Socio-Economic Deprivation

The term socio-economic deprivation refers to the lack of material benefits considered to be basic necessities in a society.  In England, the Indices of Deprivation is a measure of local levels of deprivation taking into account income, employment, health, education, access to housing and services, education, the indoor and outdoor living environment and crime.  When interpreting these statistics it is vital to note not every person in a highly deprived area will themselves be deprived, and equally some deprived people will be living in the least deprived areas.  This is particularly important to note in a county like Devon, where the pattern of deprivation is very dispersed with isolated pockets of deprivation rather than large swathes.