#### 11 Reading the Tables, Graphs and Maps

The 2011 Pobal HP Deprivation Index for Small Areas (SA) covers the following datasets:

- A. Four composite index scores (one Absolute Index Score and one Relative Index Score for each of the 2006 and 2011 census waves) and the Changes in absolute and relative scores between 2006 and 2011;
- B. Ten individual indicator variables which are used to construct the index;
- C. Additional variables which show how each indicator has changed over the preceding 5-year period.

The The tables presented in the summary show the area aggregates for the 34 Local Authority Areas (NUTS4), the 8 Regional Authorities (NUTS3), the two NUTS2 Regions (Southern & Eastern Region and Border, Midlands and Western Region) and Ireland as a whole (NUTS1). These provide important reference values when interpreting the relative affluence or deprivation of any specific area.

The full SA-level data for all of the underlying indicator variables and the Absolute and Relative Index Scores can be accessed on the interactive mapping site http://maps.pobal.ie/#/Map. All supporting material concerning the Pobal HP Deprivation Index may be downloaded from www.trutzhaase.eu .

#### 12 Substantive Findings

The Absolute HP Index Scores show the level of overall affluence and deprivation in 2006 and 2011, using identical measurement scales. The mean index score fell dramatically during this period, from 0 in 2006 to -7.0 in 2011. It is not possible to compare this shift with equivalent data from earlier periods, as the HP Index Scores are computed at the level of Small Areas (SA) and these have only become available from 2006 onwards. However, separate analysis based on the ED-level Small Area Population Statistics (SAPS) across the five census waves 1991 to 2011 shows that the economic downturn over the last period has more than 2006.3 undone the improvements of the previous fifteen years from 1991 to

Whilst the overall leftward shift of the Absolute HP Index Scores is in line with the depth of the current economic crisis, one of the most interesting questions that can be assessed with the help of the HP Deprivation Index is how the economic downturn has affected different parts of the country. To this end, it is helpful to recall some of the key findings from previous analysis.

The analysis of ED-level HP Deprivation Index Scores for the 1991 to 2006 period highlighted the overriding importance of Ireland’s urban centres for the spatial distribution of affluence and deprivation. “The most affluent areas of the country are distributed in concentric rings around the main population centres, mainly demarcating the urban commuter belts. The measures show how rapidly these rings of affluence expanded during the 1990s, as large-scale private housing development took place in the outer urban periphery, generating high concentrations of relatively affluent young couples.” (Haase and Pratschke, 2008).

Comparing the relative changes in the HP Index Scores between 2006 and 2011, we can conclude that the dominance of Ireland’s urban environs has continued unabated, albeit in a differentiated manner. In stark contrast to the 1991 to 2006 period, the previous growth belts, particularly those located at the outer periphery of the Greater Dublin Region have seen their fortunes most strongly reversed, whilst the five city areas have withstood the economic downturn comparatively well. Ireland as a whole has seen a decline in the

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