The Scottish Government

This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007

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Scottish Household Survey 2001/2002

11/08/2003

The fourth Annual and Technical Reports of the Scottish Household Survey are released today by the Scottish Executive. The Annual Report outlines the main findings from interviews carried out in 2001 and 2002, providing detailed information about people living in Scotland today. The Technical Report provides technical details of the survey methodology and contains a summary copy of the survey questionnaire.

The multi-purpose survey is a Scottish Executive National Statistics publication, commissioned to provide accurate, representative and up-to-date information on the characteristics, composition and behaviour of Scottish Households in a number of key policy areas, particularly relating to transport, social justice and housing.

The results are based on interviews carried out with over 30,000 households throughout Scotland in 2001 and 2002.

Some of the key findings from the Annual Report include:

Who we are:

• Two-thirds of households (66 per cent) contain only one or two people.
• Single person households (single adults and single pensioners) account for just over 30 per cent of the total, while households containing five or more people make up only 6 per cent of all households.
• Just over a quarter (27 per cent) of households contain children (aged under 16 years).
• Among the adult population in private households, women make up 56 per cent of the population.
• 55 per cent of adults are married and 7 per cent are cohabiting with a partner. Twenty per cent of adults are single, 10 per cent widowed and 8 per cent divorced or separated.

Where we live:

• Owner-occupation - either owned outright or buying with a mortgage - now accounts for almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of households' tenure, while 29 per cent of households rent from a social landlord and 6 per cent rent from a private landlord.
• Just over a third (36 per cent) of all households live in flats.
• Annual turnover is high in the private rented sector where 47 per cent of adults had been in their current property for less than one year.
• Almost two-thirds (65 per cent) of households have at least one more bedroom than they require, with only 3 per cent having fewer bedrooms than required.
• 92 per cent of adults say their local area is either a 'very good' or 'fairly good' place to live, but there is considerable variation between tenures. 63 per cent of households in owner-occupied accommodation and 53 per cent of those buying their home with the help of a mortgage rated their neighbourhood as very good. In the rented sectors only around a third of social rented tenants say their area is 'very good' - 36 per cent of those renting from a local authority or Scottish Homes and 33 per cent of those renting from a housing association or co-operative.
• 20 per cent of adults think it is unsafe to travel by bus in the evening, 24 per cent think it is unsafe to walk alone in their neighbourhood after dark and 20 per cent think it is unsafe to travel by train in the evening.
• Just over a quarter of adults (26 per cent) saying that they feel involved in their communities either a great deal or a fair amount.

What we do:

• Fifty-two per cent of all adults are in some type of paid employment - either employed full or part time or self employed. Twenty-six per cent are retired, 3 per cent are unemployed, 8 per cent are looking after the home or family, 5 per cent are in full-time education, and 6 per cent are unable to work on the grounds of health or disability.
• Fifty-nine per cent of all working adults work more than 36 hours per week.
• Just under two-thirds of female adults (64 per cent) of working age are in paid employment (full-time, part-time or self-employed).
• A high proportion of adults (63 per cent) travel to work/education in a car or van, either as a driver or passenger. In addition, 15 per cent walk and 15 per cent travel by bus, while only 2 per cent cycle and 3 per cent travel by rail.
• Overall, 29 per cent of adults of working age are undertaking some kind of training or education.
• Overall, 19 per cent of adults have no qualifications and this is broadly similar among both men and women.

How we live:

• Around two-thirds of households (65 per cent) in Scotland have access to at least one motor vehicle for private use.
• Households in large urban areas are least likely to have access to a motor vehicle for private use. In contrast, households in rural areas are most likely to have access to two or more motor vehicles for private use.
• The majority of households (94 per cent) across Scotland have a telephone, and 42 per cent have a computer/PC. This compares with 33 per cent of households that had a computer/PC in 1999/2000.
• Across Scotland as a whole, 54 per cent of households have savings or investments and 87 per cent of households have a bank or building society account.
• Forty-six per cent of households perceive themselves to be managing 'very' or 'quite' well financially. Eleven per cent of Scottish households perceive themselves not to be managing well financially.
• The majority (55 per cent) of all the adult population described their health as 'good' and around a third (31 per cent) described it as 'fairly good'. However, 14 per cent of all adults described their health as 'not good'.
• Over a quarter (28 per cent) of adults smoke cigarettes.
• Just under a third of all households (31 per cent) contain at least one person with a long-standing limiting illness, health problem or disability.
• Just over one in 10 (12 per cent) of all households contain someone who needs regular help or care because they are sick, disabled or elderly.

Our Communities:

• Just over a quarter of adults (26 per cent) say that they gave up time in the previous 12 months to help as a volunteer for a charity, club, campaign or organisation.
• Rates of volunteering are highest in remote rural areas (37 per cent) and lowest in large urban areas (23 per cent).
• The majority of adults who volunteer do so for a few hours each month, with 62 per cent volunteering for five hours or less a month.
• 81 per cent of adults either tend to agree or strongly agree that voting in local elections is important.
• Forty-three per cent of adults either tend to agree or strongly agree with the statement 'my council provides high-quality services', while around a third (33 per cent) disagree.
• Over half (56 per cent) of the adult population have not recycled any glass, paper, metal or plastic in the past month.
• The most common religious affiliation is with the Church of Scotland, with almost half (47 per cent) of all adults being of that faith
• Overall, 28 per cent of all adults have no religious affiliation although this varies by age, with younger adults being more likely to have no religious affiliation.

The Scottish Household Survey (SHS) is a continuous, multi-purpose survey which started in February 1999 and is being carried out on behalf of the Scottish Executive by NFO System Three and MORI Scotland. The survey is based on a random sample of private households in Scotland.

The results presented in this report are based on face-to-face interviews which took place between January 2001 and December 2002 (inclusive) and collected information from 30,639 households.

Hard copies of Scotland's People: Results from the 2001/2002 Scottish Household Survey (Volume 7: Annual Report) and Scotland's People: Results from the 2001/2002 Scottish Household Survey (Volume 8: Technical Report) are available from The Stationery Office Bookshop, 71 Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH3 9AZ (tel: 0870 606 55 66) priced £20 Annual Report) and £15 (Technical Report).