Experimental Demographic Statistics Using Integrated Administrative Data: A Spatial Economic Analysis

Jane Wakeford, Australian Bureau of Statistics

In August 2023, the ABS released a new experimental product: the Administrative Data Snapshot (ADS) of Population and Housing. The product was based on a Census-like snapshot of integrated administrative data and built on the successful use of similar data to support the 2021 Census. The snapshot was defined with a reference point of mid-2021, specifically to enable direct comparison between the Administrative Data Snapshot and the Census. This comparison showed similar counts of people and houses between the two at that time. This paper showcases internal ABS research on how similar snapshots can be used to provide economic indicators using data from the Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA). By applying spatial economic analysis, we generate new insights to understand how the geographic concentration of certain demographic groups in different areas - as well as the trends in internal migration - explain the spatial variation in experienced real wage growth, income inequality, and welfare payment persistency. Putting these experimental statistics in maps enables us to clearly visualise geo-spatial population trends.

Keywords: Big data, Economic Demography, Inequality, Disadvantage and Discrimination, Internal Migration and Urbanization

See extended abstract.