Disaggregated data can reveal systemic inequities. It can also reinforce them — here’s how.

Authors Brennan Doherty & Avanthika Anand
Experts say disaggregated data collection needs to be done with the consent and guidance of subjects, as well as a genuine commitment to change.

Why It Matters

Community trust in social impact organizations who do disaggregated data collection can be shattered if it is done badly, especially with subjects who are already overpoliced and surveilled.

var TRINITY_TTS_WP_CONFIG = {"cleanText":"Disaggregated data can reveal systemic inequities. It can also reinforce them \u2014 here\u2019s how.. Toronto Public Health\u2019s (TPH) decision to collect race, ethnicity, income, and housing data from COVID-19 patients to track the virus\u2019s spread goes all the way back to the first few months of the pandemic.\u00a0 The results are unsurprising to anyone with the most basic understanding of structural racism. Around 73 percent of all COVID cases in Toronto, and 74 percent of those admitted to hospital for treatment, are among racialized people. Some of the city\u2019s poorest neighbourhoods are among the most ethnically diverse and have the highest COVID-19 case and fatality rates.\u00a0 Yet Toronto Public Health\u2019s decision to collect disaggre

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