocacy can shift those attitudes over time. Wellbeing here is multidimensional, covering social, emotional, physical, economic, cultural and spiritual dimensions, so a strong answer links attitudes and access to several of these dimensions for one real group.
Wellbeing as a multidimensional concept
Wellbeing is the degree to which an individual or group can satisfy their specific needs and feel a sense of satisfaction with life. CAFS divides it into dimensions: social (relationships and belonging), emotional (feeling valued and secure), physical (health and safety), economic (income and resources), cultural (identity and heritage) and spiritual (meaning and purpose). A group rarely has high wellbeing in every dimension at once, so the skill in the exam is to trace how one factor, such as a negative community attitude, drags down two or three dimensions together.
How community attitudes affect wellbeing
Positive community attitudes include acceptance, respect and a willingness to include the group. They lift emotional wellbeing by giving members a sense of identity and belonging, and they encourage the community to fund and staff the services the group needs. For example, growing public acceptance of people with disability has supported inclusive employment programs and accessible public transport, which raise economic and social wellbeing.
Negative attitudes include prejudice (a prejudgement), stigma (a mark of social disapproval) and discrimination (acting unfairly on prejudice). These corrode wellbeing. A group facing stigma, such as sole parents or people experiencing homelessness, may be blamed for their situation, which damages emotional wellbeing and discourages them from seeking help. Discrimination can also block access directly, for instance when an employer refuses to hire someone because of their age or cultural background, harming economic wellbeing.
How access to resources affects wellbeing
Access means the ability to obtain and use the services, information and support a group needs. Barriers to access include cost, distance (a real issue for rural and remote families), lack of information, language differences, and services that are not culturally safe. When access is poor, even available resources do not translate into wellbeing. A rural family may have a legal entitlement to specialist health care, but if the nearest service is hundreds of kilometres away their physical wellbeing still suffers. Improving access, through outreach, telehealth, interpreters and subsidies, converts entitlements into real improvements in wellbeing.
Awareness, education and advocacy
These three are the mechanisms that shift negative attitudes and widen access. Awareness campaigns make the wider community notice a group's needs, such as R U OK? Day raising the profile of mental health. Education builds understanding and challenges stereotypes, for example school programs that teach about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures to reduce prejudice. Advocacy is speaking or acting on behalf of a group to influence decision-makers, such as disability advocacy organisations lobbying for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Together these strategies turn negative attitudes into positive ones and pressure governments and communities to fund better access.
Bringing it together for a selected group
In the exam, anchor your answer in one group you have studied, such as ageing people, people with disability, rural and remote families, sole parents, or youth. Trace a clear chain: a negative community attitude leads to discrimination, which limits access to a service, which lowers a named dimension of wellbeing. Then show the reverse: an awareness or advocacy initiative improves attitudes and access, lifting wellbeing. This cause-and-effect structure, grounded in a real Australian example, is what separates a Band 6 response from a list of generic points.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of NESA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
2023 HSC8 marksAnswer in relation to TWO Category B groups you have studied. Explain the benefits of community organisations advocating for the specific needs of your TWO chosen groups.Show worked answer →
An 8-mark answer should choose two groups and explain the benefits of advocacy for each, linking to wellbeing. (Example: the aged and people with disabilities.)
- What advocacy does
- Community organisations raise awareness, lobby government for policy and funding, and represent the group's interests publicly.
- Benefits for the aged
- Advocacy (for example by COTA) draws attention to issues like elder abuse, pension adequacy and aged-care quality, leading to improved legislation, funding and services. This enhances the group's safety, standard of living and dignity, and challenges negative ageist attitudes, improving their wellbeing and inclusion.
- Benefits for people with disabilities
- Advocacy has driven reforms such as the NDIS and accessibility standards, securing the group's right to services, employment and inclusion. It also educates the community to reduce discrimination, improving self-esteem and a sense of belonging.
- Shared benefits
- For both groups, advocacy improves community awareness and attitudes, increases access to resources and gives a collective voice to people who may struggle to advocate for themselves, directly enhancing wellbeing.
2024 HSC4 marksAnswer in relation to ONE Category B group you have studied. Describe ONE example of how this group has attempted to improve community attitudes towards the group.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark answer should name a group and describe one concrete example of how community attitudes have been challenged, explaining the effect. (Example: LGBTQIA+ communities.)
Example: public awareness and visibility campaigns. Events such as the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, and campaigns during the marriage-equality debate, increased the visibility of LGBTQIA+ people and shared their stories with the wider community.
How it improves attitudes. By raising awareness and educating the public, these efforts challenge stereotypes and prejudice, normalise diversity, and build acceptance and inclusion. More positive community attitudes reduce discrimination and marginalisation, improving the group members' sense of identity, belonging and overall wellbeing.
For full marks, choose one clear example and explain how it works to shift attitudes, rather than just naming the group.