Understanding patterns of deprivation

Abstract

The Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) provides a measure of relative deprivation across England. This article looks at how the IMD for 2007 varies across the country and between regions. It also considers the relationship between the Index and the key National Statistics classifications – focusing on how the social type of an area and its urban/rural characteristics influence deprivation. The analysis shows that the geographic extremes (inner cities and the most remote rural areas) coincide with extremes of deprivation, while suburban and ‘middle-England’ almost entirely escape them. Summary advice is provided on using the indices in small area analysis. The article should be of interest to anyone wishing to understand more about deprivation either nationally or in their own area.