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Understanding your target community or market with demographics

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Example

www.id.com.au/profile/goldcoast

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Outline

• Why demographics?• Your demographic tool kit• Where to get demographic information• The principles of good demographic

analysis• Case study• Questions

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Why demographics?

• Facilitiating the development of happy and sustainable communities

• What that means in practice will be different for different types of places

communicate effectivelyempower community groups

advocate for your communitygenerate funding

make evidence-based decisionsunderstand your community/market

informed

decisions

the community

engage

decision makers

persuade

your peopleinform

Why demographics? .id

informed decisions

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The most comprehensive source of demographic data is the Census

Census data enables you to:– tell the story of your place– test your assumptions about your place– articulate your community’s unique characteristics– understand how your community is changing

Census data is complex and requiresconsiderable expertise to convert intoknowledge about your place

understand your working population

economic profile4 economy.id

plan for the futurepopulation forecast3 forecast.id

allocate your resourcessocial atlas2 atlas.id

understand your communitycommunity profile1 profile.id

.idinformed decisions

Demographic toolkit

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Where to find demographic information

• ABS website• .id• in-house analysts• consultants

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Converting data into knowledge

• Story telling– Who are we? How do we live? What do we do?

• Benchmarking– How do we compare?– How diverse are we?

• Time series– How are we changing?– Is this change desirable?

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People are predictable

Household life cycle

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Communities are groups of people

Suburb life cycle

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Examples

Bankstown City – Children’s services

www.id.com.au/profile/goldcoast

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Converting data into knowledge

• Story telling– What is our residential role and function?

• Appropriate geography– Who are our communities of interest?

• Benchmarking– How do we compare to our region?– How diverse are we?

• Time series– How are we changing?– Is this change desirable?

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Examples

• Maribrynong – diverse and changing community

• Gold Coast – testing assumptions• www.id.com.au