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Annex 1 Topics covered by the Scottish Household Survey: 1999 to 2004

This is a list of all the topics which the survey has covered since it started in February 1999. It indicates which questions were asked in only some of the years.

QUESTIONS ASKED OF EITHER THE HIGHEST INCOME HOUSEHOLDER OR HIS/HER SPOUSE/PARTNER

HA - Household composition

For each member of household:

• Date of birth
• Sex
• Relationship to highest income householder ¹ (1999 to March 2003)
• All household relationships (from April 2003)
• Ethnic group
• Religion (from January 2001)
• Main economic activity
• Marital status
• Languages: needs for translation (from April 2003)

HB - Property

• Property type
• Number of floors and lowest level of floor
• Tenure

HC - Amenities

• Sharing/concealed households, number of rooms shared, whether by choice
• Number of bedrooms in property
• Whether household has full, partial or no central heating (from 2002)
• Consumer durables in household (telephone, computer/ PC) (1999 to March 2003)
• Access to email/internet from home (1999, 2000 and 2003)
• Which household members have access to the Internet for their personal use and where internet is accessed (from 2001)
• Methods of accessing internet (from April 2003)
• Recycling (asked of randomly selected adult 2000 to March 2003, moved to household section 2003)
• Whether recycle glass bottles, plastic, metal cans, newspapers etc.
• Reasons for not recycling

HD - Transport

• Personal mobility (asked in respect of each adult aged 16+):
• Whether holds driving licence and which type (1999 to March 2003) ²
• Frequency of driving (1999 to March 2003) ²
• Reasons for driving (1999 and 2000 only)
• Eligibility for reduced fares, concessionary passes (for each adult 16+) (1999 to March 2003) ²
• Orange badge / Blue European Parking card holders (NB: "Blue badges" replaced Orange badges over the period from April 2000 to March 2003)
• Motor vehicles available to household (asked in respect of each vehicle):
• Vehicle type; own or company car; Vehicle Registration Mark (1999-2001) or age of vehicle (1999 to March 2003)
• Principal and other drivers of each vehicle (1999 to March 2003)
• Annual mileage of vehicle (1999 to March 2003, banded w.e.f. 2002)
• Subsidisation by employer and personal fuel costs (1999-2001)
• Number of motor vehicles available 12 months ago (2000 to March 2003)
• Cars available to household (from April 2003)
• Total number of cars available
• Total expenditure on fuel for all the cars (asked only in "odd" years)
• (Adult) bicycles available to household (1999, 2000 and from 2002)
• Public transport
• Time to nearest bus stop
• Frequency of buses

HE - Children in household

• Use of childcare (paid or unpaid) (1999-2001)
• Reasons for using childcare (1999-2001)

For randomly chosen child (from April 2003)

• Use of childcare (paid or unpaid) (from April 2003)
• Use of free part-time nursery places for 3 to 4 year olds (from April 2003)
• Reasons for using childcare (from April 2003)
• Satisfaction with childcare (from April 2003)

For randomly chosen school child:

• School attended
• Name and location (from 'pop-up' list of schools in local authority area)
• Distance from home to school (from April 2003, asked only if child's school not found in "pop-up" list)
• Satisfaction with schooling
• Mode(s) of transport usually used to/from school (asked about 'from school' mode in 1999 and 2000 only)
• Reason for mode choice (asked about 'from school' in 1999 and 2000 only)
• Suitability of public transport for school journeys
• Reasons for not using public transport

HF - Health, disabilities and care

• Which household members, if any, have a limiting long-standing illness, health problem or disability
• Description of condition (from 2001)
• Which household members, if any, require regular care or help
• Who provides care
• Weekly hours of care provided by household members/non-household members

HG - Economic activity

Applies to Highest Income Householder and partner/spouse:

Whether in paid work

Applies to those not in paid work:

Whether on a government training scheme

• Type of scheme
• Whether away from paid job or doing unpaid work for own or a relative's business.
• Whether looking for paid work/government training
• Whether waiting to take up a job that they have already obtained (from 2000)
• Availability for work and reasons for non-availability
• Reasons for not looking for work or training/length of time looking
• If retired, duration of retirement
• If unemployed, duration of unemployment (1999 only)
• Whether had a paid job in last 5 years
• Number of spells of unemployment in last 5 years
• Reasons for leaving last job and time there

Applies to those in paid work:

• Number of current jobs
• Main job (or last job if unemployed < 5 years or retired < 5 years)
• Job title, type of industry, supervisory duties
• Whether employee or self-employed
• Full- or part-time
• Temporary (seasonal) or permanent
• (SIC, SOC, SEG, RG Class can be derived from this data)

HH - Household income

Applies to Highest Income Householder and partner/spouse:

• Income from paid employment/self-employment
• Net pay (usual and at last time), period covered by this, hours worked. For main and other jobs
• Benefit income
• Benefits received, which partner is eligible, value of each benefit received (or total benefit income, if not known separately), period of payments
• Other regular income
• Sources of this, main recipient, amount from each source, period of payments

HI - Assets and savings

Applies to Highest Income Householder and Spouse:

• Whether has bank/building society account
• Whether has a credit union account (from 2002)
• Other savings or investments
• Total value of savings/investments (banded)

HJ - Housing costs

• Whether household has a mortgage/loan on this property
• Whether endowment or repayment mortgage
• Mortgage/loan repayments
• Amount outstanding on mortgage/loan (from April 2003)
• Rent costs - before and after Housing Benefit, period of payments

HK - Household finances

• Whether has household has home contents or house/building insurance
• Household money worries (1999 and 2000 only)
• How household is managing financially (1999 to March 2003 only)

Permission to be re-contacted for follow-up research

QUESTIONS ASKED OF RANDOMLY SELECTED ADULT (AGED 16+)

RA - Housing

• Time at current address
• Any change in tenure of current property
• Tenure of previous home
• Location of previous home (if moved in the last 12 months) (1999 and 2000 only)
• Experience of homelessness (from January 2001)
• How many times in last 5 years (1999 to March 2003)
• How many times in last 2 years (from April 2003)
• Whether ever applied to Council because of homelessness (2001 to March 2003)
• Whether ever had to sleep rough (2001 to March 2003)
• Experience of 'hidden' homelessness in the past 2 years (including sleeping rough/applying to the Council) (from April 2003)
• Sources of help/type of help received/reasons for not receiving help (from April 2003)
• Whether wish to move to separate home/household (from January 2001)
• How long has respondent been looking for a separate home
• Whether has got name on Council or Housing Association list
• Whether looking to rent or buy

RB - Local neighbourhood/community safety

• General satisfaction with local neighbourhood
• Particular likes and dislikes about local neighbourhood
• Perceptions of crime problems/'incivilities' in local neighbourhood
• Fear of crime
• Frequency of travelling by bus (from 2001)/train (from 2001)/walking in the locality (2001 only) in the evening and perceptions of safety during these activities
• Perception of safety when walking alone in neighbourhood at night or alone at home at night (from 2002)
• Social Networks
• Contact with relatives/friends/neighbours in past fortnight (2000 to March 2003)
• Involvement in local community (2000 to March 2003)
• Ability to rely on people living in neighbourhood (2000 to March 2003)
• Disputes with neighbours (from 2000)
• Number of disputes with neighbours in past 12 months
• Whether reported to police or local council
• Satisfaction with the way the police/council responded to the dispute
• Experience of crime
• Household's experience of housebreaking (1999-2001), vehicle crime (1999-2001) or other crime against property (2001 only) in the last year
• Respondent's level of worry about being a victim of crime, including housebreaking, theft, vehicle crime, assault, harassment (from 2002)
• Effect of fear of crime on respondents quality of life (from 2002)
• Experience of physical assault/attack/mugging in neighbourhood (from 2001)
• Fire Safety
• Whether household has a working smoke alarm, any fires in the last 12 months, frequency, cause(es), location, method of discovery (1999-2000)

RC - Education and Lifelong learning

• All educational qualifications held
• Whether currently in education or training
• Whether participated in education, training or learning in past 5 years (2001 to March 2003)
• Likelihood of participating in education, training or learning activity in next 12 months (2001 to March 2003)
• Internet access (from 2001)
• When first used the internet (from 2002)
• Hours per week spent using internet for personal use
• Methods for accessing internet
• Whether has a broadband internet connection and which type (from 2002)
• Uses that are currently made of the internet and aspirations for future uses

RD - Transport to work/educational establishment

• Whether respondent holds a driving licence (from April 2003) ³
• Location of (main) place of work/educational establishment
• If works at or from home
• What the balance is between working at home and elsewhere (from 2002; also obtains estimated percentage of working hours spent at home from April 2003)
• Availability and use of car when working at/from home (from April 2003)
• If works 'flexi' time (from April 2003)
• Usual mode of transport and reasons
• Why respondent doesn't use public transport (also identifies the "main" reason from April 2003)
• If by car/van
• How this is arranged ( i.e. own car, car-sharing etc.)
• Type of parking
• Suitability of public transport
• Whether in work a year ago, mode of transport then and reasons for any change in mode (from April 2003)
• How often respondent drives a car/van for private purposes (from April 2003) ³
• "Car dependency": whether respondent makes different types of journey; if so, whether by car or other means; if always by car, how easy would it be to make these journeys without using a car. (from April 2003)

RE - Other Transport

• Annual personal mileage not paid for by employer (1999 to March 2003)
• Amount spent on public transport fares in last week (1999 to March 2003)
• Frequency of cycling in previous week - (a) "as a means of transport" and (b) "for pleasure / to keep fit"
• Frequency of walking in previous week - for (a) "transport" and (b) "pleasure / keep fit"
• If non-driver (from HD), reasons for not driving (1999 to March 2003)
• Reasons for never learning to drive (1999-2000)
• Extent of use of local bus and train in last month and attitude to different aspects of bus service and train service (from 2002)
• Reasons for not using buses more often (from 2002 only asked of those who use buses less than once a week; from April 2003, also identifies the "main" reason)
• Whether injured in a road accident in past 12 months, and whether driver, passenger, pedestrian etc (1999 to March 2003)
• Use of information sources for planning journeys by (a) car etc (b) public transport (from April 2003)
• Knowledge of Transport Direct (from April 2003)
• Use of Transport Direct (from May 2004) - frequency, purposes, types of journey, views on its usefulness

Travel diary

(for each journey made on previous day. For multi-stage journeys, obtain for each stage similar information to that collected for "single stage journey")

• Whether a single stage journey, multi-stage journey or a series of calls
• If a single stage journey:
• Purpose
• If "shopping", whether "main food", "other food" or "non-food" shopping
• Mode (If car, number of occupants)
• Origin and destination
• Start time and end time
• Whether delayed by congestion (car driver) or other reasons (bus/train passenger), and (if so) how much time lost (from April 2003)
• Information on parking - whether paid for and (if so) type, cost and time spent at parking space (from April 2003)
• If a series of calls
• Purpose
• If "shopping", whether "main food", "other food" or "non-food" shopping
• Mode
• Total number of calls
• For travel to first call and travel from final call ( separately for each):
• • origin and destination
  • start and end time
  • whether delayed by congestion (car driver) or other reasons (bus/train passenger), and (if so) how much time lost (from April 2003)
  • information on parking - whether paid for and, if so, type, cost and time spent at parking space (from April 2003)
• Estimated total distance travelled (from April 2003)

Services and local government

• Contact with local council over past 12 months (1999 to March 2003)
• Satisfaction with way enquiry was handled (1999 to March 2003)
• Frequency of use of local services (1999-2000)
• Satisfaction with local services used (1999-2000)
• Knowledge of and contact with local Councillor (1999 to March 2003)
• Perceptions of local councils (1999 to March 2003)

RF - Volunteering (from January 2000 onwards) and satisfaction with local services

• Whether given up any time in the last 12 months to help any clubs, charities, campaigns or organisations in an unpaid capacity
• Number and type of club/charity/campaign/organisation
• Type of activity
• Number of hours given up in past 4 weeks
• Donations to charity (2000 only)
• Perception of convenience of local services (including post office, bank, doctor, grocers pharmacy, hospital outpatients department, public transport)

RG - Health and disability

• Self-perception of general health in last 12 months (1999 to March 2003)
• Whether has a concessionary travel pass (from April 2003) ³
• Whether registered with GP (1999 to March 2003)
• Number of times seen GP in past 12 months (1999 to March 2003)
• How many of these were home visits (2002 only)
• Satisfaction with GP/family doctor service (1999 to March 2003)
• Whether has long-standing illness, health problem or disability
• Whether has concessionary travel pass (from April 2003)
• Limitations on daily activities ( e.g. climbing stairs, walking, using a bus)
• Existence of adaptations to home or equipment to help respondent
• Need for any further equipment or adaptations
• Whether has a home help
• Who provides service
• Satisfaction with service provided
• Whether provides regular help or care to any non-household members, relationship to this person/people
• Number of hours per week
• Limitations this puts on paid work
• Smoking behaviour

(Economic activity and income sections asked only if the random adult is not highest income householder or their partner/spouse, OR if the random adult is highest income householder or their partner/spouse AND the data is missing in the 'household' section)

RH - Economic activity

• Same questions asked as in Household Section

RI - Income

• Same questions asked as in Household Section

July-September 1999: questions regarding voting behaviour in local council elections, the Scottish Parliament election on 6 ^th May 1999 and the European Parliament election held on 10 ^th June 1999

May-July 2003: questions regarding voting behaviour in local council elections and the Scottish Parliament election on 1 ^st May 2003

SM1 - Social mobility (2001 only)

• Job title and staff responsibility of father when respondent was 14 years old
• Job title and staff responsibility of mother when respondent was 14 years old

Permission to be re-contacted for follow-up research

1 The Highest Income Householder ( HIH) is taken as the household reference person for the first part of the interview. This must be a person in whose name the accommodation is owned or rented, or who is otherwise responsible for the accommodation. In households with joint householders, the person with the highest income is taken as the household reference person. If householders have the same income, the older is taken as the household reference person.

2 From April 2003, the randomly-chosen adult is asked about any driving licence held, the frequency of driving and any concessionary travel pass held.

3 Until March 2003, such information was collected in the first part of the interview, using questions which were asked in respect of each adult member of the household.

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