International Journal on Criminology Volume 3, Number 2, Fall 2015 | Page 98

International Journal on Criminology
The two main axes around which the values are divided show a gradual
increase in terms of level of income and level of educational qualification in the
vertical dimension and of family status and activity in the horizontal dimension.
The grouping of characteristics notably brings out, in the upper part of the
graph, a set of factors which may represent single people who may or may not have
children (single parent families, not in a couple) and who are young (15–24 years).
In the lower-right part of the graph, there are values that characterize intermediate
and higher occupational classes, the upper-middle and upper classes, and graduate
couples and individuals. Between these two groups on the right-hand side of the
chart there is a set of values for people in couples who are employed, belong to a
class aged between 25 and 54, and who have an educational qualification equivalent
to the baccalaureate, the professional aptitude certificate, or the occupational studies
diploma. In the lower left-hand part of the graph it is possible to distinguish in
particular households whose reference person is inactive or a farmer and aged 65 and
over. Finally, in the upper-left part, there is a grouping of characteristics that describe
households belonging to the lower-middle classes or classes of modest means. These
households comprise single people whose reference person is employed in a clerical
or manual position.
The results of the classification (table 2) bring out four groups of households
based on sociodemographic characteristics. The group of economically active
couples with middle and upper income levels (denoted as H1) represents 30% of
the households studied according to the classification made. This group consists of
households characterized by the values located in the lower-right portion of figure
1. 6
The second group identified by the classification brings together households
of mostly young, economically active couples who belong to the “middle class” in
terms of income, employment, and educational-qualification level (H2). This category
comprises 20% of households.
Students or young graduates, mainly in employment and with high incomes
(denoted as H3) (see table 1 for a more detailed description), and economically
inactive older people make up the third group of households. Out of all of the resident
households, 20% are assigned to this group according to the classification produced.
Finally, the classification includes in a single category households made up
of a single person, with or without children, and households on low incomes whose
reference person is unemployed or not economically active. This group includes
precarious but economically active households and households of retirees. These two
types of households have been grouped together (H4) on the basis that they both
have low incomes. This group is the largest in terms of size; it alone accounts for
nearly a third of the households surveyed.
6
See the Excel file in the appendix for the exact composition of the groups identified.
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