USING THE CLASSIFICATION

EDITING SPECIFICATIONS

The full range of Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups (ASCCEG) codes should be used in all stages of statistical production including validating input codes at the editing stage of data processing, aggregating data to higher levels of the classification's structure, and deriving output items.

The valid range of codes consists of:

• all codes in the main structure of the classification
• all codes in the 'Supplementary codes' list.

The valid range of codes are shown in Tables 1 and 2 of the ASCCEG data cube (accessible from the 'Downloads' tab).


CODING, STORAGE AND PRESENTATION OF DATA

Regardless of the level of aggregation envisaged for the dissemination of data, wherever possible, data should be coded and stored at the most detailed (four digit) level of the classification. Collecting and storing data at the four-digit level of the classification allows the greatest flexibility for the output of statistical data, enables more detailed and complex analyses, and facilitates comparisons with other data sets.

The hierarchical structure of ASCCEG allows users the flexibility to present statistics at the level of the classification which best suits their particular purposes. Data can be output at broad group, narrow group or cultural and ethnic group levels of the classification. If necessary, significant cultural and ethnic groups within a narrow group can be presented separately while the remaining cultural and ethnic groups within the narrow group are aggregated. The same principle can be adopted to highlight significant narrow groups within a broad group. Aggregated categories should be labelled 'Other' or 'Other (narrow group name)', for example.

Cultural and ethnic groups from different narrow groups should not be added together to form an aggregation that is not included in the classification structure as this corrupts the application of the classification criteria and has negative repercussions for data comparability. Similarly, narrow groups from different broad groups should not be added together.