2011.0 - Information Paper: Census of Population and Housing -- Proposed Products and Services, 2016  
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SOCIO-ECONOMIC INDEXES FOR AREAS

What is it?

Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) can help users understand the level of social and economic wellbeing of a region.

SEIFA can be used for research into the relationship between socio-economic status and various health and educational outcomes. It helps to identify areas that require funding and services; and identify new business opportunities.

SEIFA is a set of four indexes which rank geographical areas across Australia. These indexes are ranked by a score based on the characteristics of the people, families and dwellings in these areas. This can be used to determine where the wealthy live; where the disadvantaged live; and where the highly skilled and educated live.

Each index contains a different set of socio-economic information and is available right down to a Statistical Area Level 1 (SA1).

They are:

    • Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage (IRSD)
    • Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage and Disadvantage (IRSAD)
    • Index of Economic Resources (IER)
    • Index of Education and Occupation (IEO).

SEIFA uses a broad definition of relative socio-economic disadvantage in terms of people's access to material and social resources, and their ability to participate in society.

While SEIFA represents an average of all people living in an area, it does not represent the individual situation of each person. Larger areas are more likely to have greater diversity of people and households.

Who is it for?

SEIFA is for those wanting to investigate the socio-economic wellbeing of Australian communities.

It can also be used for:
    • targeting areas for business or services
    • demographic polling
    • strategic planning
    • design of sample surveys
    • social research.

When will it be available?

SEIFA will be released in 2018 and will be available free-of-charge on the ABS website.

What does it look like?

Visit the SEIFA page.