P² People & Places is the geodemographic classification built by Beacon Dodsworth, in partnership with the Department of Civic Design at the University of Liverpool who created Super Profiles, using 2001 Census data.
In addition to the Census 2001, the Target Group Index (TGI) was used to provide extra descriptive variables. This provides measures of income and also lifestyle which cannot be obtained from the Census.
In the creation of P², the UK was split into four separate regions to allow maximum differentiation:
- London and the M25
- The rest of England and Wales
- Scotland
- Northern Ireland
Because London is unique within the UK, by treating it as a separate region, P² provides real depth and understanding of London, whilst ensuring that the areas outside this region are also accurately represented.
How P² classifies people
P² is built at both full postcode and output area levels for the United Kingdom (UK). It is built in a hierarchical structure with three tiers of clusters: Trees, Branches and Leaves. These tiers are ranked in order of affluence.
The Tree level enables you to broadly profile customers or areas into 14 categories, which is further categorised into 41 Branches and 157 Leaves, allowing for greater segmentation.
Unlike other geodemographic classification systems, P² contains more socioeconomic data (e.g. on ethnic groups) which means it can look in more depth at disadvantaged groups, which is particularly useful to the public sector.
About P² People & Places
Find out more about P2 People & Places and how the classification was developed
Download the P2 brochure
Compare people classifications
Read about the academic research conducted with P2
Demographic Data: P²
How is P2 demographic data used...?
Broadly, it is used by organisations in the public and private sectors to:
- Find more customers
Target your direct marketing and advertising to the right people - Plan site locations
Understand the people in an area to identify the most profitable location for your sites - Assess health needs
Identify health inequalities and target through social marketing - Improve services
Tailor your services to the needs of the local population
