QUALITY DECLARATION - SUMMARY

INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT

For information on the institutional environment of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), including the legislative obligations of the ABS, financing and governance arrangements, and mechanisms for scrutiny of ABS operations, please see ABS Institutional Environment.

RELEVANCE

The 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS) provides information on a range of demographic, social, environmental and economic indicators, including: personal and household characteristics; geography; language and cultural activities; social networks and support; health and disability; education; employment; financial stress; income; transport; personal safety; and housing. Information from the 2008 NATSISS contributes to existing data on Indigenous people and the formulation of government policies and legislation.

This is the third social survey of Indigenous Australians conducted by the ABS. The previous NATSISS was conducted in 2002 and the first survey, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Survey (NATSIS), was conducted in 1994.


TIMELINESS

Results from the survey were released in the form of national tables, approximately six months after the completion of enumeration, in the publication National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, 2008 (cat. no 4714.0). Further results from the survey, including additional national tables and state level data cubes, were added to the ABS website in April 2010. For people who wish to undertake more detailed analysis of the survey data, two Expanded Confidentialised Unit Record Files (CURF) were also released in Feb 2010.


ACCURACY

Estimates from the 2008 NATSISS are subject to sampling and non-sampling errors. Information on sampling and non-sampling errors is provided in the Technical Note.

The 2008 NATSISS was designed to produce reliable estimates at the national level and for each state and territory. However, there was a relatively large level of undercoverage when compared to other ABS surveys. As undercoverage can result in variances across population characteristics, as well as across data items, caution should be exercised when interpreting the survey results.

For more information on sampling and non-sampling errors, sample design and undercoverage refer to the chapters on Survey Design and Interpretation of Results in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey: Users' Guide, 2008 (cat. no. 4720.0).

Some categories of selected data items may not be available for every state/territory due to comparatively small sample sizes. Where this has occurred, footnotes indicate any differences between states/territories. This applies particularly to ACT where, due to small sample size, very little ACT data would otherwise have been released.

COHERENCE

Supporting documentation provided with this release can assist in understanding the relationships between data variables within the dataset. The Explanatory Notes contain relevant information for this release, and an Appendix contains information on comparisons with data from other ABS sources. In addition, there is a full list of data items available in spreadsheet format from the Downloads tab. More information is also available in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey: Users' Guide, 2008 (cat. no. 4720.0), including an expanded data item list to aid CURF users.


INTERPRETABILITY

The summary publication, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, 2008 (cat. no. 4714.0), contains a collection of summary topics and tables with footnoted data to aid the interpretation of the survey results. Explanatory Notes, a Technical Note, an Appendix and a Glossary provide additional information on the data, terminology, classifications and other associated technical aspects. More information is also available in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey: Users' Guide, 2008 (cat. no. 4720.0).


ACCESSIBILITY

Summary of products available from this survey:

· National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, 2008 (cat. no. 4714.0);
· National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey: Users' Guide, 2008 (cat. no. 4720.0); and
· Microdata: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, Expanded Confidentialised Unit Record File, 2008 (cat. no. 4720.0.55.001).

For more detailed information on the products and services available for this survey refer to the Survey Products chapter of the Users' Guide.