Family Whanau and Wellbeing Project (FWWP)

A five-year research programme supported from the Social Science funding pool of the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. The principal goal of this programme is to develop ways to examine and monitor the social and economic determinants of family and whanau wellbeing and how these have changed over the 1981 to 2006 period. The principal units of investigation are the family and the household. Pathways to Positive Outcomes for Family and Whanau, or the Family Whanau and Wellbeing Project (FWWP) as it is more commonly known, utilises official statistics, i.e. census data, via the governance of Statistics New Zealand.

After dutifully completing their census forms every five years, New Zealanders may wonder what becomes of the mountains of personal data that are collected by Statistics New Zealand. This programme makes substantial use of these data in ways that extract maximum value from them. Under the watchful eye of Statistics New Zealand (Stats NZ) and the auspices of the Statistics Act 1975, which ensures the preservation of individuals' privacy and confidentiality, FWWP uses census data and enables the use of computer-based techniques to examine the changing face of New Zealand society in order to understand and help make predictions about the social and economic shape of the country in the form of family/whanau wellbeing indicators. FWWP requires close working relationships with Stats NZ. All analyses have to be conducted within their secure “datalab” facilities and all output is monitored to ensure the protection of data confidentiality.

To give some context, FWWP draws on approximately $135 million worth of data collection, including the censuses 1981–2006. Analysing these data sets, particularly over time, is an extensive task, which has not until more recently been embarked upon. This programme addresses the issues of analysing census data over time, ensuring comparability through the censuses and the ability to identify trends from 1981 to 2006. It also explores the feasibility of monitoring the impact of social policy events on the population, or key population groups. This also provides an invaluable source of information for considering future public policy and simulating expected impacts on society.

The programme’s early output achievements included two published reports that referred to data from 1981–2001:

1. Family Wellbeing Indicators from the 1981–2001 New Zealand Censuses
   Statistics New Zealand. Wellington. June 2006.
2. Monitoring the Impact of Social Policy, 1980–2001: Report on Significant Policy Events.
   SPEaR, Wellington, December 2005.

More recently, further output reports have been published:

• Measuring changes in Family and Whanau Wellbeing using Census data, 1981–2006: a preliminary analysis 
  This report examines trends in wellbeing indicators developed based on the indicators report linked above, for different ‘family types’ as identifiable in Census data.
• An examination of the linkages between parental educational qualifications, family structure and family wellbeing, 1981–2006
  This report builds upon the above by looking at relationships with the educational attainments of parents.
• A Guide to using data from the New Zealand Census: 1981–2006
  This report builds upon the previous ‘Family, Neighbourhood, Community, Ethnicity and related measures’ working paper. The report will serve as a guide to future researchers interested in utilising Census data. It is also proposed to add a comparison to Statistics NZ’s Survey of Family, Income and Employment (SoFIE) in a future revision.

Also still in progress is an unpublished, but key major achievement for the project – development and implementation of the Cambridge Social Interaction Scale (CAMSIS) with New Zealand Census data. This will allow the examination of social stratification / homogamy in NZ over 20 years (1981–2001) and enable comparison internationally of NZ cohabitation patterns. A further area of analysis remains in progress, taking a cohort approach to looking at the trends in the project's wellbeing indicators. The choices made in terms of methodology are discussed in a working paper. The report on the results is now in the late stages of preparation.

The programme's major outcome achievements include, but are not limited to:

1. Contribution to and review of official statistics surveys – including review of content for the 2006 Census, review of ethnicity measures, development and implementation of the new Australasian standard occupational codes, design and content of the General Social Survey and input and review of a official statistics system (OSS) position paper on family statistics and classification.
2. Running workshops in Auckland and Wellington (in advanced research techniques using official statistics).
3. Further establishing strong links to official statistics system (OSS), including an advisory role in various initiatives and active involvement in OSS research (including a project to synthetically create data sets (preserving confidentiality to lessen the infrastructural burden on SNZ and increase users understanding of official statistics. In addition, Alastair Scott, Associate Investigator, is a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Official Statistics. The Committee reports directly to the Minister of Statistics - we are therefore providing reports on our experiences and issues to this Committee.
4. Extensive review and critique of the official statistics system, specifically regarding data access, documentation/metadata, infrastructure/resources. This has invoked considerable discussion with SNZ senior management and implementation of recommendations or suitable solutions to issues raised.