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 2003

05/08/2004

The fifth Annual and Technical Reports of the Scottish Household Survey are published today.

The Annual Report outlines the main findings from interviews carried out in 2003, providing detailed information about people living in Scotland today, particularly relating to transport, social justice and housing.

The results are based on interviews carried out with over 14,880 households throughout Scotland in 2003.

Some of the key findings from the Annual Report include:

Who we are

• Just less than two-thirds of households (64 per cent) contain only one or two people.
• Single person households (single adults and single pensioners) account for just over 32 per cent of the total, while households containing five or more people make up only 5 per cent of all households.
• Just over a quarter (26 per cent) of households contain children (aged under 16 years)
• 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 5 per cent divorced or separated

• Owner-occupation - either owned outright or buying with a mortgage - now accounts for almost two-thirds (65 per cent) of households' tenure, with 27 per cent owning outright. 29 per cent of households rent from a social landlord and 6 per cent rent from a private landlord.
• Just over a third (35 per cent) of all households live in flats, with these properties featuring more strongly in large urban areas than in other areas.
• Annual turnover is high in the private rented sector where 43 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. 1 per cent of households still share rooms.
• Homelessness had been experienced by 4 per cent of the adults now living in private households at some point in their lives (n=708). 61 per cent of those reporting experiencing homelessness were female.
• Of those who had ever experienced homelessness, 44 per cent had experienced it at least once in the last two years.
• 93 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. 65 per cent of households in owner-occupied accommodation and 56 per cent of those buying their home with the help of a mortgage rated their neighbourhood as very good. In the rented sectors 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 36 per cent of those renting from a housing association or co-operative (note: although Scottish Homes changed its name to Communities Scotland, some tenants still consider that they rent from Scottish Homes and for this reason, the wording of the questionnaire has remained the same).
• Almost half of respondents (46 per cent) said that there was nothing that they disliked about their neighbourhood. The most common dislike that was mentioned was young people hanging about or there being nothing for young people to do (14 per cent of all respondents).
• 98 per cent of men and 95 per cent of women feel very or fairly safe when home alone at night. 85 per cent of men and 63 per cent of women feel very or fairly safe when walking alone in the local neighbourhood after dark.

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, 4 per cent are in full-time education, and 6 per cent are unable to work on the grounds of health or disability.
• Sixty 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 (65 per cent) travel to work/education in a car or van, either as a driver or passenger. In addition, 15 per cent walk and 13 per cent travel by bus, while only 2 per cent cycle and 3 per cent travel by rail.
• Overall, 28 per cent of adults of working age are undertaking some kind of training or education.
• Overall, 20 per cent of adults have no qualifications and this is broadly similar among both men and women.
• Adults in households with higher incomes are more likely to have educational qualifications compared to adults in lower income households

How we live

• Over two-thirds of households (67 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. This is the case for 39 per cent in accessible rural areas, compared with 16 per cent in large urban areas.
• 41 per cent of households have internet access. Of households with a net annual income of over £40,000, 87 per cent have home internet access. This compares with 16 per cent of households with a net annual income of £6,000 or less.
• Across Scotland as a whole, 54 per cent of households have savings or investments. 89 per cent of households have a bank or building society account, marking a slight increase since 1999 when 86 per cent had an account.
• Over a quarter (28 per cent) of adults smoke cigarettes.
• Just under a third of all households (32 per cent) contain at least one person with a long-standing limiting illness, health problem or disability.
• Just over one in 10 (11 per cent) of all households contain someone who needs regular help or care because they are sick, disabled or elderly

Our Communities

• Just under a quarter of adults (24 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 other urban areas (20 per cent).
• 64 per cent of all adults say that they did vote in the Local Council Elections and the Scottish Parliament Elections in May 2003. However, official turn-out figures suggest that the actual percentage of people that voted was 49 per cent indicating an element of over-reporting on behalf of SHS respondents. Over-reporting of voting behaviour is common among surveys.
• Those with access to a car are far less likely to say public transport is convenient (76 per cent) compared to those without (90 per cent).
• 55 per cent of all households had recycled at least some glass, paper, metal or plastic in the past month.
• The most common religious affiliation is with the Church of Scotland, 44 per cent of all adults being of that faith.
• Overall, 31 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 National Statistics Publication. It is a continuous, multi-purpose survey which started in February 1999 and is being carried out on behalf of the Scottish Executive by TNS Social and MORI Scotland. The survey is based on a random sample of private households in Scotland.

The results are based on face-to-face interviews which took place between January and December 2003 (inclusive) and collected information from 14,880 households.