Data developments

The ABS will enhance use of the Life Course Dataset through new methodologies and data developments to enable better analysis of experiences over the life course. This will include development of:  

• ways to understand household and family connections, particularly for children
• a child-level indicator relevant to social, economic and wellbeing outcomes
• Core Relationships and Core Locations modules as part of the Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA) Modular Product
• new location-based indicators on distance and travel-time to selected key services

For more information about data developments for the LCDI, contact life.course@abs.gov.au.  

The ABS will enhance the Life Course Dataset to understand household and family connections and how these change over time. This will allow for more detailed analysis of life course outcomes and experiences, particularly for children.  

The ABS will develop both household structures and family structures: 

• Household structures are intended to represent people who share a common address. Household structures will be provided as annual snapshots, for people who are alive and physically present in Australia and who share an address on the snapshot date. Where it is reasonable, relationship information may be used to infer a household for people who do not have sufficient location information available.
• Family structures are intended to represent family connections for people, regardless of whether they share a common address. Family structures will be child-centred, initially focusing on identifying relationships for children born in the 2006-07 financial year. Unlike household structures, family structures will be episodic in nature, with relationship episodes having a start date and (sometimes) an end date. When information about relationships is missing or not provided explicitly in the data sources, the ABS will explore the potential to impute relationships based on the available data.  

This approach offers the potential for more current and dynamic information on household and family units than what is available through the five-yearly Census. By constructing household and family structures, researchers and policy makers using the Life Course Dataset can more easily explore questions that have a household or family dimension, including those about economic resources, social mobility, labour force participation, and intergenerational dynamics. 

The development of household and family structures will be informed by consultation with researchers and policy makers, including through a Technical Working Group and engagement with communities and community organisations through the Community program.    

Updates:

• Household structures are now available for request by researchers for LCDI approved projects. This is a de-identified dataset that can be used within DataLab. Prior to being made available, a safe data assessment was conducted to assess disclosure risks.
• Family structures are currently under development. Researchers for LCDI approved research projects will be able to request this for use within DataLab from mid-2025. 

The ABS is exploring options to also make the data more widely available for request by PLIDA researchers. Access is subject to approval by relevant data custodians. 

More information is available in: Methodological News, December Quarter 2024.

The ABS will produce an experimental child-level indicator relevant to social, economic and wellbeing outcomes to illustrate the potential of the Life Course Dataset to inform on issues relating to disadvantage.  

The Life Course Dataset offers a unique opportunity to develop an experimental indicator – specifically, most data within the dataset is updated frequently, covers many domains and is longitudinal in nature. If feasible the experimental indicator will be produced for each year from 2006 – 2021, covering children. It will include domains relevant to a child’s experiences, like economic resources, living standards, and participation in educational opportunities.  

This work complements other composite indices developed by the ABS, such as the Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) and the Index of Household Advantage and Disadvantage (IHAD) that are based on the five-yearly Census. 

The development of the child-level indicator will be informed by consultation with researchers and policy makers, including through a Technical Working Group and engagement with communities and community organisations through the Community program.     

LCDI researchers can request access to the child-level indicator from mid-2026. The ABS will also publish statistics based on the child-level indicator as part of the ABS statistical program.  

The PLIDA Modular Product is a detailed microdata product available to approved researchers in the ABS DataLab. The development of the Core Relationships and Core Locations modules, which form part of the PLIDA Modular Product, was funded through the LCDI to enable better analysis of life course experiences. 

The Core Locations module contains geocoded location information about people in the PLIDA spine (where possible). It is a useful resource for researchers who wish to have readily accessible geocoded location information to perform analyses that relate to topics like internal migration, social mobility, or geographic distribution.  

The Core Relationships module contains relationship (parent-child, spouse) information for persons in PLIDA (where possible). It is a useful resource for researchers who wish to have readily accessible relationship information to perform analyses involving or relying on family structures or relationships information. 

Researchers can request access to the PLIDA Modular Product, including the Core modules, by completing the ABS DataLab project proposal for detailed and integrated microdata. Access is subject to approval by PLIDA data custodians.   

New location-based indicators have been developed using data from the Centre for Australian Research into Access. These indicators measure distance and travel-time to selected services, including childcare, schools, hospitals, and General Practitioners.  They are available in the Life Course Dataset for request by researchers of LCDI approved projects.