Multi-Perspective Ensemble Stratification-Driven Quality of Life Assessment for Transformative Planning of Coastal Communities

<title>Abstract</title> <p>Household vulnerability assessment has emerged as a robust social indicator approach for evidence-based quality-of-life (QoL) measurement. Existing assessment frameworks are often constrained by a single data representation perspective and the computational inefficiency of underlying analytical models to handle heterogenous data, limiting their capacity to capture the multidimensional nature of deprivation predictors. This study proposes a multi-perspective consensus clustering approach that aligns representation-specific models to synthesize dormant deprivation patterns in heterogeneous community data. Categorical, continuous, and mixed survey data were collected from a coastal community in Nigeria as a multidimensional representation of household livelihood to enable comparative modelling using K-Modes, K-Means, K-Prototypes, and the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) frameworks. Decision Trees (DT) were subsequently modelled to derive interpretable decision rules and identify dominant vulnerability indicators across the frameworks. The analyses consistently identified three household vulnerability strata matching to low, moderate, and high conditions. While MPI incorporated the broadest range of deprivation indicators, K-Prototypes achieved the highest explainability performance, demonstrating the superiority of heterogeneous data integration for household vulnerability characterization. Cross-framework synthesis further identified food security and women's inclusiveness as dominant factors driving QoL, while SDG 3 emerged as the dominant domain-invariant sustainable construct, followed by SDG 1, SDG 6 and SDG 8, irrespective of data representation. The findings indicated that no single analytical framework is universally optimal; rather, their complementary ensemble provides a more comprehensive and explainable characterization of household deprivation than any standalone approach. The framework offers a transferable methodology for multidimensional QoL assessment and supports evidence-driven resource allocation, community resilience building, and transformative planning aligned with national and regional sustainable development priorities.</p>