IRSD
The Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD) is a general socio-economic index that summarises a range of information about the economic and social conditions of people and households within an area. Unlike the other indexes, this index includes only measures of relative disadvantage.
A low score indicates relatively greater disadvantage in general. For example, an area could have a low score if there are:
- many households with low income,
- many people with no qualifications, or
- many people in low skill occupations.
A
high score indicates a relative lack of disadvantage in general. For example, an area may have a high score if there are:
- few households with low incomes,
- few people with no qualifications, or
- few people in low skilled occupations.
This index is recommended in situations where the user:
- wants to look at disadvantage and lack of disadvantage
- wants a broad measure of disadvantage, rather than a specific measure (such as low income).
For example, IRSD may be applicable when a user:
- wants to ensure an allocation of funds goes to disadvantaged areas.
IRSD is not recommended if the user:
- wants to look at both advantage and disadvantage
- is using the index in an analysis with information that has already been included in the index, such as the proportion of households with low income.
IRSD variables
The variables used in the index are listed below. All variables in this index are indicators of disadvantage. INC_LOW is the strongest indicator of disadvantage.
- INC_LOW: % of people with stated household equivalised income between $1 and $25,999 per year
- CHILDJOBLESS: % of families with children under 15 years of age who live with jobless parents
- NONET: % of occupied private dwellings with no internet connection
- NOYEAR12ORHIGHER: % of people aged 15 years and over whose highest level of education is Year 11 or lower
- UNEMPLOYED: % of people (in the labour force) who are unemployed
- OCC_LABOUR: % of employed people classified as Labourers
- LOWRENT: % of occupied private dwellings paying rent less than $215 per week (excluding $0 per week)
- ONEPARENT: % of one parent families with dependent offspring only
- DISABILITYU70: % of people under the age of 70 who have a long-term health condition or disability and need assistance with core activities
- SEPDIVORCED: % of people aged 15 years and over who are separated or divorced
- OCC_DRIVERS: % of employed people classified as Machinery Operators and Drivers
- OCC_SERVICE_L: % of employed people classified as low skill Community and Personal Service workers
- NOCAR: % of occupied private dwellings with no cars
- OVERCROWD: % of occupied private dwellings requiring one or more extra bedrooms
- NOEDU: % of people aged 15 years and over who have no educational attainment
- ENGLISHPOOR: % of people who do not speak English well
Excluded variables
The following variables were initially considered for the index, but were excluded when the analysis showed that they were weak indicators of relative disadvantage in this data. For more information, please refer to Chapter 4.3 in the SEIFA 2016 Technical Paper, which is available from the Downloads tab.
- FEWBED: % occupied private dwellings with one or no bedrooms
- CERTIFICATE: % of people aged 15 years and over whose highest educational attainment is a certificate III or IV qualification
- OCC_SALES_L: % of employed people classified as Low-Skill Sales
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