It is essential that all local authorities understand our citizens and local communities. We have used the Output Area Classification (OAC) which is a social classification tool, used to assist in understanding our residents. An output area is a small geography that consists of about 125 households. They are designed to be as socially homogenous as possible. There are 1937 output areas in Cambridgeshire.
The Output Area Classification (OAC) is a geodemographic tool developed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It offers socio-demographic data for local neighbourhoods. Area classifications group together geographic areas according to key characteristics common to the population in that grouping. These groupings are called clusters and are derived using census data.
The first OAC was developed from the 2001 Census, and the 2011 version builds upon that with the latest Census data. The current OAC uses 62 key variables from the 2011 Census, broken down as follows:
- 22 Demographic
- 4 Household composition
- 9 Housing
- 11 Socio-economic
- 16 Employment
There are three levels to the classification, which for 2011 includes 8 supergroups, 24 groups and 67 sub groups. This is an expansion on the counts for 2001 (7 supergroups, 21 groups and 52 subgroups). A full explanation for each of these groups is made available in the associated attachments.
