APPENDIX 2: ABS STANDARD CLASSIFICATIONS

A number of ABS standard classifications have been referred to throughout this User Guide. The following contains more information about each of the classifications and their general use in the 2016 Personal Safety Survey.

Classification of country of birth

Country of birth is classified to the Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC), 2016 (cat. no. 1269.0) . While survey results can technically be classified to the 4 digit 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 is most suitable. This classification has been used for:

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

Classification of main language spoken at home

Main language spoken at home is classified to the Australian Standard Classification of Languages (ASCL), 2016 (cat. no. 1267.0). While survey results can technically be classified to the 4 digit level, the survey sample is often not sufficient to support reliable estimates at this level of detail. For general purposes, classification of main language spoken at home to the 2 digit Minor Group level is more suitable. This classification has been used for:

• First language spoken as a child (respondent)
• First language spoken as a child (respondent's current partner they live with (if applicable))
• Main language spoken at home (respondent)
• Main language spoken at home (respondent's current partner they live with (if applicable))

Classification of education

Level of highest non-school educational qualification and field of study of that qualification are classified to the Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED), 2001 (cat. no. 1272.0), as are current level and field of study. While survey results for field of study can be classified to the 6 digit detailed level, the survey sample is often not sufficient to support reliable estimates at this level of detail. As a result, for both the respondent and respondent's current partner they live with (if applicable), main field of highest non-school qualification is output at the Broad level of detail, and level of highest non-school educational qualification is output using a modified combination of Broad and Narrow level of detail.

For more information about ABS standard classifications, see Methods and Classifications section of the ABS website.