Disadvantaged places in urban Australia: residential mobility, place attachment and social exclusion

Analysis of Census data can usefully identify spatial concentrations of socio-economic disadvantage and certain characteristics of local populations. However, it is also important to understand residents' views about such areas. People living in disadvantaged communities may have a variety of experiences which can inform much richer insights into both the positive and negative aspects of place. As part of a larger study on spatially concentrated disadvantage in Australia, we therefore commissioned a survey of residents in four such areas of Sydney. To complement extensive secondary data (including Census) analysis and qualitative fieldwork involving local agencies and other stakeholders, the survey was designed to further investigate: the nature and extent of poverty and exclusion residents' place attachment-views about their locality the functioning of local housing markets. The survey, involving 801 face-to-face interviews in four outer suburban locations, was undertaken in August/September 2013. This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the survey findings