All Indicators > Indicator IB3: Work and local environments

Component IB3_1: Low control work environments

Additional details

Various studies have found that low control at work increases the risk of developing depression and anxiety (Griffin JM, Fuhrer R, Stansfeld SA, Marmot M. (2002) ‘The importance of low control at work and home on depression and anxiety: do these effects vary by gender and social class?’. Social Science and Medicine, 54(5):783-98) and that the largest contribution to the socioeconomic gradient in coronary heart disease frequency was from low control at work (Marmot MG, Bosma H, Hemingway H, Brunner E, Stansfeld S. (1997) ‘Contribution of job control and other risk factors to social variations in coronary heart disease incidence’, Lancet, 350(9073):235-9; Bosma H, Marmot MG, Hemingway H, Nicholson AC, Brunner E, Stansfeld SA. (1997) ‘Low job control and risk of coronary heart disease in Whitehall II (prospective cohort) study’. British Medical Journal, 314(7080):558-65.). It is therefore important to take into account how the work environment might impact upon an individual’s health.

The National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification (NSSEC) from the 2001 Census was used. In the nine-class version, categories 6 (semi-routine occupations) and 7 (routine occupations) were selected to represent low control work environments. The proportion of people in low control work environments was calculated by dividing the number of people in routine and semi-routine occupations by all people of working age (i.e. all categories including never worked and long-term unemployed).

Component IB3_2: Unemployment

Additional details

Unemployment is used here not as an indicator of low income, that is measured by other indicators within the HPI, but rather as a measure of the extra negative impact that being unemployed or involuntarily excluded from work has. This will include psychological impacts.

Additional details for 2003 Data

The unemployment claimant count measures how many unemployed people are claiming unemployment-related benefits (Jobseeker’s Allowance). Estimates of claimant counts are always lower than those of unemployment because some unemployed people are not entitled to claim benefits, or choose not to do so. The claimant count comes from the administrative records of Jobcentre Plus (formerly Employment Service) (www.statistics.gov.uk).

Incapacity Benefit (IB) is paid to people who are assessed as being incapable of work, either if statutory sick pay (SSP) has ended or if the claimant is not entitled to SSP. It is paid according to three different rates: The lower short-term rate (IBST(L)) is paid for the first 28 weeks of sickness and the higher short-term rate (IBST(H)) for weeks 29 to 52. The long-term rate (IBLT) is paid to people who have been sick for more than a year. (www.nomisweb.co.uk).

Until April 2001, people who were incapable of work and did not satisfy the contribution conditions for IB could get Severe Disablement Allowance (SDA), providing they had been incapable of work for at least 28 weeks. Anyone who became incapable of work before their 20th birthday could qualify on this basis alone. People who became incapable of work after their 20th birthday also had to prove they had been unable to work for at least 28 consecutive weeks due to illness or disability (www.nomisweb.co.uk).

From 6 April 2001 no new claims to SDA were accepted. From this date people under the age of 20 (or 25 if in education or training before age 20) may be able to qualify for IB without needing to satisfy the contribution conditions. SDA is now maintained for existing claimants only who were over the age of 20 at the point of change. Any existing claimants under 20 on 6 th April 2001 were transferred to long-term IB (www.nomisweb.co.uk).

Creating the Unemployment Indicator

For each of the three benefits that make up this indicator, the average number of claimants for the whole year (2003) was calculated for each Local Authority. These were then added together to give the total number of people claiming benefits in each Local Authority and then divided by the total working population estimate for 2003 (males 18-64; females 18-59), to give the proportion of people claiming unemployment benefits. The total working population was taken from the midyear population estimates.

Component IB3_3: Violent Crime

Additional details

Police recorded crime data locate criminal events at their point of occurrence and therefore act as an indicator of the incidence of victimisation at the neighbourhood level.

Small area recorded crime data were obtained from all 39 police forces in England. Local crime and disorder partnerships are led by the local authorities and police, who have a legal obligation to develop and implement a strategy for tackling crime and disorder. The partnerships are based on the Unitary Authority for the area or, if the council is not a Unitary Authority, the Local Authority District (LAD) council and the County in which the LAD falls. Every chief officer whose police area (wholly or partly) lies within this area is also involved. There are 376 Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships.

The following categories of recorded crime have been grouped to form an indicator of violent crime:

The crime rates are based on resident population and therefore may give a misleading impression in areas where numbers of non-residents, such as commuters and visitors are significant.

For ethnic group estimation, an SOA level weighting function was created to model incidence for individuals in each ethnic group within Local Authorities.

Component IB3_4: Burglary

Additional details

Police recorded crime data locate criminal events at their point of occurrence and therefore act as an indicator of the incidence of victimisation at the neighbourhood level.

Small area recorded crime data were obtained from all 39 police forces in England. Local crime and disorder partnerships are led by the local authorities and police, who have a legal obligation to develop and implement a strategy for tackling crime and disorder. The partnerships are based on the Unitary Authority for the area or, if the council is not a Unitary Authority, the Local Authority District (LAD) council and the county in which the LAD falls. Every chief officer whose police area (wholly or partly) lies within this area is also involved. There are 376 Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships.

The following categories of recorded crime have been grouped to form an indicator of burglary:

The crime rates are based on resident population and therefore may give a misleading impression in areas where numbers of non-residents, such as commuters and visitors are significant.

For ethnic group estimation, an SOA level weighting function was created to model incidence for individuals in each ethnic group within Local Authorities.

Component IB3_5: Theft

Additional details

Police recorded crime data locate criminal events at their point of occurrence and therefore act as an indicator of the incidence of victimisation at the neighbourhood level.

Small area recorded crime data were obtained from all 39 police forces in England. Local crime and disorder partnerships are led by the local authorities and police, who have a legal obligation to develop and implement a strategy for tackling crime and disorder. The partnerships are based on the Unitary Authority for the area or, if the council is not a Unitary Authority, the Local Authority District (LAD) council and the county in which the LAD falls. Every chief officer whose police area (wholly or partly) lies within this area is also involved. There are 376 Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships.

The following categories of recorded crime have been grouped to form an indicator of theft:

The crime rates are based on resident population and therefore may give a misleading impression in areas where numbers of non-residents, such as commuters and visitors are significant.

For ethnic group estimation, an SOA level weighting function was created to model incidence for individuals in each ethnic group within Local Authorities.

Component IB3_6: Criminal damage

Additional details

Police recorded crime data locate criminal events at their point of occurrence and therefore act as an indicator of the incidence of victimisation at the neighbourhood level.

Small area recorded crime data were obtained from all 39 police forces in England. Local crime and disorder partnerships are led by the local authorities and police, who have a legal obligation to develop and implement a strategy for tackling crime and disorder. The partnerships are based on the Unitary Authority for the area or, if the council is not a Unitary Authority, the Local Authority District (LAD) council and the county in which the LAD falls. Every chief officer whose police area (wholly or partly) lies within this area is also involved. There are 376 Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships.

The following categories of recorded crime have been grouped to form an indicator of criminal damage:

The crime rates are based on resident population and therefore may give a misleading impression in areas where numbers of non-residents, such as commuters and visitors are significant.

For ethnic group estimation, an SOA level weighting function was created to model incidence for individuals in each ethnic group within Local Authorities.