Articles on socioeconomic status

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Solar panels are still a rarity in WA’s lower-income areas. Orderinchaos/Wikimedia Commons

August 25, 2017

WA bathes in sunshine but the poorest households lack solar panels – that needs to change

Rebecca Cassells, Curtin University; Alan Duncan, Curtin University, and Yashar Tarverdi, Curtin University

Western Australia has huge amounts of sunshine and wind, yet only 7% of its energy comes from renewables. What's more, most households in the poorest suburbs are still locked out of the solar panel boom.

Bottleshops affect the health and well-being of people across the suburb, not just the health of people who buy the alcohol. from www.shutterstock.com

August 1, 2017

Bottleshops affect people’s health, so our laws need to reflect that

Janani Muhunthan, George Institute for Global Health; Andrew Wilson, University of Sydney, and Stephen Jan, George Institute for Global Health

There's growing evidence the location and density of bottleshops influences the health and well-being of locals, particularly in disadvantaged areas.

The highest incidence rates by state for the major cancers for men and women are in Queensland. AAP Image/Julian Smith

July 3, 2017

New maps reveal cancer levels across Australia, and across the social strata

John Glover, Torrens University Australia

Public health experts traditionally expect that the poorer you are, the more likely you are to be unwell and die before your time. But newly available data on cancer rates show that's not always true.

The NBN’s multi-technology mix seems unlikely to deliver the same internet quality to everyone. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

June 21, 2017

Three charts on: the NBN and Australia’s digital divide

Ashley Schram, Australian National University; Fran Baum, Flinders University; Matt Fisher, Flinders University; Patrick Harris, University of Sydney; Sharon Friel, Australian National University, and Toby Freeman, Flinders University

The National Broadband Network was meant to provide greater equity of digital access. So far, it's not looking good.

A snapshot of inequality in South Africa. Johnny Miller / Unequal Scenes

May 3, 2017

Inequality is getting worse, but fewer people than ever are aware of it

Jonathan J.B. Mijs, Harvard University

People in some of the most unequal countries in the world think theirs is the paradigm of meritocracy. Can the data help explain this phenomenon?

March 8, 2017

Grammar schools: why academic selection only benefits the very affluent

Simon Burgess, University of Bristol; Claire Crawford, University of Warwick, and Lindsey Macmillan, UCL

New analysis shows access to grammar schools is highly skewed by a child's socioeconomic status.

New findings link people’s level of education to their risk of heart attack and stroke. Thomas Hawk/Flickr

December 15, 2016

Chance of heart attack is more than double for those with no educational qualifications

Jocelyn Wright, The Conversation

Leaving school early more than doubles your risk of heart attack, according to a new Australian study.

Men and women living in areas of highest socioeconomic disadvantage have a 29% higher risk of being obese. AAP/Dave Hunt

May 4, 2016

‘Living here will make you fat’ – do we need a public health warning?

Karen Charlton, University of Wollongong and Abhijeet Ghosh, University of Wollongong

The government's focus on treating chronic disease neglects the importance of obesity and the benefits of preventive health measures tailored to gender and socioeconomic circumstances.

If they build it, will you come? Doc Searls

March 3, 2016

Will the next U.S. president close the digital divide for Americans without broadband access?

J.J. Po-An Hsieh, Georgia State University

The Democrats' policy platforms address the fundamental issue of Internet haves and have-nots in the U.S. But research suggests just hooking people up to broadband won't solve the problem.

April 1, 2015

Fact Check: is the pupil premium narrowing the attainment gap?

Steve Higgins, Durham University

Nick Clegg has hailed the success of the coalition's policies in closing the gap between richer and poorer students. Is he right?

Who does well in a house like this? Children with house via Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock

November 18, 2014

Where a child lives is not the best way to predict their grades

Tracy Packiam Alloway, University of North Florida

Whether a child’s family is well-off or struggling for money has long been linked with their success at school. The gap between parents’ income and their children’s achievement is evident in kindergarten…

It doesn’t matter how much your parents earn. Bullying picture via stefanolunardi/Shutterstock

July 22, 2014

Who are more likely to be bullies – poor kids or rich kids?

Neil Tippett, University of Warwick and Dieter Wolke, University of Warwick

Bullying is the repeated and systematic abuse of power with the aim of causing intentional harm. Examples of bullying have been found in all societies, including among modern hunter-gatherers and in ancient…

August 23, 2013

Poor Canadian kids perform better at school than Australian peers

Murdoch University

Canadian students from low socioeconomic backgrounds perform better than Australian students in a similar situation, researchers…

Top contributors

Garry Jennings
Chief Medical Advisor at National Heart Foundation of Australia; Senior Director, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
Andrew Wilson
Co-Director, Menzies Centre for Health Policy, University of Sydney
Rosemary Korda
Research Fellow, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University
Sharon Friel
Director, School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet) and Professor of Health Equity, ANU, Australian National University
Steve Higgins
Professor of Education, Durham University
Karen Charlton
Associate Professor, School of Medicine, University of Wollongong
Alan Duncan
Director, Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre and Bankwest Research Chair in Economic Policy, Curtin University
Dieter Wolke
Professor of Psychology, University of Warwick
Patrick Harris
Senior Research Fellow, Menzies Centre for Health Policy, University of Sydney
Fran Baum
Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor, Foundation Director, Southgate Institute for Health, Society & Equity, Flinders University
David Richmond Sullivan
Clinical Associate Professor, University of Sydney
Toby Freeman
Senior Research Fellow in Health Equity, Flinders University
Matt Fisher
Research Fellow in social determinants of health, Flinders University
Claire Crawford
Assistant Professor, Economics Department, University of Warwick
Anna Vignoles
Professor of Education, Jesus College, University of Cambridge