Small area estimation modelling methods have been applied to the 2011 Skills for Life survey data in order to generate local level area estimates of the number and proportion of adults (aged 16-64 years old) in England living in households with defined skill levels in:

• literacy
• numeracy
• information and communication technology (ICT); including emailing, word processing, spreadsheet use and a multiple-choice assessment of ICT awareness

The number and proportion of adults in households who do not speak English as a first language are also included.

Two sets of small area estimates are provided for 7 geographies; middle layer super output areas (MSOAs), standard table wards, 2005 statistical wards, 2011 council wards, 2011 parliamentary constituencies, local authorities, and local enterprise partnership areas.

Regional estimates have also been provided, however, unlike the other geographies, these estimates are based on direct survey estimates and not modelled estimates.

The files are available as both Excel and csv files – the user guide explains the estimates and modelling approach in more detail.

How to use the small area estimation files, an example

To find the estimate for the proportion of adults with entry level 1 or below literacy in the Manchester Central parliamentary constituency, you need to:

1. select the link to the ‘parliamentary-constituencies-2009-all’ Excel file in the table above
2. select the ‘literacy proportions’ page of the Excel spreadsheet
3. use the ‘find’ function to locate ‘Manchester Central’
4. note the proportion listed for Entry Level and below

It is estimated that 8.1% of adults aged 16-64 in Manchester Central have entry level or below literacy. The Credible Intervals for this estimate are 7.0 and 9.3% at the 95 per cent level. This means that while the estimate is 8.1%, there is a 95% likelihood that the actual value lies between 7.0 and 9.3%.

 <p class="gem-c-attachment_metadata"><span class="gem-c-attachment_attribute">MS Excel Spreadsheet</span>, <span class="gem-c-attachment_attribute">14.5 MB</span></p>




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