NAME OF PRODUCT

Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA)

Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas are summary measures derived from the Population Census to measure different aspects of socio-economic conditions by geographic area. These indexes reveal where the affluent (as opposed to just high income earning) live; where the disadvantaged (as opposed to the unemployed) live and where the highly skilled and educated (as opposed to simply the degree-holding people) live.

If you are involved in targeting products or services, demographic profiling, strategic planning, allocation of funds, or social/economic research, SEIFA can help with analysis of consumer profiles, identify features unique to a target group, and assist in new business location.

There are five indexes which group Australians according to their social and economic conditions:

Urban Index of Advantage: an indicator of well-being, containing items such as high income, tertiary education, home ownership and skilled occupations.

Rural Index of Advantage: makes the distinction between being advantaged in the city and being advantaged in the country, looking at characteristics related specifically to rural areas.

Index of Disadvantage: focuses on low income earners, relatively lower educational attainment, high unemployment, rented dwellings and people lacking fluency in English.

Index of Economic Resources: highlights what could be called disposable income, focusing on economic resources of a household including family income, housing status and car ownership.

Index of Education and Occupation: provides specific rankings based on educational background and type of occupation.

SEIFA96 provides information and rankings for a wide range of geographic areas, from small areas such as a CD to large areas such as a SD. Alternatively, you will be able to customise areas to your own specifications. This product is separately available for each State and Australia.

SEIFA96 is available in 3 options:

• The 'stand-alone' SEIFA96 contains the indexes in tabular form, and the names and codes of the geographic areas. The fully documented software is designed to enable you to calculate and analyse index values and produce reports on the areas defined.
  
• SEIFA96 add-on module for CDATA96 contains the same data as the stand-alone version but the software will be fully compatible with CDATA96, the most up-to-date package of tabulation and mapping software and detailed census data on CD-ROM.
  
• Alternatively, SEIFA96 consultants can do the job for you and provide indexes tailored to your needs in the form of an information consultancy.