The latest report on a long-term study of 17,000 Australians has been released.

Since 2001, the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey has been collecting valuable information about economic and personal well-being, labour market dynamics and family life, as it follows the large group of Australians over the course of their lives.

The HILDA survey is the only study of its kind in Australia, and goes into far more detail than the Census or other reviews, so it is relied upon by many research groups, government departments and even the Reserve Bank.

The most recent report has a particular focus on Australia’s gambling habits.

It found that around 1.4 million Australians are directly harmed by gambling, with 39.1 per cent of Australians gambling on a monthly basis, mostly through the purchase of lottery products.

But there is significant use of harmful gambling products, such as poker machines and wagering. HILDA found that the harm caused by these types of gambling is significantly higher than for the apparently more benign lottery products.

The HILDA data suggests that about 1.1 per cent of the adult population would be ranked eight or more on the Problem Gambling Severity Index, meeting the general standard for classification as “problem gamblers”.

Of the 8 per cent of Australians who use poker machines at least once a month, 6.2 per cent were categorised as “problem gamblers”, but another 35.3 per cent experienced some level of harm.

Of the 3 per cent of the adult population that bets on sports monthly, the “problem gambler” rate is 6.7 per cent, with another 34.2 per cent experiencing some level of harm.

For those who bet on horse or dog racing, 5.2 per cent can be classified as serious problem gamblers, with another 35.9 per cent harmed to some extent.

When compared to quality of life, experts say there is a correlation between gambling addiction and broader issues of personal stress and socio-economic disadvantage.

Top Australian academics have released a series of articles for The Conversation breaking down the HILDA data in relation to home ownership, gender roles, family life and other analyses.