In this article, you'll find information to help interpret your Ranking Variables reports in ENVISION, including definitions for report headers and examples of what they mean.
ENVISION users can access this information without leaving the platform by clicking the "How to Read" button located at the top-right corner of their reports.
Note: Our standard ENVISION tools, like the ones described below, can be used with any database you license, such as DemoStats, SocialValues, HouseholdSpend, WealthScapes, etc. In some cases, the report outputs described here may need additional interpretation to apply to your databases. Our Support team opens in new window is here to help if any questions arise.
A list of variables ranked based on the presence of the Target Groups. Helps answer questions like: What radio station genres does my Target Group most likely to listen to? Which magazines are most read by my Target Group? What SocialValues resonate very strongly (or weakly) with my Target Group?
Count: The number of people or households in the Target Group who exhibit that behaviour.
%: (Count / Total Count * 100) The percentage of the population or households in the Target Group that exhibit that behaviour.
Base Count: The number of people or households in the benchmark who exhibit that behaviour.
Base %: (Base Count / Base Total Count * 100 ) The percentage of the population or households in the benchmark that exhibit that behaviour.
% Pen: (Count / Base Count * 100) Of all people or households that exhibit that behaviour in the base area, % Pen is the proportion found in the Target Group.
Index: (% / Base % *100) Measures whether the population or households in the Target Group are more or less likely to exhibit that behaviour when compared to the Benchmark. An Index of 100 is average. Indices above 100 are above average or overrepresented. Indices below 100 are below average or underrepresented.
For example, 1.39% of the estimated proportion of households in the Group 1 Target Group self-identify as Buddhists relative to the Benchmark of Canada. With an Index value of 137, households in the Target Group are 37% more likely to self-identify as Buddhists than in Canada as a whole.
A list of variables ranked within one or more Trade Area(s). Helps answer questions like: What are the top 3 most popular beer brands in my Trade Area? Which cities would households in my trade area like to visit? What are the highest indexing shopping trends in my Trade Area?
Count: The number of people or households in the Trade Area who exhibit that behaviour.
%: The percentage of the population or households in the Trade Area that exhibits that behaviour.
Base Count: The number of people or households in the Benchmark who exhibit that behaviour.
Base %: The percentage of the population or households in the Benchmark that exhibits that behaviour.
% Pen: Of all people or households who exhibit that behaviour, % Pen is the proportion found in the Trade Area.
Index: A measure for comparing people or households in the Trade Area and their likelihood to exhibit a behaviour compared to those within the benchmark. An Index of 100 is average. Indices above 100 are above-average or overrepresented. Indices below 100 are below average or underrepresented.
For example, in the Trade Area of Kingston, only 8.8% of the population identifies as a Visible Minority. With an Index value of 27, the household population of Kingston is 73% less likely to identify as a Visible Minority than the benchmark of Ontario.
A list of variables ranked based on the presence of the Customer File. We can say, “my customers live in neighbourhoods with people who listen to a particular genre of music.” It helps answer the question: Which variables rank higher for where my customers are coming from?
%: The weighted proportion of the population or households in the customer file that exhibits that behaviour.
Base Count: The number of people or households in the Benchmark who exhibit that behaviour.
Base %: The percentage of the population or households in the Benchmark that exhibits that behaviour.
% Pen: The proportion of all people or households who exhibit that behaviour found in the customer file is % Pen.
Index: A measure for comparing people or households in the customer file and their likeliness to exhibit a behaviour compared to those within the benchmark. An Index of 100 is average. Indices above 100 are above-average or over-represented. Indices below 100 are below average or under-represented.
For example, 21.42% represents the estimated proportion of the customer file who live in the benchmark (Canada) who identify as Chinese. This value is based on weights computed using the number of customers and behavioural data for the neighbourhoods in the benchmark. With an Index value of 442, they are 342% more likely to identify as Chinese than the all of Canada benchmark.
This report provides information about some behaviours (or behaviours) present in an area where a single variable may be present. It presents a comparison between two behaviours or characteristics in a given area. Learn how to run a Ranking Variables - Variable Report.opens in new window
%: The percentage of the population or households in the top 25% of Dissemination Areas (based on the threshold chosen when running the report) that comprise the variable.
Base %: The percentage of population or households in the Area of Interest that comprise the variable.
Index: A measure of how similar or different the top 25% of Dissemination Areas (based on the threshold that was chosen when running the report) are from the Area of Interest. An Index above 100 or below 100 indicates that the variable is above or below average, respectively, in the threshold level of Dissemination Areas compared to the Area of Interest.
This report provides information about the population or households in an area where a single variable may be present. It presents a comparison between two characteristics in a given area. In our example, 56.23% represents the estimated proportion of the household population 15+ in the top 25% of DAs in Toronto that have educational attainment above the bachelor’s level and rent their dwelling. The Index column indicates whether the top 25% of the DAs are above or below average for each variable. With an Index value of 158, the household population 15+ in Toronto that have acquired a bachelor’s degree or above are also 58% more likely to Rent their dwellings. You could infer from this that those that have a higher level of educational attainment in Toronto are more likely to rent their dwellings.