In addition to the Quality of Life index, we looked to develop a more accurate instrument for assessing the "headspace" or psycho-social status of respondents to our Quality of Life survey. It is important to understand who is doing "well" or "badly" and if the trend is positive or negative. A Marginalisation index was developed to achieve this.
The 'marginalised' sector has decreased from 4.8% to 4.3%.
The 'at risk' sector has decreased from 8.4% to 7%.
The 'Ok' sector has increased from 64.5% to 70.1%.
The 'fine' sector has decreased from 22.3% to 18.6%.
Women, uneducated people, black people and those living in an informal dwelling are the worst off.
There has been consolidation at the top of the index, so while social grants are beginning to help those at the bottom of the scale, this has been at the cost of those in the 'fine' category.
