Indices Futures: Updating the English Indices of Deprivation – Public Consultation

Closed 23 Sep 2022

Opened 14 Jul 2022

Overview

The English Index of Multiple Deprivation (the IMD), produced as part of the broader English Indices of Multiple Deprivation (the IoD or the Indices), is the official measure of relative deprivation at small-area level in England. The suite of resources are designated National Statistics.

The Index of Multiple Deprivation combines indices for seven different domains of deprivation:

• Income Deprivation
• Employment Deprivation
• Education, Skills and Training Deprivation
• Health Deprivation and Disability
• Crime
• Barriers to Housing and Services
• Living Environment Deprivation

There are two supplementary indices: the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) and the Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI).

In all, the IoD suite of resources published in 2019 comprised of 10 individual indices measuring different domains of deprivation, a range statistical and administrative higher-level aggregations and a series of interactive tools and raw datasets.       

This open consultation formally invites user views and feedback on the IoD. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) are keen to hear directly from users regarding their use of the IoD. This includes feedback on its methodology and data sources, and where and how the suite of outputs from the 2019 release could be built on and improved going forward.

The most recent iteration of the English indices of deprivation was published in September 2019 and all resources are available online here - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-indices-of-deprivation-2019

Why your views matter

It is important that future updates of the IoD continue to meet the broadest range of user needs whilst also continuing to draw on the most up-to-date and relevant data available to measure multiple deprivation at a small-area level. Users’ views, gathered as part of this consultation, will help to shape the future of the IoD going forward.    

What happens next

The IoD Futures consultation will last for 10 weeks, from 15 July 2022 to 23 September 2022. Engagement and responses from this consultation will help to shape any future iterations of the IoD and related releases going forward, and will ensure that the resources and datasets made available continue to meet the broadest range of user needs.