We are committed to tracking and reporting the diversity of our Associate Programme. On this page, you will find some of the aggregated diversity data about the people we have recruited to become Public Practice Associates from 2018 to May 2024. This page is updated annually.
Data Collection
When applying for the Associate Programme, every candidate completes an online application form that includes a section on diversity tracking.
Over the years, we have added new diversity tracking questions to collect more data points. This means we are missing data from some of the earlier cohorts. In the graphs below, you can see how many Associates have been included for each data set. It is also worth noting that some Associates may not wish to share sensitive demographic information, even anonymously. Where an Associate has chosen not to answer a question, we have included this information in the data set.
Data Analysis and Reporting
Minimum Sample Sizes: We do not publish data with less than 10 Associates to protect against disclosing personal information, making drawing detailed insights more challenging. As our data sets become larger, we can provide greater analysis, specifically regional breakdowns and professional comparisons.
Question Changes: The multiple-choice options to our questions have evolved as we updated our language to be more inclusive. For example, during the first five cohorts, we had a limited number of ethnicity options: Asian, Black, Mixed, White, Other, and Prefer not to say. We have since updated the options to match the Census ethnicity breakdown, including 21 options.
The Data
The data set below represents the 345 Associates who have participated in our Associate Programme as of May 2024 and includes comparative figures from the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data from the Census 2021.
We have simplified our graphs a little to make them easier to read but have included more precise figures for each section in the text below.
Ethnicity
Which ethnicity do you identify with?
Below are the precise figures based on 345 respondents and include the comparison with the ONS data recorded most recently. We have since updated the options to match the Census ethnicity breakdown, including 21 options, which fall under 5 high-level ethnic groups seen below.
- Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh - 11.6% (ONS 9.6%)
- Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African - 5.5% (ONS 4.2%)
- Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups - 8.1% (ONS 3%)
- White - 71.9% (ONS 81%)
- Other ethnic groups - 2.9% (ONS 2.2%)
Disability
Do you identify as a D/deaf and/or Disabled person, or have a long term health condition?
Below are the precise figures based on 296 respondents and include the comparison with the ONS data recorded most recently.
- Disabled under the Equality Act - 6.4% (ONS 17.3%)
- Not identified as disabled - 93.6%
Gender Identity
How would you describe your gender identity?
Our method of collecting gender identity does not match the method used in the Census 2021. Read more about the Gender Census Question here.
As such, we have chosen to compare our gender identity question (Answer options: Man, Woman, Non-binary, or Self-describe) with the ONS data on sex (Answer options: Female or Male). We know this isn’t ideal, but we believe it best compares with the ONS data available.
- Women - 64.1% (ONS 51%)
- Man - 34.5% (ONS 49%)
- Non-binary - 0.9% (ONS NA)
- Prefer not to say - 0.6% (ONS NA)
Sexual Orientation
How would you describe your sexual orientation?
Below are the precise figures based on 289 respondents and include the comparison with the ONS data recorded most recently.
- Straight or Heterosexual - 70.6% (ONS 89.4%)
- Gay women/Lesbian or Gay man - 8% (ONS 1.5%)
- Bisexual - 4.5% (ONS 1.3%)
- Pansexual - 1.7% (ONS 0.2%)
- Queer - 1.4% (ONS 0)
- Prefer not to say - 13.8% (ONS 7.5%)
Parents attended University
Are one or more of your parents educated to a degree level or above?
Parental education is not currently collected as part of the ONS data, but social mobility is measured on free school meals.
- Yes - 72%
- No - 26.6%
- Prefer not to say - 1.4%
