Creating small-area deprivation indices: a guide for stages and options

Small-area composite measures (such as for deprivation, access or green space) have become popular among both researchers and policy and are frequently used to compare or rank . Because of their seeming simplicity and wide , it is important to set out for researchers and the different stages and options that underlie the of composite indices. Using small area measures as an example, this article reviews key decisions faced by researchers from choosing data and variables to validation and measuring . Our aim is to guide researchers in the and following through with the process of a small-area measure. To date, the different are often not considered and the methodological tend to be based on tradition or convenience. there is no widely accepted framework for between methods, we argue that researchers compare different methods and justify their at each stage of the process. In particular, emphasis should be put on validating measures for population subgroups.