Community Needs Index 2023

The Community Need Index (CNI) has been refined, updated and is now available exclusively in Community Insight. The CNI serves as a valuable tool for those looking to explore social and cultural factors that can impact upon people’s outcomes in different neighbourhoods.

This blog will provide more information on the available indicators and how you can explore them in Community Insight.

Contents:

Indicators in Community Insight

We have included four new datasets in Community Insight; the scores for each individual domain and the overall Community Need Index. In each case, a higher score indicates higher levels of community need.

  • Community Needs Index 2023: Civic Assets score
  • Community Needs Index 2023: Connectedness score
  • Community Needs Index 2023: Active and Engaged Community score
  • Community Needs Index 2023: Community Needs score

Background

The Community Needs Index was first developed in 2019 to identify areas experiencing poor community and civic infrastructure, relative isolation and low levels of participation in community life. The CNI has really resonated with policymakers and analysts across central government, local government and civil society organisations.

The research has contributed to the formation of the APPG for left behind neighbourhoods, has been used to allocate resources for the Know your Neighbourhood Fund and we have worked with organisations to do a deep dive into the Community Needs Index for their area.

Following engagement with key stakeholders and a wider consultation, we are pleased to have refined the index for 2023. We have reviewed the geography, underlying indicators and weighting methodology used. Full details are available in the Technical Methodology Paper.

Comparability between the two iterations

Following changes to the unit of geography and the indicators included in the measure, the updated Community Needs Index 2023 is not directly comparable to the earlier Community Needs Index 2019.

Previously, 2017 Wards were used as the underlying unit of geography – this is because Wards tend to be centred around existing neighbourhoods and so are often familiar to people. However, with Ward boundaries changing on an annual basis and their size varying significantly, the updated CNI 2023 instead uses LSOAs as the underlying unit of geography. This is because LSOA boundaries only change every 10 years, they are more homogenous in size and are better placed to identify needs in rural areas. Due to this difference in geography between the two iterations of the Index, these measures should not be compared or analysed to show change over time.

When updating the CNI, we reviewed the underlying indicators and, where necessary, updated to the most recent time-point. In some cases, indicators have been replaced by more robust indicators from alternative sources, or new indicators have been added to strengthen the Index and capture a different facet of community need. For full details of the underlying indicators, please see pages 10 – 21 in the Technical Methodology Paper.

Exploring the CNI in Community Insight

You can view both the 2019 and 2023 Community Need Index scores in Community Insight. Since they are not directly comparable, we have not grouped them together in the tool. The 2023 score has replaced the 2019 score in the default “Communities” theme, and if you had the 2019 score in a custom theme this has been replaced with the 2023 score. The 2019 score can now be found in the “Unassigned” theme, on the Manage Indicators page, if you wish to continue using it.

What the CNI can help you measure

The Community Need Index was developed to measure some of the processes that Local Trust had been observing in many of the communities it was working in through the Big Local programme.  These are often peripheral areas with shared characteristics, where residents were consistently identifying lack of spaces to meet and poor connectivity as priority issues, while an active and engaged community was seen as a key ingredient to help affect meaningful change and tackle deprivation. 

The Index incorporates community and social challenges which have not been captured in more traditional deprivation metrics such as the Indices of Deprivation (IoD). These include poor community and civic infrastructure and low levels of participation and engagement in the wider community. As such, the CNI is an extremely useful way to measure the absence of an active third sector, well developed social networks and a strong presence of civic assets, all of which help support the social fabric of an area.

How to interpret the values

The Community Need Index has been formed by standardising and combining 28 indicators under three different domains:

  • Civic Assets
  • Connectedness
  • Active and Engaged Community

Each of these three domains has its own associated score. In addition, the three domain scores are standardised and combined to produce the overall Index score (Community Needs score). Equal weights have been applied to each of the three domains to mirror the approach taken in the 2019 CNI where equal weights were selected to reflect the equal importance of each dimension of Community Need.

When interpreting the CNI, a higher score indicates that an area has higher levels of community need. As with many indices, it is a relative rather than an absolute measure. This means you can compare how your neighbourhood performs relative to other areas. However, you can’t say one area is twice as bad or half as bad as another. The number itself is only meaningful in a relative rather than absolute sense. In the below example, we can see that the Local Authority of Nottingham has a higher community needs score than Birmingham. Therefore, we can say that Nottingham has poor civic infrastructure and community engagement relative to Birmingham.

It is also not possible to compare scores across domains, as each domain is standardised and scaled differently (for example, the Civic Assets scores range from -3.5 to 2.6, while the connectedness scores range from 1.2 to 189.5). Moreover, due to changes in the way indicators have been weighted and combined, as well as changes to the spatial scale used in the standardisation calculations, it is not possible to compare the scores produced in 2023 with the scores in 2019 across the Index or underlying domains.

Census 2021 Multivariate Data Release: What’s Next in Community Insight

The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has recently released multivariate data from the 2021 Census, and we have started to add key indicators to Community Insight. Multivariate data is important because it allows us to combine indicators to gain a deeper understanding of our communities. With a vast number of possible combinations, we would like to know what you are most interested in seeing in the tool.

The ONS has released the data in the form of an online build a custom dataset tool. This means you can choose which indicators you would like to combine, and which geographic level you’d like to see the data for.

However, this should be used with caution as there are gaps in the data for some indicator combinations at small area level. This may be due to data suppression, to avoid the risk of identifying individuals from the data. For instance, multivariate indicators related to sexuality and gender identity are not available below LA level.

Multivariate data has relatively low numbers, when compared to indicators with a single variant. This can lead to inaccuracies when apportioning and aggregating data for use with custom areas. Therefore, to make sure that the data we’re using is useful, we will only add multivariate indicators to Local Insight when they are available nationally at Output Area (OA) level. This allows for accurate aggregation for larger custom areas.

There is some multivariate data available at OA level for the following themes:

  • Economic activity status
  • Overcrowded housing
  • General health
  • Highest level of qualification
  • Occupation
  • Tenure
  • Unpaid care

For each of these themes, we will provide data for a range of groups including ethnicity, age, gender, household composition, disability and carers. For example, highest level of qualification by different age groups. We will also provide data for where those themes intersect with each other. For example, overcrowded housing by general health. As above, this is subject to the data being available at OA level.

Our research team is currently prioritising key combinations. We want to know which themes you are most interested in seeing so that we can add them to the tool more quickly. Please let us know which themes are most important to you via this form.

Census 2021: Multivariate Indicators added to Community Insight

Some Multivariate census data is now live in Community Insight. You can start using and analysing this data for all your stock groups.

For guidance on using Census 2021 data in Community Insight please see “How to explore Census 2021 data in Community Insight”.

Summary of published data

We have added nine multivariate Census 2021 indicators to Community Insight. Indicators for the following datasets can now be seen live in Community Insight:

  • Children providing unpaid care
  • Employment rate by ethnicity (5 indicators)
  • People aged over 65 with not good health
  • People travelling more than 10km to work by public transport and by driving (2 indicators)

Click here to download a list of all updated Census indicators.

Reports

We have updated Children Providing Unpaid Care in the Community Insight reports (see Vulnerable Groups: page 23). You will need to update your reports in order to see Census 2021 data here.

Census 2021: Health, disability, and unpaid care data available in Community Insight

The small area Health, disability, and unpaid care census data is now live in Community Insight. You can start using and analysing this data for all your stock group areas. 

For guidance on using Census 2021 data in Community Insight please see How to explore Census 2021 data in Community Insight”.

Summary of published data

Download the full list of indicators now available in Community Insight.

We have added 17 indicators to Community Insight. This release includes small area data from the Health, disability, and unpaid care topic summary. Indicators for the following datasets can now be seen live in Community Insight:

  • Disability (3 indicators) 
  • General health (5 indicators) 
  • Number of disabled people in the household (3 indicators) 
  • Provision of unpaid care (6 indicators) 

Reports

We have updated 3 of the indicators in the Community Insight report (see Health and wellbeing: page 38). You will need to update your reports in order to see Census 2021 data here.

Census 2021: Population by 5 year age bands available in Community Insight

The small area population by 5 year age bands census data is now live in Community Insight. You can start using and analysing this data for all your stock group areas. 

For guidance on using Census 2021 data in Community Insight please see “How to explore Census 2021 data in Community Insight”.

Summary of published data

Download the full list of indicators now available in Community Insight.

We have added 19 indicators to Community Insight. Starting with people aged 0-4 and going up in 5 year bands until people aged 85 and over.

Please note, there are various indicators for population in Community Insight, due to figures being published as part of Mid-Year estimates and figures published as part of Census 2021 data release.

All indicators for small-area census population data are named in the following format:

  • People aged X-Y (Census 2021)

We have also created a derived indicator that shows people aged 0-14 (Census 2021).

Single age band data and bespoke age ranges

The single age band data has not yet been published at small area level. Therefore, we are unable to create derived bespoke age bands at this stage. 

If you are interested in seeing data for a particular age band please let us know on support@ocsi.co.uk and when possible, we will add those indicators into Community Insight.

Reports

We have not added any of the 5 year age band population indicators to the Community Insight reports. We will review the reports once the single age band data is published.

Census 2021: Sexual orientation and gender identity data available in Community Insight

The small area sexual orientation and gender identity census data is now live in Community Insight. You can start using and analysing this data for all your stock group areas.. 

For guidance on using Census 2021 data in Community Insight please see “How to explore Census 2021 data in Community Insight”.

Summary of published data

Download the full list of indicators now available in Community Insight. 

We have added 26 indicators to Community Insight. This release includes small area data from the sexual orientation and gender identity topic summary. Indicators for the following datasets can now be seen live in Community Insight: 

  • Sexual orientation (13 indicators)
  • Gender identity (11 indicators)
  • Non respondents to these questions (2 indicators)

More information about these datasets 

The question about sexual orientation and gender identity in the 2021 census was voluntary. 

In total, 92.5% of the population aged 16 years and over answered the question on sexual orientation and 94.0% of the population aged 16 years and over answered the question on gender identity. Read more about this on the ONS website

ONS percentages are calculated using the overall population rather than the population who responded to the sexual orientation and gender identity question. 

Alongside adding the official ONS figures to Community Insight, we have also included additional indicators that use only people who responded to the sexual orientation and gender identity question as the denominator. These indicators are displayed as [sexuality] (as a % of all who responded to the sexual orientation questions) (Census 2021).

Below is an example how these distinct indicators display in Community Insight

  • Bisexual (as a % of all who responded to the sexual orientation questions)  (Census 2021)
  • Bisexual (as a % of all aged 16+) (Census 2021)

These supplementary indicators that use respondents only as the denominator provide additional value as the response rates vary considerably across local areas. There are a multitude of possible driving factors behind non-response rates, which are not necessarily related to sexual orientation and gender identity.

Non respondents

We have also added 2 indicators that show the non response rates for this topic. These two indicators are called:

  • Non respondents to the sexual orientation question  (as a % of all aged 16+) (Census 2021)
  • Non respondents to the gender identity question  (as a % of all aged 16+) (Census 2021)

Reports

We have not added any of the sexual orientation and gender identity indicators to the Community Insight reports.

Census 2021: Education data available in Community Insight

The small area education census data is now live in Community Insight. You can start using and analysing this data for all your stock group areas. 

For guidance on using Census 2021 data in Community Insight please see “How to explore Census 2021 data in Community Insight”.

Summary of published data

Download the full list of indicators now available in Community Insight. 

We have added 7 indicators to Community Insight. This release includes small area data from the education topic summary. The 7 indicators below are now live in Community Insight: 

  • People with no qualifications (Census 2021)
  • Highest level of qualification: Level 1 qualifications (Census 2021)
  • Highest level of qualification: Level 2 qualifications (Census 2021)
  • Highest level of qualification: Level 3 qualifications (Census 2021)
  • Highest level of qualification: Level 4/5 (degree or higher) qualifications (Census 2021)
  • Highest level of qualification: Other qualifications (Census 2021)
  • Highest level of qualification: Apprenticeship (Census 2021)

Reports

We have updated 5 of the indicators in the Community Insight report (see Education & skills: page 47). You will need to update your reports in order to see Census 2021 data here.

 

Census 2021: Housing data available in Community Insight

The small area housing census data is now live in Community Insight. You can start using and analysing this data for all your stock group areas. 

For guidance on using Census 2021 data in Community Insight please see “How to explore Census 2021 data in Community Insight”.

Summary of published data 

Download the full list of indicators now available in Community Insight.

We have added 71 indicators to Community Insight. This release includes small area data from the housing topic summary. Indicators for the following datasets can now be seen live in Community Insight: 

  • Accommodation Type (9 indicators) 
  • Car ownership (4 indicators) 
  • Central heating (1 indicator) 
  • Heating type (11 indicators) 
  • Number of Bedrooms (4 indicators) 
  • Number of Rooms (10 indicators) 
  • Occupancy rating of bedrooms (6 indicators) 
  • Occupancy rating of rooms (6 indicators) 
  • Second address type (8 indicators) 
  • Second addresses (2 indicators) 
  • Tenure (10 indicators) 

ONS also published datasets on Communal establishment resident by age and Communal establishment resident by management type. These are currently not available in Community Insight as the data has not been published at Output Area. 

Reports

We have updated 34 of the indicators in the Community Insight report (see Housing: pages 24, 25 and 29 and Access and transport: Car ownership: page 56). You will need to update your reports in order to see Census 2021 data here.

Christmas Break

The Community Insight support team will be off during the Christmas break from Wednesday 21 December to Tuesday 3 January inclusive.

We will not be able to respond to any Community Insight support requests sent to support@ocsi.co.uk during this time.

Support

If you experience any issues or need support please visit  the Help Centre.

If you have another question which requires assistance from a member of the team, please email support@ocsi.co.uk.  We will reply upon our return in January.

Enjoy the festive break.

Census 2021: Labour market and travel to work data available in Community Insight

The small area labour market and travel to work census data is now live in Community Insight. You can start using and analysing this data for all your stock groups. 

For guidance on using Census 2021 data in Community Insight please see “How to explore Census 2021 data in Community Insight”.

Summary of published data 

Download the full list of indicators now available in Community Insight.

We have added 67 indicators to Community Insight. This release includes small area data from the labour market and travel to work topic summary. Indicators for the following datasets can now be seen live in Community Insight: 

  • Economic activity status (24 indicators) 
  • Travel to work (21 indicators) 
  • Industry and occupation (22 indicators)

ONS also published detailed breakdowns of different occupation and industry datasets. These are currently not available in Community Insight as the data has not been published at Output Area (and will show very low numbers in many instances). However, we can add breakdowns that are useful to you upon request – please send these to support@ocsi.co.uk 

Reports

We have updated 14 of the indicators in the Community Insight report (see Economy: Economic activity – page 51 and Economy: Job type – page 52). You will need to update your reports in order to see Census 2021 data here.