APPENDIX COMPARISON TO OTHER ABS DATA SOURCES


Overview

1 This Appendix summarises differences between the 2008 NATSISS and several ABS sources that have been used for comparison of non-Indigenous data. The summaries focus on survey design differences, including collection methodology, scope, coverage, sample design and size, response rate, enumeration period, and main output units. The accompanying text provides broad explanation of differences or adjustments that may have been made to enable comparisons in this release.

2 Differences in the survey design, questionnaire and context of this survey should be taken into account when making comparisons to other ABS sources.

3 More information on the 2008 NATSISS sample design and coverage, survey methodology, content, definitions, and classifications is provided in the Explanatory Notes.


Comparison to the 2006 General Social Survey

4 This release contains selected data on non-Indigenous persons from the 2006 General Social Survey (GSS), to enable limited comparisons to data on Indigenous persons from the 2008 NATSISS.

5 Data comparisons have been limited to items where there is a sufficient level of comparability between the two surveys and include the following:

• whether able to get support in a time of crisis from outside the household;
• how often feels able to have a say within community on important issues; and
• whether household members could raise $2,000 in an emergency.
  Data are provided in the summary of findings.

6 The 2008 NATSISS collected information on Indigenous people of all ages, while the 2006 GSS collected information on all people aged 18 years and over. In the summary text, data for the 2008 NATSISS have been aligned with the age scope of the 2006 GSS and therefore present information on persons aged 18 years and over.

7 Understanding the extent to which data from the 2008 NATSISS and the 2006 GSS can be compared is essential to interpreting apparent differences in the data. The selected data items in the 2008 NATSISS appear similar to those in the 2006 GSS, but there are differences in the sample design and coverage, survey methodology and content, definitions, and classifications, all of which may impact on comparability.

8 In the 2008 NATSISS, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander visitors who had been staying at a selected dwelling for six months or more were considered to be in scope of the survey and therefore had a chance of selection. Non-Indigenous visitors of six months or more were also considered to be a usual resident of the household, but had no chance of selection. In the 2006 GSS, visitors of a selected dwelling were excluded if they were not residing there for the whole of the enumeration period (March to July).

9 Detailed information on the 2006 GSS, including a list of data items and the survey questionnaire, is available from the General Social Survey: User Guide, Australia, 2006 (cat. no. 4159.0.55.002).

10 Broad differences in the characteristics of the 2008 NATSISS and the 2006 GSS are summarised in the following table.

A1. COMPARISON TO THE 2006 GENERAL SOCIAL SURVEY (GSS), by survey design
	2008 NATSISS	2006 GSS
Collection methodology
	Computer-assisted interview (CAI). In remote areas a paper back-up of the questionnaire was available in case of technical difficulties.	Computer-assisted interview (CAI)
	In non-remote areas, selected persons aged 15 years and over were provided with a self-enumerated substance use form.	-
	Personal interview for persons aged 15 years and over (where consent was not given for persons 15-17 years, an interview was not conducted).	Personal interview for persons aged 18 years and over.
	A proxy interview was conducted for children aged 0-14 years, people unable to complete the survey due to injury or illness and people who did not have sufficient English skills (an interpreter may have been used).	-
	A household spokesperson aged 18 years and over provided household information, including: community facilities, bedrooms, telephone/IT access, transport, household facilities, maintenance, tenure, financial stress and income.	A household spokesperson aged 18 years and over provided some household information, including: financial and housing items where the information was not known by the ARA nor the selected person (approx 16% of respondents did not provide one or more required answers, but were deemed to have responded adequately).
Scope
	Indigenous persons (all ages)	Persons aged 18 years and over
	Usual residents of private dwellings in remote and non-remote areas of Australia.	Usual residents of private dwellings in urban and rural areas of Australia, excluding very remote areas.
Sample design
	For selected households in discrete remote Indigenous communities and outstations: one Indigenous person aged 15 years and over and one child aged 0-14 years. For selected households in non-remote and remote non-community areas: up to two Indigenous persons aged 15 years and over and up to two children aged 0-14 years.	One randomly selected person per household
Final sample
	13,307 persons (7,823 adults and 5,484 children)/6,858 households	15,307 persons/13,400 households
Response rate
	82% of households	86.5% of households
Enumeration period
	August 2008- April 2009	March -July 2006
Main output units
	Persons	Persons
	Household	Household
Exclusions
	Non-Indigenous persons	-
	Non-Australian diplomats, dipomatic staff and members of their household	Diplomatic personnel of overseas governments
	Members of non-Australian defence forces and their dependents	Members of non-Australian defence forces and their dependents
	Overseas visitors	Persons whose usual place of residence was outside Australia

Comparison to the 2007-08 National Health Survey

11 This release contains selected data on non-Indigenous persons from the 2007-08 National Health Survey (NHS), to enable limited comparisons to data on Indigenous persons from the 2008 NATSISS.

12 Data comparisons have been limited to items where there is a sufficient level of comparability between the two surveys and include the following:

• self assessed health status; and
• smoker status.
  Data are provided in the summary of findings.

13 The 2008 NATSISS collected information on Indigenous people of all ages, while the 2007-08 NHS collected information on all people of all ages. In the summary text, data comparisons between the 2008 NATSISS and the 2007-08 NHS are limited to selected health characteristics of persons aged 15 years and over. As age is an important determinant of health and differences between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations may be affected by differences in age structure, the data from both surveys have been age standardised. Information on the age standardisation technique used in this publication is provided in the Technical Note.

14 Understanding the extent to which data from the 2008 NATSISS and the 2007-08 NHS can be compared is essential to interpreting apparent differences in the data. The selected data items in the 2008 NATSISS appear similar to those in the 2007-08 NHS, but there are differences in the sample design and coverage, survey methodology and content, definitions, and classifications, all of which may impact on comparability.

15 In the 2008 NATSISS, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander visitors who had been staying at a selected dwelling for six months or more were considered to be in scope of the survey and therefore had a chance of selection. Non-Indigenous visitors of six months or more were also considered to be a usual resident of the household, but had no chance of selection. In the 2007-08 NHS, visitors of a selected dwelling who were staying or intending to stay less than 12 months were excluded.

16 Detailed information on the 2007-08 NHS, including a list of data items and the survey questionnaire, is available from the National Health Survey: Users' Guide - Electronic publication, 2007-08 (cat. no. 4363.0.55.001).

17 Broad differences in the characteristics of the 2008 NATSISS and the 2007-08 NHS are summarised in the following table.

A2. COMPARISON TO THE 2007-08 NATIONAL HEALTH SURVEY (NHS), by survey design
	2008 NATSISS	2007-08 NHS
Collection methodology
	Computer-assisted interview (CAI). In remote areas a paper back-up of the questionnaire was available in case of technical difficulties.	Computer-assisted interview (CAI)
	In non-remote areas, selected persons aged 15 years and over were provided with a self-enumerated substance use form.	-
	Personal interview for persons aged 15 years and over (where consent was not given for persons 15-17 years, an interview was not conducted).	Personal interview for persons aged 18 years and over and persons aged 15-17 years where parental consent was given.
	A proxy interview was conducted for children aged 0-14 years, people unable to complete the survey due to injury or illness and people who did not have sufficient English skills (an interpreter may have been used).	A proxy interview was conducted for children aged 0-17 years, except where permission given for personal interview of a child aged 15-17 years.
	A household spokesperson aged 18 years and over provided household information, including: community facilities, bedrooms, telephone/IT access, transport, household facilities, maintenance, tenure, financial stress and income.	A household spokesperson aged 18 years and over provided some household information, including income.
Scope
	Indigenous persons (all ages)	Persons
	Usual residents of private dwellings in remote and non-remote areas of Australia.	Usual residents of private dwellings in urban and rural areas of Australia, excluding very remote areas.
	-	Note: Estimates for the NTwere not published due to the exclusion of very remote areas and the impact this has on NT data.
Sample design/size
	For selected households in discrete remote Indigenous communities and outstations: one Indigenous person aged 15 years and over and one child aged 0-14 years. For selected households in non-remote and remote non-community areas: up to two Indigenous persons aged 15 years and over and up to two children aged 0-14 years.	For selected households: one adult aged 18 years and over and one child aged 0-17 years (where applicable).
Final sample
	13,307 persons/6,858 households	20,788 persons/15,792 households
Response rate
	82% of households	91% of households
Enumeration period
	August 2008- April 2009	August 2007-June 2008
Main output units
	Persons	Persons
	Household	Household
Exclusions
	Non-Indigenous persons	-
	Non-Australian diplomats, dipomatic staff and members of their household	Diplomatic personnel of overseas governments
	Members of non-Australian defence forces and their dependents	Members of non-Australian Defence forces and their dependents
	Overseas visitors	Overseas visitors staying or intending to stay in Australia for less than 12 months.

Comparison to the 2008 Survey of Education and Work

18 This release contains selected data on non-Indigenous civilian persons from the 2008 Survey of Education and Work (SEW), to enable limited comparisons to data on Indigenous persons from the 2008 NATSISS.

19 Data comparisons have been limited to items where there is a sufficient level of comparability between the two surveys and include the following:

• whether has a non-school qualification; and
• highest year of school completed.
  Data are provided in the summary of findings.

20 The 2008 NATSISS collected information on Indigenous people of all ages, while the 2008 SEW collected information on civilian people aged 15-64 years. In the summary text, data for the 2008 NATSISS have been aligned with the age scope of the 2008 SEW and therefore present information on persons aged 15-64 years.

21 Understanding the extent to which data from the 2008 NATSISS and the 2008 SEW can be compared is essential to interpreting apparent differences in the data. The selected data items in the 2008 NATSISS appear similar to those in the 2008 SEW, but there are differences in the sample design and coverage, survey methodology and content, definitions, and classifications, all of which may impact on comparability. For example, the scope of the 2008 SEW excludes persons who were permanently unable to work, whereas the 2008 NATSISS had no such exclusion.

22 More detailed information on the 2008 SEW is available from Education and Work, Australia, May 2008 (cat. no. 6227.0).

23 Broad differences in the characteristics of the 2008 NATSISS and the 2008 SEW are summarised in the following table.

A3. COMPARISON TO THE 2008 SURVEY OF EDUCATION AND WORK (SEW), by survey design
	2008 NATSISS	2008 SEW
Collection methodology
	Computer-assisted interview (CAI). In remote areas a paper back-up of the questionnaire was available in case of technical difficulties.	Computer-assisted interview (CAI). SEW is a supplement to the monthly Labour Force Survey (LFS) where approximately 70% of respondents are interviewed by telephone. The remainder of LFS interviews are conducted face-to-face.
	In non-remote areas, selected persons aged 15 years and over were provided with a self-enumerated substance use form.	-
	Personal interview for persons aged 15 years and over (where consent was not given for persons 15-17 years, an interview was not conducted).	-
	A proxy interview was conducted for children aged 0-14 years, people unable to complete the survey due to injury or illness and people who did not have sufficient English skills (an interpreter may have been used).	-
	A household spokesperson aged 18 years and over provided household information, including: community facilities, bedrooms, telephone/IT access, transport, household facilities, maintenance, tenure, financial stress and income.	One person in the selected household (any responsible adult) provided information about each household member for the LFS and on behalf of each household member who was within the scope of the Supplementary Survey, in this case SEW.
Scope
	Indigenous persons (all ages)	Selected civilian persons from the LFS sample aged 15-64 years.
	Usual residents of private dwellings in remote and non-remote areas of Australia.	Usual residents of private dwellings in urban and rural areas of Australia, excluding very remote areas.
	-	The LFS usually includes a list sample of non-private dwellings, but these were excluded from SEW.
	-	The survey was not designed to provide nationally representative estimates of Indigenous persons, as it excludes people living in very remote parts of Australia. The exclusion of these persons, as a total population, has only a minor impact on any aggregate estimates produced for individual states and territories, except for the NT where such persons acount for approximately 23% of the population.
Sample design
	For selected households in discrete remote Indigenous communities and outstations: one Indigenous person aged 15 years and over and one child aged 0-14 years. For selected households in non-remote and remote non-community areas: up to two Indigenous persons aged 15 years and over and up to two children aged 0-14 years.	Civilian members of a household selected in the LFS, who were in scope of the SEW (aged 15-64).
Final sample
	13,307 persons/6,858 households	37,769 persons/24,000 households
	(Note: NATSISS has 7,342 persons aged 15-64 years)	-
Response rate
	82% of households	Approximately 96% of selected households in the LFS
Enumeration period
	August 2008-April 2009	39569
Main output units
	Persons	Persons
	Households	-
Exclusions
	Non-Indigenous persons	-
	-	Members of the permanent defence forces
	Non-Australian diplomats, dipomatic staff and members of their household	Certain diplomatic personnel of overseas governments, who are usually excluded from Census and ERP figures
	Members of non-Australian defence forces and their dependents	Members of non-Australian defence forces and their dependents
	Overseas visitors	Overseas residents in Australia
	-	Persons permanently unable to work
Weighting
	Refer to Explanatory Notes	The SEW sample is a subset of the monthly LFS sample. The response rates for SEW and the LFS vary and have been weighted separately. Therefore, estimates from the LFS and SEW may differ.
Benchmarking
	Refer to Explanatory Notes	Benchmarks for the LFS are revised after each five-yearly Census of Population and Housing. The last such revision was made in February 2004 to align with results from the 2001 Census.

Comparison to the monthly Labour Force Survey

24 This release contains selected data on civilian persons (including Indigenous persons) from the monthly Labour Force Survey (LFS), to enable limited comparisons to data on Indigenous persons from the 2008 NATSISS.

25 Data comparisons have been limited to items where there is a sufficient level of comparability between the two surveys and include the following:

• labour force status.
  Data are provided in the summary of findings.

26 The 2008 NATSISS collected information on Indigenous people of all ages, who lived in private dwellings throughout Australia, whereas the monthly LFS collected information on civilian people aged 15 years and over who lived throughout Australia mostly in private dwellings, but also including a small sample of people living in non-private dwellings (eg hotels).

27 The LFS, and therefore the Australian civilian population, was chosen for comparison purposes, as non-Indigenous estimates for the period required (August 2008 to April 2009) were not available at the time of publication. Estimates for the civilian population and the non-Indigenous population are expected to be very similar.

28 As labour force status varies with age, restricting the analysis to persons aged 15-64 years adjusts for many of the differences between the Indigenous and civilian population age structures. Data in the summary text for the 2008 NATSISS and the LFS therefore present information on persons aged 15-64 years.

29 Data for the monthly LFS reflect the enumeration period of the 2008 NATSISS and are therefore based on an average of months for the period August 2008 to April 2009.

30 Understanding the extent to which data from the 2008 NATSISS and the monthly LFS can be compared is essential to interpreting apparent differences in the data. The selected data item in the 2008 NATSISS appears similar to that in the monthly LFS, but there are differences in the sample design and coverage, survey methodology and content, definitions, and classifications, all of which may impact on comparability.

31 More detailed information on the monthly LFS is available from Labour Force Survey, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0).

32 Broad differences in the characteristics of the 2008 NATSISS and the monthly LFS are summarised in the following table.

A4. COMPARISON TO THE MONTHLY LABOUR FORCE SURVEY (LFS), by survey design
	2008 NATSISS	MONTHLY LFS
Collection methodology
	Computer-assisted interview (CAI). In remote areas a paper back-up of the questionnaire was available in case of technical difficulties.	Computer-assisted interview (CAI). Approximately 70% of respondents in the LFS are interviewed by telephone. The remainder of interviews are conducted face-to-face.
	In non-remote areas, selected persons aged 15 years and over were provided with a self-enumerated substance use form.	Other collection methods may be used in special circumstances. A self-enumeration form may be used where it is not possible for an interview to take place (eg contact cannot be made with the occupants of a selected dwelling or a respondent refuses to be interviewed but will complete a form). A customised form is also used for Indigenous people living in sparsely settled areas, when interviewers encounter significant cultural, language or other operational difficulties.
	Personal interview for persons aged 15 years and over (where consent was not given for persons 15-17 years, an interview was not conducted).	-
	A proxy interview was conducted for children aged 0-14 years, people unable to complete the survey due to injury or illness and people who did not have sufficient English skills (an interpreter may have been used).	-
	A household spokesperson aged 18 years and over provided household information, including: community facilities, bedrooms, telephone/IT access, transport, household facilities, maintenance, tenure, financial stress and income.	One person in the selected household (any responsible adult) provides information about each household member for the LFS.
Scope
	Indigenous persons (all ages)	Civilian persons aged 15 years and over
	Usual residents of private dwellings in remote and non-remote areas of Australia.	Usual residents of private dwellings in urban and rural areas of Australia.
	-	A list sample of non-private dwellings.
	-	A sample from discrete Indigenous communities.
Sample design
	For selected households in discrete remote Indigenous communities and outstations: one Indigenous person aged 15 years and over and one child aged 0-14 years. For selected households in non-remote and remote non-community areas: up to two Indigenous persons aged 15 years and over and up to two children aged 0-14 years.	All civilian members of a household selected in the LFS
	-	(Note: there are rotating sub-samples, with 7/8 of dwellings forming a common sample of the total monthly LFS sample)
Final sample
	13,307 persons/6,858 households	Approximately 54,900 persons/22,800 households
	(Note: NATSISS has 7,342 persons aged 15-64 years)	-
Response rate
	82% of households	Approximately 97% of selected households
Enumeration period
	August 2008-April 2009	An average of monthly LFS from August 2008-April 2009
Main output units
	Persons	Persons
	Households	-
Exclusions
	Non-Indigenous persons	-
	-	Members of the permanent defence forces
	Non-Australian diplomats, dipomatic staff & members of their household	Certain diplomatic personnel of overseas governments, who are usually excluded from Census and ERP figures
	Members of non-Australian defence forces and their dependents	Members of non-Australian defence forces and their dependents
	Overseas visitors	Overseas residents in Australia
Weighting
	Refer to Explanatory Notes	Based on population benchmarks and the number of people in each LFS region of usual residence (there are 77 regions across Australia) by sex, with an adjustment for migratory persons.
Benchmarking
	Refer to Explanatory Notes	Benchmarks for the LFS are revised after each five-yearly Census of Population and Housing. The last such revision was made in February 2009 to align with results from the 2006 Census. Available LFS estimates were revised back to 2001.

Comparison to the 2007-08 Survey of Income and Housing

33 This release contains selected data on non-Indigenous persons from the 2007-08 Survey of Income and Housing (SIH), to enable limited comparisons to data on Indigenous persons from the 2008 NATSISS.

34 Data comparisons have been limited to items where there is a sufficient level of comparability between the two surveys and include the following:

• tenure type.
  Data are provided in the summary of findings.

35 The 2008 NATSISS collected information on Indigenous people of all ages, while the 2007-08 SIH collected information on all people aged 15 years and over. In the summary text, data for the 2008 NATSISS have been aligned with the age scope of the 2007-08 SIH and therefore present information on persons aged 15 years and over.

36 Understanding the extent to which data from the 2008 NATSISS and the 2007-08 SIH can be compared is essential to interpreting apparent differences in the data. The selected data item in the 2008 NATSISS appears similar to that in the 2007-08 SIH, but there are differences in the sample design and coverage, survey methodology and content, definitions, and classifications, all of which may impact on comparability.

37 In the 2007-08 SIH, missing values were imputed for households who had partially responded to the survey, whereas no such treatment was applied to the 2008 NATSISS. Therefore, the 2008 NATSISS contains data items for which values are 'not stated'.

38 More detailed information on the 2007-08 SIH is available from Information Paper: Survey of Income and Housing, User Guide, Australia, 2007-08 (cat. no. 6553.0).

39 Broad differences in the characteristics of the 2008 NATSISS and the 2007-08 SIH are summarised in the following table.

A5. COMPARISON TO THE 2007-08 SURVEY OF INCOME AND HOUSING (SIH), by survey design
	2008 NATSISS	2007-08 SIH
Collection methodology
	Computer-assisted interview (CAI). In remote areas a paper back-up of the questionnaire was available in case of technical difficulties.	Computer-assisted interview (CAI)
	In non-remote areas, selected persons aged 15 years and over were provided with a self-enumerated substance use form.	-
	Personal interview for persons aged 15 years and over (where consent was not given for persons 15-17 years, an interview was not conducted).	For each household, a household level interview collected information on household characteristics.
	A proxy interview was conducted for children aged 0-14 years, people unable to complete the survey due to injury or illness and people who did not have sufficient English skills (an interpreter may have been used).	For each household, individual level interviews collected individual information on income and other personal characteristics for each usual resident aged 15 years and over. Also collected was information on child care costs, usage and barriers to labour force participation due to child care related reasons.
	A household spokesperson aged 18 years and over provided household information, including: community facilities, bedrooms, telephone/IT access, transport, household facilities, maintenance, tenure, financial stress and income.	-
Scope
	Indigenous persons (all ages)	Persons aged 15 years and over
	Usual residents of private dwellings in remote and non-remote areas of Australia.	Usual residents of private dwellings in urban and rural areas of Australia, covering about 97% of people (excludes very remote areas)
Sample design
	For selected households in discrete remote Indigenous communities and outstations: one Indigenous person aged 15 years and over and one child aged 0-14 years. For selected households in non-remote and remote non-community areas: up to two Indigenous persons aged 15 years and over and up to two children aged 0-14 years.	The sample was designed to produce reliable estimates for broad aggregates for houesholds (private dwellings) at Australia-level and by state/territory. More detailed estimates for Tasmania, the NT and the ACT should be used with caution. For more information refer to Appendix 7 of Household Income and Income Distribution, Australia, 2007-08 (cat. no. 6523.0).
Final sample
	13,307 persons/6,858 households	18,326 persons/9,345 households
Response rate
	82% of households	84% of households
	-	The final sample included 2,026 households (22%) where at least one value was imputed for income or child care expenses. For 52.4% of these households, only a single value was missing.
Enumeration period
	August 2008-April 2009	August 2007- June 2008
Main output units
	Persons	Persons
	Households	Households
	-	Income
Exclusions
	Non-Indigenous persons	-
	Non-Australian diplomats, dipomatic staff & members of their household	Households containing diplomatic personnel of overseas governments
	Members of non-Australian defence forces and their dependents	Households containing members of non-Australian defence forces stationed in Australia
	Overseas visitors	Overseas visitors
Weighting
	Refer to Explanatory Notes	All persons in each Household were assigned a weight, including children aged 0-14 years
	-	Adjustments were made to intial weights to account for changes in sample across the four quarters of enumeration
Benchmarking
	Refer to Explanatory Notes	SIH is benchmarked to both the in-scope Estimated Resident Population (ERP) and the estimated number of households in the population. Benchmarks for 2007-08 were based on results from the 2006 Census of Population and Housing.