Classifications and Standards

The following contains information about each of the ABS standard classifications and their general use in the 2021-22 Personal Safety Survey.

For more information about ABS standard classifications, see Classifications, standards and methods in the Statistics section of the ABS website.

In the 2021-22 PSS, country of birth was classified to the Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC), 2016, incorporating updates through to, and including, 2019.

The 2016 SACC is the Australian statistical standard for social statistics classified by country and is intended for use in the collection, storage and dissemination of all Australian social statistics classified by country.

The identification of country units in the classification, and the way in which they are grouped, does not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of the ABS concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

While survey results can be classified to the 4-digit (individual country) level, the survey sample is often not sufficient to support reliable estimates at this level of detail. For general purposes, classification of country of birth to the 2-digit Minor Group level (broad geographic regions e.g. Southern Asia) is more suitable.

This classification has been used for the following data items:

• country of birth (respondent)
• country of birth of respondent's current partner that they live with (if applicable)
• country of birth of mother (respondent)
• country of birth of father (respondent).

In the 2021-22 PSS, language information for the respondent was classified to the Australian Standard Classification of Languages (ASCL), 2016.

The 2016 ASCL was produced to meet a statistical and administrative need for a standard classification of languages. It was designed for use in the collection, aggregation and dissemination of data relating to language usage in Australia.

All world languages are in scope of the classification, and languages with significant numbers of speakers in Australia are separately identified within the classification structure. 

While survey results can be classified to the 4-digit (individual language) level, the survey sample is often not sufficient to support reliable estimates at this level of detail. For general purposes, classification of language to the 2-digit Minor Group level (broad language groups e.g. East Slavic) is more suitable.

This classification has been used for the following data items:

• first language spoken as a child
• main language spoken at home.

In the 2021-22 PSS, education information for the respondent was classified to the Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED), 2001.

The 2001 ASCED is a statistical classification designed for use in the collection and analysis of data on educational activity and attainment. The ASCED includes all sectors of the Australian education system, including schools, vocational education and training, and higher education. The ASCED is comprised of two component classifications: 'Level of Education' and 'Field of Education'. It provides a basis for compiling comparable administrative and statistical data on educational activities and attainment classified by level and field.

While survey results for field of study can be classified to the 6-digit (Detailed Fields) level, the survey sample is often not sufficient to support reliable estimates at this level of detail. For general purposes, classification of main field of study to the 1-digit Broad Fields level (broad fields of study e.g. Engineering and related technologies) is more suitable. Similarly, while survey results for level of education can be classified to the 3-digit (Detailed Levels) level, classification to the 1-digit Broad Levels level (broad levels of education e.g. Bachelor degree level) is more suitable.

This classification has been used for the following data items:

• level of highest non-school qualification
• main field of highest non-school qualification
• level of highest educational attainment
• main field of highest educational attainment
• level of current study
• main field of current study.

In the 2021-22 PSS, industry of main job was classified to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006 (Revision 2.0). 

The ANZSIC has been jointly developed by the ABS and Statistics New Zealand. The ANZSIC provides a basis for the standardised collection, analysis, and dissemination of economic data on an industry basis for Australia and New Zealand. The use of ANZSIC enhances the comparability of industry statistics produced by the two countries.

While survey results for industry of main job can be classified to the 3-digit (Group) level, the survey sample is often not sufficient to support reliable estimates at this level of detail. For general purposes, classification of industry of main job to the top Division level (e.g. Construction) is more suitable.

In the 2021-22 PSS, occupation in main job was classified to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO), 2013, Version 1.3.

ANZSCO provides a basis for the standardised collection, analysis, and dissemination of occupation data for Australia and New Zealand. The use of ANZSCO improves the comparability of occupation statistics produced by the two countries.

While survey results for occupation in main job can be classified to the 6-digit (detailed occupation) level, the survey sample is often not sufficient to support reliable estimates at this level of detail. For general purposes, classification of occupation of main job at the 1-digit Major Group level (broad occupation groups e.g. sale workers) is more suitable.

The geography produced for the 2021-22 PSS used the 2016 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS): Volume 1, Volume 4 and Volume 5, and SEIFA used the 2016 Socio-economic indexes for areas. 

The ASGS is a social geography, developed to reflect the location of people and communities, and used for the release and analysis of statistics and other data. The ASGS is updated every 5 years to account for growth and change in Australia's population, economy and infrastructure.

SEIFA combines Census data such as income, education, employment, occupation, housing and family structure to summarise the socio-economic characteristics of an area.

Geography items output from the 2021-22 PSS include:

• State or Territory of usual residence
• Remoteness Areas
• Section of State
• Greater Capital City Statistical Areas
• Index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (score and deciles)
• Index of relative socio-economic disadvantage (score and deciles).

Further details can be found in the Household geography and Socio-economic indexes for areas (SEIFA) section of the Household and Demographic Characteristics chapter of this publication.