This thesis begins by providing a background to the conceptualisation and measurement of deprivation outcomes (Chapter 2) that result from the relatively unexplored concept of ‘New Social Risks’ (NSRs). In summary, NSRs can be theorised as ‘events’ or ‘transitions’ that occur at critical junctures across the life course and that may interfere with individuals/households fully participating in contemporary society. Specifically, it has been theorised that the occurrence of deprivation outcomes resulting from NSRs has led to an increasing prevalence and diversity of social problems, which may affect the life chances of individuals/households. Yet, an understanding of how geographical variations of these effects may potentially modify and influence NSR outcomes is lacking within the existing literature. Therefore, in addition to existing individual- and national-level approaches to examining NSR outcomes, this research enquiry aims to add a more nuanced understanding of the differential NSR outcomes attributed to specific NSR profiles at the small-area level for England and Wales. By responding to this aim, a geographical perspective will be added to the exploration of social deprivation outcomes resulting from distinct NSR profiles, which is a key strength and contribution of this research.
This research establishes an innovative approach to examining and measuring the deprivation outcomes that distinctive NSR profiles may experience at the neighbourhood level. For the purpose of this research, each NSR profile is conceptualised as a ‘Household-Unit-Type’ (HUT) (Chapter 3), which represents a critical juncture of the life course when specific NSRs are commonly triggered. For example, becoming a lone-parent ‘HUT’ who may be potentially exposed to the NSR of being ‘unable to reconcile paid work with caring for dependent children’. The establishment of a conceptual framework (Chapter 4), enables both the compositional and contextual attributes of the NSR outcomes that distinct ‘HUTs’ may potentially face at the neighbourhood level, to be examined via the construction of two, social vulnerability indices (SVIs).
Data to represent NSR outcomes via appropriate social measures are obtained from a range of sources at the Middle Super Output Area (MSOA) level, to represent neighbourhoods in England and Wales (Chapter 5). Of note, are the specially commissioned datasets from the 2011 Census which, are obtained from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to partially meet the data requirements of this research enquiry. Access to these cross-tabulated datasets allows for associations between previously unexplored combinations of variables to be explored and identified. Multiple linear regression (MLR) models identify both strong and moderate interactions between the chosen compositional and contextual predictors of specific NSR outcomes at the neighbourhood level. These MLR models inform and justify the final selection of variables which, are included in each of the resulting SVIs for the ‘lone-pensioner HUTs’ (Chapter 6) and ‘lone-parent HUTs’ (Chapter 7). Overall, this thesis highlights the continued importance of determining issues of social deprivation resulting from NSRs, via the construction of small-area level deprivation measures for specific compositional groups in contemporary British society.
Key words: 2011 Census, Deprivation, Life Course, New Social Risks, Neighbourhoods, Small-Area Level Measures, Social Indicators, Social Vulnerability.
