This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Scottish Household Survey 2003-2004
04/08/2005
The sixth Annual and Technical Reports of the Scottish
Household Survey are released today.
It provides accurate, representative and up-to-date
information on the characteristics, composition and
behaviour of households in Scotland in a number of areas,
particularly relating to transport, social justice and
housing.
The results are based on interviews carried out with
30,822 households throughout Scotland in 2003/2004.
Some of the key findings include:
Who we are
• Almost a third (32 per cent) of households contain
only one adult (single adult or single pensioner)
• Almost a third (32 per cent contain two adults, while
households containing five or more people make up only 5
per cent of all households
• A quarter (25 per cent) of households contain children
(aged under 16 years)
• 54 per cent of adults are married and eight per cent
are cohabiting with a partner. 20 per cent of adults are
single, 10 per cent widowed, five per cent divorced and
three per cent separated
Where we live
• 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.
• Owner-occupation as a household tenure has continued
to show a steady increase since 1999 (23 per cent, 1999 to
28 per cent in 2004.
• 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 44 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 three
per cent having fewer bedrooms than required. One per cent
of households still share rooms
• Homelessness had been experienced by four per cent of
the adults now living in private households at some point
in their lives. 57 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
• 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 55 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' - 35 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
• The most common 'likes' are that the area is 'quiet
and peaceful' (56 per cent), it is convenient for shopping
(33 per cent); 'good neighbours' (33 per cent) and that it
has 'friendly people' (29 per cent)
• The most common 'dislike' 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
How we live
• Around two-thirds of households (66 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
• Internet access has continued to increase from 41 per
cent in 2003 to 43 per cent of households having internet
access in 2004. Of households with a net annual income of
over £40,000, 89 per cent have home internet access. This
compares with 17 per cent of households with a net annual
income of £6,000 or less
• Across Scotland as a whole, 53 per cent of households
have savings or investments
• The proportion of households with a bank or building
society account has continued to increase since 1999. 85.8
per cent had an account in 1999 compared with 89.9 per cent
in 2004
• 27 per cent of adults (aged 16 and over) smoke
cigarettes, showing a 1 per cent decrease from 2003
results, and a continuing downward trend downwards from 30
per cent in 1999.
• Around a third (34 per cent) contain at least one
person with a long-standing limiting illness, health
problem or disability
• Just over one in 9 (12 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 (23 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)
• 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)
• 59 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
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 results presented in the report are based on
face-to-face interviews which took place between January
2003 and December 2004 (inclusive) and collected
information from households.
The survey is designed to provide nationally
representative samples of private households and of the
adult population in private households. The survey is also
designed to provide data for each local authority over a 2
year period. This is achieved by disproportionately
sampling in each local authority to achieve a target of at
least 550 interviews over the 2 years.
Although the survey is chosen at random, the people who
take part in the survey will not necessarily be a
representative cross-section of the whole population. Like
all sample surveys the results of the SHS are estimates of
the corresponding figures for the whole population and
these results might vary from the true values in the
population. For further information on the representatives
and statistical significance of the SHS, please refer to
Appendix 3 of the annual report.
Regarding questions posed about social rented sector,
although Scottish Homes changed it's name to Communities
Scotland, some tenants still refer to renting from Scottish
Homes and for this reason, the wording of the questionnaire
has remained the same.
The 2003/2004 SHS annual report has published data on
economic activity, employment and unemployment. Please note
that the official source for all employment, unemployment
and economic activity statistics is the Labour Force Survey
(LFS) which provides data on levels and rates. Further
information on LFS/SHS comparisons can be obtained in the
SHS 2003/2004 Methodology and Fieldwork Outcomes
publications. Please refer to the Annual Scottish LFS 2004
report (published 28th July 2005) for the definitive source
of economic activity data in Scotland.