Background
ONS uses a range of data collected in the 2021 Census to determine whether a household includes characteristics that indicate deprivation. The dimensions of deprivation used to classify households are based on four household characteristics:
- Education: A household is classified as deprived in the education dimension if no one has at least level 2 education and no one aged 16 to 18 years is a full-time student.
- Employment: A household is classified as deprived in the employment dimension if any member, not a full-time student, is either unemployed or disabled.
- Health: A household is classified as deprived in the health dimension if any person in the household has general health that is bad or very bad or is identified as disabled
- Housing: A household is classified as deprived in the housing dimension if the household’s accommodation is either overcrowded, in a shared dwelling, or has no central heating.
Key Points
- Around 49% of households in West Sussex (184,064) were classified as deprived in at least one of the dimensions of deprivation.
- West Sussex has a lower proportion of households classified as deprived than England but, higher than South East.
- In West Sussex, 10,450 households were classified as deprived in three or four dimensions, and among them 812 households were classified as deprived in four dimensions.
- Compared to the 2011 Census data, the proportion of households experiencing deprivation in at least one dimensions increased in West Sussex, remained largely unchanged in the South East, and rose further across England.