Cotterell powerpoint presentation - The University of Auckland

The University of Auckland New ZealandMonitoring Social Change withExisting Data: The Family andWhanau Wellbeing ProjectMark Wheldon and Gerry CotterellDepartment of Sociology, Social Statistics Research GroupThe University of AucklandThe Social Policy, Research and Evaluation Conference3- 5 April 2007, Wellington

OutlineThe University of Auckland New Zealand 23 November 2006The Family and Whanau Wellbeing ProjectIntroductionData access and preparationDefinitions of families and households in the censusBuilding family-level indicatorsPreliminary indicator results

The Family and WhanauWellbeing Project (FWWP)The University of Auckland New Zealand 23 November 2006MultidisciplinarySociologyStatisticsFunded by FRST for five yearsCreating a social monitorFocus on households and familiesConstructing social indicators of wellbeingUsing existing time-series data (mainly Census)Adding analytical value to official data sourcesCan they form the basis for a data platform?

What we want to do in the projectThe University of Auckland New Zealand 23 November 2006Objectives1. Develop standard measures– Household/family composition– Socio-economic status– Family wellbeing2. Analyse family wellbeing in context– Wellbeing by family type and social location3. Set time-series analysis of social indicators– Interrelationships over time4. Explore feasibility of routine monitoring– Data platform, data linkage and “fusion”, pseudo cohort

Time SeriesThe University of Auckland New Zealand 23 November 2006Householdsor FamilyTypeType AType BType CType DType E1981 1986 1991 1996 2001A 1A 2 A 3 A 4 A 5B 1 B 2 B 3 B 4 B 5C 1C 2C 3 C 4C 5D 1D 2D 3D 4D 5E 1E 2E 3E 4E 5Changing distributions of outcomes for household or family type

Data PreparationThe University of Auckland New Zealand 23 November 2006Data obtained through Statistics NZ Data LaboratoryAccess to the data used in this study was provided by Statistics New Zealand in asecure environment designed to give effect to the confidentiality provisions of theStatistics Act 1975.Indicator validity is partly dependent on the quality of source dataTime-series analysis of 20 years of data from 5 censuses an ambitious task,tried here for the first timeRequired data dictionaries and detailed variable assessmentsSources already availableExisting resources enhanced, new ones created.Project team was advised by Statistics NZ in this processOutlined in Family Wellbeing Indicators from the 1981–2001 Censuses(Milligan et al., 2006)

Variable ComparabilityThe University of Auckland New Zealand 23 November 2006Major component of data assessment processSignificant for time-series validity of indicatorsEighteen different factors affecting variable comparabilitywere identifiedEach variable used in the indicators was assessed usinga comparability scaleComparability: Total -> High -> Broad -> Limited(Milligan et al., 2006, pp.46–50)

Census FamiliesThe University of Auckland New Zealand 23 November 2006Wellbeing indicators at the level of the familyThe census definition of family is limited to nuclearfamilies consisting of ‘parents’ and ‘children’:‘Parent’ ≡ ‘Guardian’, a person in a parenting roleparents need not be married nor in an official union, norbiological parents of their ‘children’Parents and children must live in the same dwellingCertain types of ‘family’ cannot be identified in censusrecords

Families not identifiableThe University of Auckland New Zealand 23 November 2006Multi-dwelling families, e.g.,separated parents have dual custodyExtended familiescharacteristic of families in some cultures,e.g., Māori and Pacific PeoplesFamilies with children living away fromhome, e.g,tertiary students living in halls of residenceor flats

Family TypesThe University of Auckland New Zealand 23 November 2006Family structures can be classified for comparativeanalysisSNZ family type classification modified and extendedAdded some ‘household’ groups for informativecomparisons e.g.,One-person households excluded from definition of ‘family’Couples without children and one-person householdswere further classified as ‘retired’ or ‘non-retired’Retired: Both partners either over 65 yrs or in receipt of NZ SuperNon-retired: Neither or only one partner over 65 yrs or in receipt ofNZ SuperClassification is operational rather than definitive

Selected Family TypesThe University of Auckland New Zealand 23 November 2006Couples with children1. Couple with dependent children2. Couple with only independent childrenOne parent families3. One parent family with dependent children4. One parent family with only independent childrenFamilies/households without children5. Couple without children (non-retired)6. One-person household (non-retired)7. Retired family/household8. Non-family household

Using Census Data to ConstructWellbeing IndicatorsThe University of Auckland New Zealand 23 November 2006The advantages of using Census dataIdentification of core positive outcomes with objective livingconditionsAbility to assess change over timePopulation coverage rather than sampleThe limitations of using Census dataLimited range of information coverage by CensusLack of data for some indicatorsLack of in-depth information for some indicators

Wellbeing IndicatorsThe University of Auckland New Zealand 23 November 2006WellbeingComponentIncomeEducationIndicatorselectedEquivalised familyincomeIncome sourceProportion offamilies with lowincomesIncome inequalitySecondaryeducationalattainmentPost-secondaryeducationalattainmentDefinitionThe median value of all equivalised family incomeThe proportion of all families with one or more familymember receiving any type of government transfer,except family benefit or New Zealand SuperannuationThe proportion of all families whose equivalised grossfamily income is less than 60 percent of the medianequivalised gross family incomeThe X proportion of all families who earn Y percentageof the total income of all families (Gini index, Lorenzcurve)The proportion of all families who have one or morefamily member(s) aged 15 or over with any secondaryqualificationsThe proportion of all families who have one or morefamily member(s) aged 15 or over with any postsecondaryqualifications

Wellbeing Indicators cont.The University of Auckland New Zealand 23 November 2006WellbeingComponentIndicatorselectedDefinitionWork Unemployment The proportion of all families containing at least onefamily member aged 15 or over who is unemployedHours workedThe proportion of all families containing at least onefamily member who works more than 48 hours a weekHousing Tenure The proportion of all families that do not live in owneroccupieddwellingsHealthRentalaffordabilityCrowdingHealth relatedbenefitsThe proportion of all families in rented dwellings whereweekly rent is greater than 25 percent of the grossequivalised household incomeThe proportion of all families living in households thatrequire at least one additional bedroom to meet thesleeping needs of the householdThe proportion of all families/households with one ormore member receiving either a sickness or invalid’sbenefit

Median equivalised gross incomeby family typeThe University of Auckland New Zealand 23 November 20061999 DollarsMedian equivalised gross income by family type60000550005000045000400003500030000250002000015000100001981 1986 1991 1996 2001YearCouple without children Couple with dependent children Couple with only independent childrenOne parent family with dependent children One parent family with only impendent childrenThe results presented in this study are the work of the author, not Statistics New Zealand.

Low income familiesThe University of Auckland New Zealand 23 November 2006PercentageProportions of family types below 60 percent of median equivalised gross family income80.070.060.050.040.030.020.010.00.01981 1986 1991 1996 2001YearCouple without children Couple with dependent children Couple with only independent childrenOne parent family with dependent childrenOne parent family with only independent childrenThe results presented in this study are the work of the author, not Statistics New Zealand.

Household crowdingThe University of Auckland New Zealand 23 November 2006Percentage100.090.080.070.060.050.040.030.020.010.00.0Proportions of families in rented dwellings whose weekly rent is greater than 25 percent of theirgross equivalised weekly household income1981 1986 1991 1996 2001Couple without children Couple with dependent children Couple with only independent childrenOne parent family with dependent childrenYearOne parent family with only independent childrenThe results presented in this study are the work of the author, not Statistics New Zealand.

Home ownershipThe University of Auckland New Zealand 23 November 2006PercentageProportion of families that do not live in owner-occupied dwellings70.060.050.040.030.020.010.00.01981 1986 1991 1996 2001YearCouple without children Couple with dependent children Couple with only independent childrenOne parent family with dependent childrenOne parent family with only independent childrenThe results presented in this study are the work of the author, not Statistics New Zealand.

Rental affordabilityThe University of Auckland New Zealand 23 November 2006Percentage100.090.080.070.060.050.040.030.020.010.00.0Proportions of families in rented dwellings whose weekly rent is greater than 25 percent of theirgross equivalised weekly household income1981 1986 1991 1996 2001Couple without children Couple with dependent children Couple with only independent childrenOne parent family with dependent childrenYearOne parent family with only independent childrenThe results presented in this study are the work of the author, not Statistics New Zealand.

Secondary school qualificationsThe University of Auckland New Zealand 23 November 2006PercentageProportion of families where no family members have any post-secondary school qualifications90.080.070.060.050.040.030.020.010.01981 1986 1991 1996 2001YearCouple without children Couple with dependent children Couple with only independent childrenOne parent family with dependent childrenOne parent family with only independent childrenThe results presented in this study are the work of the author, not Statistics New Zealand.

Post secondary schoolqualificationsThe University of Auckland New Zealand 23 November 2006PercentageProportion of families where no family members have any secondary school qualifications70.060.050.040.030.020.010.00.01981 1986 1991 1996 2001YearCouple without children Couple with dependent children Couple with only independent childrenOne parent family with dependent childrenOne parent family with only independent childrenThe results presented in this study are the work of the author, not Statistics New Zealand.

Concluding commentsThe University of Auckland New Zealand 23 November 2006Time-series can be constructed from historical censusdata, subject to some limitations, e.g.:Comparability imposes certain restrictionsFamilies restricted to the same householdCensus as a data source has its own strengthsUnparalleled breadth of contextual information availableLong runningMandatory for all New ZealandersOn-going/future researchWellbeing for different ethnic groups and family typesFeasibility of family-level cohort studies from census dataPotential for further fine-grained analysis at family level

FWWP-related PublicationsThe University of Auckland New Zealand 23 November 2006http://www.spear.govt.nz/publications/http://www.stats.govt.nz/analytical-reports/default.htm