Patterns and Concentrations of Disadvantage in England: A Rural-Urban Perspective

Abstract

Concerns have been expressed with regard to the use of both single variables and indices in the assessment of disadvantage. In response, a 'bundles' methodology was adopted. Several variables were combined to define particular conditions acknowledged as representing the main elements posing a risk of disadvantage. Numbers of people facing these circumstances within particular locations were then identified. The approach offers a capability to represent the numbers of people facing different aspects of disadvantage separately. The analysis compares the patterns and concentrations of disadvantage within English rural and urban areas: the general incidence of different types of disadvantage, the correlations between them and concentrations of disadvantage amongst different populations. Consideration is then given to the implications of the analysis for current and future policy.